After over a decade of making cocktails, you learn that the beauty of simplicity is hard to beat. This is why I love making liquor infusions. They are such an easy way to level up your at-home cocktail game and you can make simple and delicious cocktails in a matter of minutes once you have your finished infusions. This cranberry infused gin recipe is the perfect way to add cranberry flavor into all of your gin-based cocktails this holiday season.
Berries and gin work very well together (see sloe gin for proof), this is because their floral fruity flavor complements the botanical gin! Once you infuse your gin, you can use it in recipes like a cranberry smash cocktail, or you can even enjoy it in a simple cranberry gin and tonic! Forget cranberry sauce at the holiday table. This gin is about to be the talk of all your holiday gatherings.
Jump to RecipeJump to:
- 💕 why you'll love this cranberry infused gin recipe
- 🛒 ingredients
- 🧐 what is gin
- 🍳 instructions
- Get the FREE guide of the 6 best tools for making your own simple syrups!🍹
- 💡tips and tricks for getting it right
- ♻️ substitutions & variations
- 🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
- 💬 q+a
- 🥣 recipe
- 🧯food safety & other information
💕 why you'll love this cranberry infused gin recipe
🍓 bursting with berry flavor. This cranberry gin recipe is full of cranberry flavor, making it perfect for fall and winter when the berries are at the peak of freshness.
🙌 simple technique. Infusing your own gin is oh-so-simple, and the majority of the time it takes to make the recipe is hands-off! No super fancy equipment needed!
🤩 impressive & inventive. Get ready to impress your friends at your next gathering with your ingenious use of cranberries and gin. You can literally just add ginger beer or ginger ale and you’ve got a delicious cranberry gin cocktail!
🛒 ingredients
- gin - Gin is an alcohol that has been flavored with herbs and botanicals, most notably juniper. It can be intense in flavor because juniper can be an overwhelming flavor. Choose a mildly flavored good quality gin for your infusions. I like using Bombay Sapphire, because it’s a good price point and isn’t too heavy in flavor, so it takes on the flavor of cranberries nicely in this infusion. Check out the recommendations for brands of gin below for more brands and their flavor profiles. And don’t be afraid to experiment on your own! The best way to find what you like is by trying different brands!
- cranberries - you’ll need whole, cranberries for this infusion. The good news is that you can use fresh or frozen berries! Choose the best-looking, darkest berries you can find for a stronger cranberry flavor.
See the recipe card for exact quantities.
🧐 what is gin
Gin is a liquor that is made from distilling a grain (usually barley or rye) into liquid alcohol, then flavoring it with a variety of herbs, botanicals, and berries. Most notably, Gin is flavored using juniper berries, which are seeds from a juniper tree (from the cypress family of trees). It has a very distinctive flavor, so not everyone is a gin fan, but there are options for every palate!
- flavor of gin - Gin has a flavor that is described as botanical, pine-like, and sometimes floral. The flavor of your gin depends on the brand, as each distiller uses a different combination of herbs, botanicals and spices in their distilling process.
- brands of gin - Every gin distiller has a different recipe, so the flavor will differ from brand to brand. Here are a few recommendations based on flavor profile:
- delicate flavor- look for Plymouth Gin, Aviation Gin, or Hendricks Gin for a more delicate or subtle gin flavor profile.
- moderate flavor - brands like Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater have a notable “gin” taste of spices and botanicals, without being overwhelming.
- intense flavor - Bols Genever and The Botanist have intense juniper flavor that is front and center. These gins are best for gin lovers!
- price point of gin - a decent bottle of gin will cost you about $25 - $35. A standard sized bottle has about 25 ounces in it, which means 12 cocktails with 2 ounces, or 25 cocktails with 1 ounce! That is about $1.5 - $3 per drink on the high end!
🍳 instructions
Step 1: If you are using fresh cranberries, give them a good rinse to clean them.
Step 2: Place your berries in a large glass jar.
Step 3: Muddle the berries to crush about ¼ - ½ of them so they release their juices easier.
Step 4: Pour your gin overtop of the cranberries.
Step 5: Seal the jar and give it a gentle shake.
Step 6: Infuse the liquor for 3-7 days, depending on the flavor you want. Place the jar in a cool dark place, like a kitchen cupboard or in your pantry. You can also place it in the fridge. Just avoid direct sunlight and warm locations.
Step 7: Taste your cranberry gin each day until it reaches the flavor you want. Once it does, strain the cranberries out of the mixture using a fine mesh sieve and glass measuring cup.
Step 8: Store your finished cranberry gin in an airtight storage container for up to 6 months in the fridge.
Learn about the best tools for making your own simple syrups with our FREE PDF guide!
💡tips and tricks for getting it right
🍽️ serving tips
cocktails
Use this cranberry gin in any cocktail that calls for gin for a burst of cranberry flavor!
- cranberry gin smash - This recipe for a cranberry gin smash puts the flavor of cranberries front and center using this infused gin! Its the perfect Christmas cocktail and also works well at Thanksgiving, too!
- cranberry gin & tonic - a gin and tonic is an easy cocktail to make— you don’t even need to break out a cocktail shaker! It’s a classic gin coctkail using gin, tonic water, and sometimes citrus or simple syrup. Make it your own by using lime juice, lemon juice, or even adding an infused syrup like this cranberry simple syrup or this cardamom simple syrup.
desserts & baking
One of the lesser known ways to use alcohol is in baking and desserts! Rum cake is one of the more popular liquor-soaked cakes, but you can glaze any cake with this cranberry gin for a seasonal spin on dessert. This would be especially great around the winter holidays!
- cranberry gin “tiramisu” - tiramisu is a trifle-style layered dessert that is traditionally flavored with rum, congnac, or ameretto. This gin would be wonderful to use in a layered trifle of lady-fingers, jam, and pastry cream!
- cupcakes and layer cakes - brush a layer cake or cupcakes with this cranberry gin for a hint of berry-gin flavor!
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
Even though this recipe is only two ingredients, things can go wrong! Infusions can be a little tricky to get the hang of, so try these troubleshooting tips if things don't pan out quite right.
- infusion time - Make sure to taste your gin as it ages through the infusion process. For years, I thought longer infusions = better infusions, but that’s not the case. In fact, the longer you let something infuse, the more likely it will be too intensely flavored. When left to infuse for a week or more, the flavor can start to get way too intense and almost perfume-like. Stick to around 3- 5 days for the perfect flavored gin, but you can push it up to a week.
- spoiling - If you aren’t using your cranberry-infused gin right away, store it in the fridge to keep it from spoiling. Yes, the alcohol does preserve it to some degree, but because we are dealing with produce, which can spoil, it’s better for longer-term storage to refrigerate it. It’s okay if you forget it on the counter at room temperature for a couple of days, but keep it out of warm, sunny places.
⚖️ Scaling Tips
This recipe is perfect for making a little or a lot! You can make as little as ½ cup or as much as a whole bottle of gin! Simply adjust the amount of berries and gin you use for the following scenarios:
- for one cup of infused gin - use 1 cup of gin and 80 grams of berries, or about ⅔ cup.
- for one half cup of infused gin - use ½ cup of gin and 40 grams of berries, or about ⅓ cup.
🔆 top tip
While logically it seems like infusing the cranberries for longer equals a stronger flavor, avoid letting your infusion steep for longer than 7 days. When infusing liquor with fresh fruit, over extraction is possible, and this usually results in an almost perfume-like quality of liquor.
♻️ substitutions & variations
♻️ variations
Missing an ingredient? No problem. Check out these tried-and-true substitutions, or comment below with your question. I’m here to help you troubleshoot!
- tequila - use silver tequila to make a cranberry tequila!
- rum- either silver rum or spiced rum would be a great pick for infusing with cranberry flavor!
- vodka - vodka is another clear liquor that would be the perfect base for cranberry flavor! Plus, vodka and cranberry are a classic combination!
🎛️ variations
Feeling like a rebel?! 😈 Feel free to stray from the recipe card using these variations, or leave me a comment with your own!
- add spices - adding in a sprig of rosemary or mint can amp up the botanical flavor of the gin. Just be sure to taste your infusion as you are making it, because some herbs can become very overpowering in just a short amount of time.
- add orange - pop in a few slices of orange for a pop of citrus flavor, because cranberries and orange play very well together!
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🧰 tools needed
- large glass jar - Large glass jars are the best way to infuse liquor! I love using large Weck jars or Ball Canning jars because they have a wide mouth and are easy to get the cranberries in and out of. You can use two smaller jars, or cut the recipe in half if you don’t have a large enough container. I’ve even used a zip-top bag in a pinch. 😛
- muddler - cranberries are very firm berries, so you will need to crush them to help things infuse more thoroughly. A muddler is the best tool to quickly crush lots of berries so they can infuse the gin! I love using my muddler from OXO because it’s easy to hold, cleans up well in the dishwasher, and is made of stainless steel and nylon so it doesn’t absorb any flavors or colors from the berries.
- fine mesh strainer - a fine sieve is key for separating the berries out of the finished gin. You can also use cheesecloth if you want to ensure that no sediment remains in the final infusion. I usually just one of the mesh sieves from this stainless steel strainer set.
- glass measuring cup - a large glass measuring cup (at least a 4 cup capacity) allows you to easily strain your finished infusion. I love this set by Anchor Hocking because it includes a 1-cup, 2-cup, and 4-cup glass.
🫙 how to store your infused gin
Your finished gin will last for up to 6 months when properly stored in the refrigerator.
Store your finished cranberry gin in an airtight glass bottle, like these from Bormioli Rocco. These bottles also make a fantastic gift for any gin lover when filled with your gin!
You can also store the finished infusion in the same bottle the gin originally came in. That way, you don’t have to buy anything new!
💬 q+a
You finished gin will last for up to 6 months in the fridge before the flavor starts to fade.
The general rule of thumb is if you are using ingredients to infuse liquor that are not shelf-stable, you should refrigerate it. This means any liquor infusing fresh ingredients or produce, like cranberries, should be stored in the fridge to keep it from spoiling.
While you might be tempted to think that longer = better with infusions, but that’s really not always the case. Sure, for things like homemade vanilla extract, time can be your friend. But when you are infusing liquor to be used in cocktails, you want to stick to a week maximum before flavors get funky.
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🥣 recipe
Cranberry Infused Gin
Equipment
- 1 large jar 50 ounce capacity or greater
- 1 cheesecloth optional, for further straining
- 1 glass measuring cup 4 cup capacity
Ingredients
- 240 grams whole cranberries fresh or frozen (2 cups)
- 750 mL gin brand such as Bombay Sapphire or Hendricks
Instructions
- If you are using fresh cranberries, give them a good rinse to clean them.
- Place your berries in a large glass jar.
- Muddle the berries to crush about ¼ - ½ of them so they release their juices easier.
- Pour your gin overtop of the cranberries.
- Seal the jar and give it a gentle shake.
- Infuse the liquor for 3-7 days, depending on the flavor you want. Place the jar in a cool dark place, like a kitchen cupboard or in your pantry. You can also place it in the fridge. Just avoid direct sunlight and warm locations.
- Taste your cranberry gin each day until it reaches the flavor you want. Once it does, strain the cranberries out of the mixture using a fine mesh sieve and glass measuring cup.
- Store your finished cranberry gin in an airtight storage container for up to 6 months in the fridge.
Notes
- for one cup of infused gin - use 1 cup of gin and 80 grams of berries, or about ⅔ cup.
- for one half cup of infused gin - use ½ cup of gin and 40 grams of berries, or about ⅓ cup.
Nutrition
🧯food safety & other information
Food safety is an important ingredient in any recipe for success! Here are some tips to keep you safe in the kitchen!
- Always enjoy alcohol responsibly, and never give alcohol to anyone under 21 years of age. For more information about responsible alcohol consumption, click here.
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