Last Updated on August 18, 2024 by Leah Hall
This holiday cocktail is a great combination of festive flavors with the cranberry and rosemary with whiskey!
This drink marries bourbon and Christmas’ signature berry. At least I think of it as the signature berry. At least in our house. I love sugared cranberries and cranberry simple syrup in everything around Christmas time, and for that matter, at Thanksgiving! Or, make a great Christmas cocktail with our cranberry Ornament Cocktail!
This post contains affiliate links for products that we think you as readers might find useful, and we make commission off of these! For more details about our affiliates, click our Disclosure and Contacts Page.
This cranberry rosemary cocktail is a perfect drink for your holiday parties coming up. And, because it is an Old Fashioned, is super easy to make on repeat for all those thirsty guests at your house!
Friends, are you in the holiday spirit yet? We hope so!
Make this holiday cocktail for your Thanksgiving happy hour, Christmas cookie exchange, after shopping for Black Friday, or Christmas package wrapping, because lets be real. Try a Blueberry Pie Old Fashioned, too!
Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned Cocktail
We combined cranberries and rosemary in this simple syrup to flavor the Old Fashioned for two reasons. One, because it is such a pretty color and makes the drink so festive and perfect as a Christmas cocktail. Two, because it tastes good. Cranberry and rosemary together is so flavorful and fresh tasting.
An Old Fashioned is know by it’s use of ice. Or lack thereof. You can either build it in the glass and give it a great stir, which is why an ice sphere is the perfect vehicle for this. An ice sphere gives the coolness the drink needs, but doesn’t water down the bourbon or the simple syrup, making the first sip as good as the last. The more diluted this drink becomes the less enjoyable it will be.
Although, in our house we don’t usually let them sit long enough for this to be a factor. No, that isn’t a drunk joke. Ha!
What Ingredients are Needed for the Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned?
- Whiskey (we used a cask strength whiskey for this one!)
- Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
- aromatic bitters
- sugared cranberries and rosemary stems if desired.
As you can see, very few ingredients for this holiday cocktail, and so easy to make!
What are bitters and why should you use them?
Bitters are an alcoholic liquid flavored with botanicals. Ingredients vary, but the most common ones are cassia, citrus, flowers and herbs. Bitters add flavor and balance to your cocktails, but a little goes a long way. You really only need 1 or 2 drops per cocktail. We always refer to them as the salt and pepper of the cocktail world. Don’t “oversalt” you can always add more, but can’t take away.
Angostura Bitters are the most classic bitter and is perfect for this drink. You can also find orange Angostura Bitters which would be delightful in this cranberry cocktail. Think of orange cranberry relish! Try out our Cranberry Aperol Spritz, too!
Cheers!
Also, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and tag #gastronomcocktails so we can see all the wonderful recipes YOU recreate from this site!
You can also subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss a delicious recipe again!
Other Old Fashioned Recipes
- Brown Butter Old Fashioned
- Pine Old Fashioned
- Smoked Orange Old Fashioned – Cake N Knife
- Fired Peach Old Fashioned
- Honeycrisp Old Fashioned – How Sweet Eats
- Ginger Clementine Old Fashioned
- High Noon Old Fashioned – Southern Kitchen
- Maple Old Fashioned
- Pumpkin Old Fashioned – Inspired by Charm
- Christmas Old Fashioned
- Cinnamon Rosemary Old Fashioned – Salted Plains
- Lavender Old Fashioned
Like this recipe? Try these below, too!
Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned
This holiday cocktail is a great cranberry Old Fashioned with a little rosemary thrown in!
Ingredients
Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces Cask Strength Whiskey
- .50 ounce Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- cranberries and rosemary sprigs for garnish, if desired
Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cranberries
- 2 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
Cranberry Rosemary Old Fashioned
- This is a build in glass cocktail, so place an ice ball into a rocks glass.
- Add in whiskey, simple syrup and bitters.
- Stir until syrup is combined, and drink is chilled.
- Garnish with cranberries and rosemary sprigs
Cranberry Rosemary Simple Syrup
- Combine sugar and water with cranberries in small saucepan over medium heat.
- Warm until almost boiling, and most of the cranberries have popped.
- Pull of of heat, add in rosemary sprigs and let infuse for 15 minutes.
- Strain out syrup, discarding cranberries and rosemary.
- Store in jar, in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Hiware LZS13B 12 Inches Stainless Steel Mixing Spoon, Spiral Pattern Bar Cocktail Shaker Spoon
-
Crystal-Clear Ice Ball Maker, 2-Cavity Mold, Jumbo Ice Balls, Better Kitchen Products
-
Libbey Heavy Base 12-piece Rocks Glass Set
-
Angostura Aromatic Cocktail Bitters - 16 Ounce Bottle
-
Ball 4-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12-2 Pack (Total 24 Jars)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Sodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 12gSugar: .1g
Interested in stocking your own home bar? Make sure to see our favorites at our Amazon Store!
If you liked this post, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and of course free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all the recipes delivered to your inbox when we post), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Gastronomblog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com