Cranberry Infused Vodka

ByElaine Posted onNovember 15, 2018April 20, 2020 Updated onApril 20, 2020

This cranberry infused vodka recipe is perfect for a few different reasons. It’s delicious, vibrant and can be used to make beautiful cocktails.

A tall bottle filled with the cranberry vodka with a small white dish of cranberries in front and a little in a jar

Isn’t this cranberry infused vodka a thing of beauty? Just imagine drinking a delicious cocktail using this vodka! Not only is it slightly tart, but the beautiful color makes for a gorgeous beverage.

Now imagine wrapping a bottle filled with this cranberry infused vodka in Christmas paper and gifting it to a vodka-loving loved one. You’ll be so happy to see the excited look on their face as they unwrap it and delight in receiving such a caring gift from you.

See? There are many reasons why you should make this cranberry infused vodka yourself!

I usually make a cranberry cosmo with this infused vodka.

Helpful tips

Do not think you have to sweeten this cranberry infused vodka. There is absolutely no reason to do so. The mistake that people make is thinking that just because cranberries are tart, they need to balance them out in the vodka instead of when adding sweetener to the cocktail that you are going to make with it. See the difference?
Use the freshest cranberries you can find
Use a food processor but only process 3/4 of the cranberries, leave the rest whole
Do not eat the cranberries after they’ve been soaking in vodka because all you will taste is vodka
You don’t need to use premium vodka, though you can. I used Absolute

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How to make this infused vodka

Step one

Gather the cranberries, vodka and a jar.

Fresh cranberries in a white bowl and vodka bottle and a jar in the background

Step two

Place 3/4 of the cranberries in a food processor and roughly pulse them.

Chopped up cranberries in a food processor with more in a measuring cup behind it

Step three

Scrape chopped cranberries and whole cranberries in a large jar (A)

Step four

Pour vodka over the cranberries in the jar (B)

Step five

Once the vodka and cranberries are in the jar, you can already start to see the color leaching into the vodka (C)

A jar of cranberries and vodka being poured into it and the berries rising to the top

Step six

Use a long wooden spoon to stir the cranberries and vodka or cap the jar and give it a little shake. You can see that stirring the vodka causes more color from the cranberries to infuse it

Cranberries in a jar with vodka poured in. The jar has been sealed and shaken and you can see the vodka already turning pinkish

Step seven

Cap the jar and place it on a shelf somewhere. Some people store it in a cool dark place like a pantry, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I just kept the jar on our dining room table, to remind me to give it a stir

Step eight

Stir the cranberry infused vodka every day for a week

The following photo was taken after a week. Look at how vibrant the color is!

The jar of vodka and cranberries after 7 days on the counter

Step nine

Cover a sieve with some cheesecloth and pour the contents of the jar into the sieve.

Cranberries being strained in cheese cloth over a bowl of vodka

Step ten

Toss the cranberries and cheesecloth, then pour the cranberry infused vodka into a large bottle or a few jars.

Perfect!

What are you going to do with the cranberry infused vodka when you make it? Keep it for yourself or gift it? Both are great ideas.

The other cocktail infusions

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!