Drink your cranberry vodka straight, or in a cranberry martini.
December 2006
Updated December 2008
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Cranberry Vodka
A Recipe To Make Your Own Cranberry-Infused Vodka
Some vodka-lovers would sooner skip the martini and enjoy the vodka neat. If so, consider one of the cranberry-infused vodkas from Finlandia, Matrioshka, Smirnoff, Stolichnaya or 267.
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| Finlandia Cranberry Vodka |
Matrioshka Cranberry Vodka |
Smirnoff Cranberry Twist Vodka |
Stoli Cranberi Vodka |
267 Cranberry Infusion Vodka |
But, you can have the fun of infusing your own. Generally when making infused vodka, the flavors should blend for four weeks or longer, but this recipe lets you do it in just 3 days.
Then, you can enjoy cranberry vodka straight up, on the rocks, or use it as a base for Cranberry Martinis the traditional way: just a tad of vermouth.
Infused Cranberry Vodka
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries
- 1 fifth good quality vodka, like Absolut
Preparation
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, tilting and swirling the pan occasionally. Lower heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cranberries and set pan aside for 2 hours.
- Transfer the cranberry mixture to a large covered bowl, jar or canister and add vodka (retain the bottle for later use.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days, stirring occasionally. If you don’t have room in the refrigerator, keep in a cool, dark place.
- Strain the vodka into a large pitcher, reserving the cranberries. Using a funnel, pour the vodka back into the bottle. Place the bottle in the freezer until ready to serve. Keep the cranberries in the freezer, but defrost prior to serving (they defrost quickly).
- To serve, fill chilled shot glasses or rocks glasses with the vodka. Add a few cranberries to each. Serve immediately.
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