Cranberry Gin Fizz
This cranberry gin fizz not only has super satisfying bubbles, but it also has a beautiful layer of sweet foam on top that looks like fresh-fallen snow! It has a great Christmas flavor profile and a beautiful pink color that is sure to impress all the guests at your holiday party!
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Cranberry Gin Fizz
- 🕰️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- ❤️ Flavor Profile: Tart and fizzy cocktail in a pretty pink package.
- 🎄 Good For: Wow-ing your guests during the winter holidays, or enjoying a bubbly cocktail without the prosecco.
- 🧡 Difficulty: Just separate an egg, pour, and shake!
"Oh my gosh-YUM! Gin Fizzes are my FAVORITE cocktail!"
- LEAH -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hi friend: This beauty is about to become your signature holiday cocktail. I love a good festive drink (hello, hot buttered rum), and this one does not disappoint. Just look at that gorgeous color! Your holiday guests will all be asking for this recipe, guaranteed.
Make a few of these cocktails along with some simple appetizers like my Rosemary Bacon Wrapped Dates, Christmas Charcuterie Board, or Baked Brie with Jam, and your holiday party is set.
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- It's easy to make. Once you've made the simple syrup, you just pour, shake, and serve. Easy-peasy.
- Shaken drinks are the ultimate party flex. Plus, they're so much fun to make! You'll feel extra festive while you shake them up, and you'll look like an absolute pro.
- People swoon over these every year. Every time I serve this drink, folks flip! It became my signature cocktail faster than any other drink I've whipped up over the years (even faster than the peppermint martini!), and now it can be yours.
❤️ The Ingredients You Need
- Cranberry juice: If you want the most cranberry flavor, I recommend using 100% cranberry juice. Check the ingredients on your juice. "Cranberry juice" should be the only thing listed!
- Egg white: If you're worried about the raw egg white, I recommend using pasteurized eggs (often sold in major supermarkets).
- Gin: Because the gin flavor is prominent in this one, skip the bottom shelf gin. My general rule: use the alcohol you like the best! I love Cardinal Spirits Standard Dry Gin, but whatever tastes good to you will make a good cocktail.
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Skip the white: You can also leave the egg white out if you want. Your drink won't be as fizzy, but it will still be delicious!
- Pomegranate gin fizz: For a simple twist that will still give you a gorgeous red color, replace the cranberry juice in the simple syrup with 100% pomegranate juice.
- Batch drinks: Don't want to be playing bartender all night? Mix up a batch of my cranberry-kissed jingle juice punch or Christmas wassail instead!
🥣 Cranberry Gin Fizz How-To
Step 1: First up, you need to make the cranberry simple syrup. Just mix one part cranberry juice with one part granulated sugar, and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Easy as that!
Step 2: Add the cocktail ingredients to the shaker-and don't forget the secret ingredient!
Pour the cranberry syrup into a cocktail shaker along with most of the remaining ingredients (just not the ice or club soda quite yet). Then one raw egg white goes in to give it that classic foam on top that a gin fizz is known for.
Step 3: Shake, shake, shake for about 15-seconds. Then add some ice and shake again!
Step 4: Pour into a glass (I recommend a low-ball or champagne glass), then top off with club soda. If you're feeling fancy and festive, garnish it with some fresh cranberries and/or rosemary sprigs.
🙋🏻♀️ Cranberry Gin Fizz FAQs
A lot of people get them mixed up because they have similar flavor profiles and ingredient lists. But a true gin fizz has a secret ingredient that a Tom Collins doesn't: an egg white! This egg white gives the gin fizz a foamy, fizzy head that is unique.
A gin fizz is a classic cocktail that is bubbly, citrus-tart, and topped with a fizzy foam. It typically contains gin (obviously), lemon or lime juice, simple syrup, club soda, and an egg white.
The key difference between a regular gin fizz and this cranberry version is that I swapped out the simple syrup for a cranberry syrup. It amplifies the fruity tartness, and makes the drink perfect for fall and winter holidays!
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Stay safe: I know raw eggs can be a bit iffy, so if you're concerned, look for pasteurized eggs at the grocery store.
- Best cranberry flavor: The best cranberry flavor comes from pure cranberry juice (aka: 100% cranberry juice). "Cranberry juice cocktail" and "100% juice cranberry" have other fruit juices and sometimes sugar added, so the cranberry flavor doesn't have as much of a chance to shine.
🥂 More Festive Cocktail Recipes:
If you tried this cranberry gin fizz or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Gin Fizz
Ingredients
Cranberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup cranberry juice 100% pure cranberry juice for most flavor
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Per Gin Fizz
- 2 ounces gin
- 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 ounce cranberry simple syrup chilled
- 1 egg white pasteurized, if desired
- 3-4 drops orange bitters
- 2 ounces club soda chilled
- Ice
- Cranberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- Make the cranberry simple syrup by combining the 1 cup cranberry juice and 1 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
- To make the gin fizz, combine the 2 ounces gin, 1 ounce fresh lemon juice, 1 ounce cranberry simple syrup, 1 egg white, and 3-4 drops orange bitters in a cocktail shaker. Cover, and shake vigorously for at least 15 seconds.
- Remove the lid of the cocktail shaker, place in a handful of Ice, close the lid again, and shake vigorously again for 15 seconds.
- Strain the gin mixture into a low-ball or champagne glass. Top off with the 2 ounces club soda, and garnish with Cranberries and rosemary sprigs, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Yes, this recipe uses a raw egg white to make the delicious, beautiful foam on top. If you are worried about food safety, you can use pasteurized eggs (sold in many major supermarkets) or just leave out the egg white entirely. If you leave it out, your gin fizz won't be as foamy and fizzy, but it will still taste delicious.
Nutrition
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I just can't get over the gorgeous color! I can't do eggs, so I skipped the egg white, and it was still a hit!
Oh my gosh-YUM! Gin Fizzes are my FAVORITE cocktail! This looks like a fantastic version for the holidays. Can't wait to try it!