Spiced Cranberry Vodka with Orange

My festive spiced cranberry and orange vodka makes the perfect warming drink for Christmas. Beautifully balanced with winter fruit and aromatic spices, it’s a great way to impress your guests on cosy nights in. Equally good made with gin, rather than vodka. 

A Winter Brainwave

I first made cranberry vodka as a result of desperation. A few years back, I somehow failed to pick any sloes and there was not a drop of sloe gin in the house at Christmas time. Looking for a good alternative, I had the brainwave of adding the remains of the (homemade) cranberry sauce to half a bottle of vodka and giving it a good shake. Very good it was too.

A few years on, I have refined and perfected the recipe for this lovely winter treat. This spiced cranberry and orange vodka uses cranberries, oranges and warming winter flavours of cinnamon, cloves and a hint of star anise. It makes a lovely winter digestif, perfect for sipping by the fire and a great alternative to the more traditional sloe gin. It is also good in festive cocktails. I think it would make a very welcome gift too. 

Why you will love this Christmas vodka recipe

• This cranberry vodka is delicious – bright red and full of seasonal spice.
• It is so easy to make. Simply whack all the ingredients into a bottle, shake and leave for a week to 10 days, it is ready far faster than a drink like sloe gin.      
• Christmas vodka makes an excellent present. Decant into a pretty bottle and add a ribbon and a label. Everyone loves homemade presents.
• It is adaptable – use fresh or frozen cranberries, vary the spices, use gin or vodka. 

How to Make Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Orange Vodka

Step one – Gather your ingredients. Pick over the cranberries to remove any stray bits of stalk.  

Step two – Either prick the cranberries with a fork, or freeze them to break the skins.  Unlike sloe gin you really do need to prick them. 

Step three – Take a clean glass screw-top or preserving jar with a wide neck to take the spices. Put in all the dry ingredients. It’s much easier to use a wide-necked jar than a bottle.

Step four – Top up with vodka (or gin) and seal tightly. Give the jar a good shake to dissolve the sugar. Store the bottle in a cool dark place where you can get to it easily.

Step five – Shake the bottle daily for the first week or so, until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.

Step six – Separate the vodka from the fruit by pouring the drink through a muslin-lined sieve. Discard the fruit, and decant the vodka into a clean bottle. It’s easier to pour cleanly from a bottle  than a jar. Enjoy!

Hints & Tips for Cranberry Vodka

• You don’t need to use premium vodka or gin to make this drink. A supermarket own brand is fine, as long as it is palatable. (We find that some of the budget options aren’t!)
• You can either prick all the cranberries with a fork, or freeze them to split the skins as they defrost.
• If you prefer a drier drink, use less sugar. Remember you can always add extra, but not take it out. 
• Ideally leave to infuse for 6 weeks before straining and bottling. However, it is very drinkable after 10 days. 
• Once bottled, leave for a week or so. Your vodka will become smoother with time.  
• Mix up the spices to make it your way. Add more, or less, or try something different.  
• Add some flakes of edible gold leaf when you bottle it for that extra touch of luxury. 
• If you run out of time to make this as a present, make a presentation bottle and add a label saying when it will be ready. It will go a deep crimson within 36 hours, so it will look fabulous, even if it is not ready to drink when you hand it over.  
• Save the cranberries to make a spiked cranberry sauce – strictly for the grownups! 

How to Serve Cranberry Vodka

• Serve it straight up, either at room temperature or chilled.
• Use is for a vodka and tonic with a difference. It’s best to use a traditional tonic rather than one with extra flavourings here.
• Make a cranberry royale with champagne, prosecco or cava. 
• Invent your own cocktail! Tell us about your creation in the comments below.

More winter cocktails and drinks 

• Mulled cider
• Sloe Gin
• Bramble Whisky
• Gin and Appletiser 
• Hot buttered rum
• Christmas Martini 

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in December 2011, but was rewritten and republished with new photos, step by step instructions and hints & tips in November 2019.