Cranberry syrup can be made a few different ways. This recipe has corn syrup* in it, which some people are opposed to. I don't find it too objectionable, since the actual amount of corn syrup consumed per serving is quite low. After all, this syrup is so concentrated you will be using ~ one tablespoon per beverage, which means there are about 30 servings per batch.
The other recipe I have on my website is called Cranberry Simple Syrup, because it is the cranberry version of "Simple Syrup", which is a staple of every cocktail bar and a wonderful way to sweeten ice tea too. I think it should more accurately be called (Simple) Cranberry Simple Syrup, because it is easy to make, but the redundancy is a bit much.
Use this syrup in cocktails and mocktails...a little bit goes a long way. Because this Sweet~Tart Cranberry Syrup is thicker and more intense than (Simple) Cranberry Simple Syrup, you can also pour it over pancakes, waffles and plain cheesecake. It's festive bright red color will make your holidays a little sweeter, and might even be perfect for your favorite Valentine's Day tart ;)
Makes about 2 cups of syrup
1.) Rinse cranberries and pick through them, discarding any that look old. If you buy them quite fresh, there should be very few bad ones.
2.) In a medium saucepan combine cranberry juice, cranberries, corn syrup, and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until reduced by about half.
3.) Pour syrup through a fine-mesh strainer. You can line it with damp cheesecloth if you want it crystal clear, otherwise you might have a few tiny cranberry seeds in the syrup.
4.) Discard cranberry solids into your compost bin, or set aside to use in some other way. They will still be quite pretty and jewel-like, but are also quite tart!
5.) Seal tightly and store syrup in the refrigerator for up to one month.
* Why use corn syrup? Because corn syrup is an invert sugar, which means that it prevents sugar crystals from forming. Microscopically, sugar has jagged edges and when you melt it, sugar liquefies. But if you keep cooking it to a syrup, those jagged edged-fellas want to re-attach themselves to others. Corn syrup acts as interfering agent, which ‘interfere’ with that process. Honey, agave, and the like, don’t have the same properties. (Thanks to David Lebovitz for his easy-to-understand definition.)