Thursday
Nov182010
(Simple) Cranberry Simple Syrup
Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 9:45PM
Cranberry Simple Syrup, 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.
Pour a splash of this syrup in a glass of champagne to make a Cranberry Champagne Cocktail. Mix a little syrup club with soda or lemon~lime soda and garnish with a lime wheel to make a sparkling non-alcoholic drink. Fill a glass with ice, pour in a shot of Vodka, a little Triple Sec or Sweet & Sour mix, a splash of Cranberry Simple Syrup and a generous squeeze of lime...very Cosmopolitan!
Makes about 2 cups of syrup
- 1 12 oz. bag of fresh or frozen cranberries (3 cups)
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
1.) Rinse cranberries and pick through them, discarding any that look old. Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2.) Reduce heat to low and simmer until cranberries have all burst, about 15 minutes.
3.) Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl and let the strainer sit over the bowl until the
syrup has cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour.
4.) Either discard the cranberry solids into your compost, or use them in another recipe. At this point they are still pretty tart.
5.) Refrigerate the syrup in a sealed bottle or other container with a tight fitting lid for up to 2 weeks.
Note: If you plan to use this for cocktails, you can add an ounce of vodka or grain alcohol to the syrup and it will act as a preservative, allowing you to store it for months.