Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail

This cranberry bourbon cocktail is sweet tart and complex, offset by orange and sweet vermouth. It’s a signature drink that everyone loves!

Want a signature drink featuring cranberry and orange? Try this refreshing cranberry bourbon cocktail! It’s balanced, sweet tart, and complex, with fruity with intriguing notes from an unexpected ingredient: sweet vermouth.

The first time I tried this drink, it was love at first sip. Because it stars cranberry and bourbon, it’s ideal for fall or winter entertaining, like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas. Add it to your list for a winter drink or fall bourbon cocktail.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This Cranberry Bourbon cocktail is nicely balanced, with just the right amount of nuance from sweet vermouth. My husband Alex actually created this cocktail, and he first tried it as a cranberry Manhattan. It was slightly too boozy for my tastes, so he kept the vermouth and added orange juice. It came out sweet tart, with just the right amount of bourbon finish! Here’s what you’ll need:

Bourbon whiskey: Use any mid-range bottle of bourbon. I like bottles in the $25-40 range, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Four Roses Small Batch, or Woodford Reserve.
Sweet vermouth: This fortified wine is common in a Manhattan, and it adds a nice complexity to this drink.
Orange juice: You can use fresh or bottled juice.
100% unsweetened cranberry juice: I recommend using 100% cranberry juice for the best flavor and color in this drink (avoid cranberry juice cocktail).
Simple syrup: This adds just the right hint of sweetness to the drink.

Why 100% Cranberry Juice Matters

When making cranberry cocktails, we prefer using unsweetened cranberry juice. Try to find a bottle marked 100% juice, instead of cranberry juice cocktail, which is sweetened. If all you can find is sweetened cranberry juice, cranberry juice blend, or cranberry juice cocktail, omit the simple syrup or add it to taste. Here’s why we like 100% juice:

Unsweetened juice lets you customize the sweetness to taste. The flavor of the cocktail tastes much more real when you use 100% juice and add back a bit of simple syrup. The flavor is much more tart than cranberry juice cocktail, which is sweetened.
Unsweetened juice has a brighter color. It makes the drink look vibrant and bright red.

How to Make This Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail

This cranberry bourbon cocktail is a simple shake and strain cocktail: simply place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, shake, and strain into a glass! Here’s what to do:

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add the cranberry, orange juice, bourbon, vermouth, simple syrup to a cocktail shaker, add 1 handful ice, and shake until cold.
Strain into a glass. Any type of lowball glass works!
Garnish and serve. It’s nice to garnish with fresh or frozen cranberries. For the best presentation, use clear ice: it’s crystal clear ice that you can cut into large, organic shapes. Go to How to Make Clear Ice.

Tip for Batching This Drink

Serving a crowd? You can make a pitcher of this cranberry bourbon cocktail! Simply add 8 times the ingredients to a large pitcher (see the recipe below for quantities). Add 2 handfuls of ice and stir until cold.

Stir until cold! Then pour into lowball glasses. This would be a great presentation for Thanksgiving dinner or a Christmas party.

Serving Suggestions

This Cranberry Bourbon cocktail works well throughout the fall and during the holidays. Here are a few ideas:

Fall dinners: This is ideal as a Thanksgiving cocktail or for any fall entertaining with fall appetizers.
Christmas appetizers or dinner: With the bright red color, it’s ideal for Christmas dinner, or a Christmas appetizer spread.
New Year’s Eve: This also works well to ring in the new year with other New Year’s Eve drinks.