A Cranberry Gimlet is the best cocktail you can serve this or any holiday!
Festive with vibrant red and tart, refreshing and just the hint of sweet!
Every year I find myself making many of these addictive cocktails. If you like your cocktails refreshing, tart, and not very sweet, this is the perfect holiday cocktail for you. I posted about a blog about this cocktail a couple of years ago I garnished it with candied cranberries that I also posted the recipe for here. It is still a great way to garnish this cocktail. But the intense red of the cranberry gimlet is beautiful all on its own. I was never happy with the photos or what gin I used. Yes, they were fantastic, but I wanted to really show how this cocktail should be your go-to cocktail for the holidays.
I tried out a bunch of different gins, and each brought something wonderful to the cocktail. But the best gin by far seemed to be one that is really juniper-forward, Spring44’s Mountain Gin, (yes Spring44 again). I don’t always like heavy juniper gins in my cocktails, they seem to sometimes overpower everything, and all you taste is juniper. But in a cranberry gimlet, the cranberry juice blends with the juniper perfectly, to really bring out both of the flavors. The juniper lightens up the cranberry making the cocktail seem really refreshing and bright. Unsweetened cranberry juice can be found in most good grocery stores, including Whole Foods and Trader Joes, or here is a link for it on Amazon.
The other key to making an excellent cranberry gimlet is to use unsweetened cranberry juice. The only sweetener is ½ an ounce of agave syrup. The intense flavor of the unsweetened cranberry juice balances with the gin, and the cocktail is just sweet enough using the agave syrup. (agave syrup can be found on Amazon or most grocery stores) If you use sweetened cranberry juice, it would be way too sweet. The same goes for using a lime cordial as in the original gimlet. I feel the agave gives just enough sweetness. I definitely prefer using fresh lime juice in a cranberry gimlet too.
The history of the gimlet goes back to 1867 when a gentleman named Lauchlin Rose patented a way to preserve lime juice with sugar for sailors to take on their ships to prevent scurvy. The sailors would mix Rose’s Lime Cordial with their ration of rum. The ship’s officers would add in the cordial to their more “civilized” gin. Of course, back then, on a ship, there was no ice, but the great pairing of lime and gin was born. The origin of the name gimlet is a mystery. A gimlet could have been named for the small tool that is used to tap the barrels of spirits or to a navel physician Dr. Gimlette (1857-1943), but no one knows for sure.
Cranberry gimlets can be made in batches ahead of time. The cocktails can be mixed in a pitcher on the day of the event and add the ice as you make them in a cocktail shaker. I promise you; these cranberry gimlets are the perfect thing to serve for a holiday cocktail party.
Cranberry gimlet is tart, refreshing, and just the hint of sweet. using Spring44 Mountain Gin in this cocktail is the perfect gin.
- ½ oz agave syrup
- 2 oz gin Spring44 Mountain Gin
- ¾ oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
- Candied Cranberries if desired for garnish
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Place a coup or martini glass in the freezer for a couple of minutes to chill.
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Add Agave syrup, the Spring44 Mountain Gin, fresh line juice, and the unsweetened cranberry juice to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice.
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the shaker with the lid and shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds until the cocktail is ice cold.
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Take the cocktail glass out of the freezer or fridge.
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Strain into the chilled glass and serve immediately garnished with optional candied cranberries.
