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Two cocktail glasses filled with ice and a cranberry mocktail topped with cranberries and mint on a white marble surface
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5 from 1 vote

Ginger Cranberry Mocktail

A mocktail or a cocktail! Inspired by the VeDA mascot, Fiona the Flamingo. Shrubs are an interesting way to add acid to cocktails without the addition of citrus juice. Historically, they came about as a way to preserve fruits and vegetables before refrigeration was commonplace. I'll often describe them to my guests as similar to the base for a soda. Without getting too detailed, this was the safest production method I could come up with to achieve the flavor I was after. - KT
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Cooling Time30 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 265kcal
Author: Alicia

Ingredients

  • 1 oz Cranberry Ginger Mint Shrub *recipe to follow
  • 1 oz OPTIONAL spirit of choice - gin, vodka, or blanco tequila
  • Sparkling water to top off glass
  • 2 candied cranberries
  • mint sprig for garnish

Cranberry Ginger Mint Shrub

  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup cranberry juice *
  • 1 cup white sugar, plus a bit more to roll cranberries in
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • 13-14 fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar

Instructions

  • Combine cranberries, cranberry juice, sugar and star anise in saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until most sugar is dissolved. (Use a slotted spoon to remove half the cranberries, transferring them to be completely coated in sugar. Shake the excess sugar off and leave the candied cranberries to dry on wax paper.) Bring rest of ingredients to a boil until you hear the first gentle pops of the cranberries bursting.
  • Turn off the heat, stir and let cool a bit. Transfer the pot's contents to a blender. Add ginger, mint and white vinegar. Blend until cranberries are mostly broken up. Strain with a wire mesh colander or several layers of cheesecloth. 
  • Measure 1 oz. of the shrub and spirit, if imbibing, into a Collins glass. Add ice and top with sparkling water. Garnish with 2 candied cranberries on a cocktail pick and a mint sprig top. (This is meant to imitate Christmas holly.) 

Notes

  • I like using cranberry juice from RW Knudsen, but any good, clean brand will do. 
  • The mixture for cranberry ginger shrub will make more than one mocktail/cocktail, however the recipe above is for 1 serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 365mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 683IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 3mg