Homemade Cranberry Liqueur

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur is easy to make, delicious to drink and a beautiful gift to share over the holidays!

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur Served in a Liqueur Glass

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur might be one of my favorite things to make for the holidays but because I added it to this blog several years ago, it has for the most part languished in the nether world of being here but no one knowing it.

As I finished this years batch of Homemade Cranberry Liqueur along with the Coffee Liqueur (Faux Kahlua!) I bottled last week I decided this recipe with cranberries was a ‘have to.’

Meaning I have to take some new photos, I have to re-post this article and then most importantly? You have to make it!

I’ve mentioned I make my Christmas gifts and each year there is a greater challenge to make something more unique than the last.

When I made this several years ago it was one of my first forays into the making of a liqueur. As it turns out they are pretty easy to make and this one, well, it is also beautiful.

Some inexpensive vodka, sugar, and your choice of flavors and you’ve got your own homemade liqueurs. How cool is that? I started with Limoncello and love it but this is WAY easier!

Homemade cranberry liqueur is so simple, nothing but cranberries, sugar and vodka.

Simple ingredients but added together and given a couple of weeks to age and you’ll have something amazing to share…or squirrel away if you must!

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur is Combined with Prosecco in a Champagne Glass

In the past couple of years I’ve started making Homemade Cranberry Liqueur in time for Thanksgiving; it’s really perfect for the entire holiday season so you need a bit of a head start since it has to age for a couple of weeks.

These cranberries were frozen from last year; I take NO chances on being able to find them in time! I’ll store a bottle in the freezer and a small sip is the perfect after dinner drink.

I save the cranberry fruit after the liqueur has been bottled and those little liquored up pieces of fruit are great in cranberry muffins or fantastic on top of some vanilla ice cream or pound cake with a drizzle of the liqueur.

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur in Champagne Glasses Topped with Prosecco

Still, the star attraction for me is this Sparkling Cranberry Cocktail. It’s seasonal, so simple and elegant and yet from the making of the liqueur to the final cocktail, it is so easy no one would imagine you only labored for a few minutes. Perfect right?

With a touch of orange in the mix it’s such a great flavor which is sure a nice bonus when first impressions are all about how beautiful it is; there is nothing homemade looking about this Cranberry Liqueur Cocktail.

Though I’ve labeled the cocktail as a champagne one, the truth is I most often use either Italian Prosecco or Spanish Cava. They are both more reasonably priced than champagne and great for mixing with liqueurs for cocktails.

Three Bottles of Cranberry Liqueur Decorated for Gifts

A friend of mine in Australia that I met on Twitter it seems like a million years ago wanted to make my recipe for cranberry liqueur but as it turns out, no fresh cranberries to be found.

We take them so for granted in the US; might it be because the majority of the world’s production is in Canada and the United States? Most of the world only has them available as a frozen product.

As it turned out, the year that Amanda wanted to try this recipe, she couldn’t even find frozen berries so went on a hunt for some dried one.

Not Craisins, either, but actually dried cranberries. She was successful and made a version that looks beautiful and tasted great…in case you are also located somewhere that is not overflowing with cases of fresh cranberries everywhere we turn this time of year!

For a version using dried cranberries, please visit Amanda’s blog, Lambs Ear and Honey…tell her Barb sent you. 🙂  And cheers Amanda!

More Homemade Liqueurs

PIN IT! ‘Homemade Cranberry Liqueur’

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur Served in a Liqueur Glass

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur is Combined with Prosecco in a Champagne Glass
Homemade Cranberry Liqueur Served in a Liqueur Glass

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur

Homemade Cranberry Liqueur is so easy to make, delicious to drink and a beautiful gift to share over the holidays!
4.82 from 16 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course gifts, Liqueurs
Cuisine American
Servings 64 Ounces
Calories 44 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Cranberry Liqueur

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
  • 2-3 cups vodka Use decent vodka but top shelf not required. I like to use 100 proof if I can fine it. (Smirnoff makes one)

For the Champagne Cocktail

  • 1 ½ ounces Cranberry Liqueur
  • 1 teaspoon orange juice fresh squeezed
  • 1 pinch orange rind grated
  • 4 oz Champagne Sub with Prosecco or Cava, chilled

Instructions
 

To Make the Cranberry Liqueur

  • Combine sugar and water in heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer sugar syrup for three minutes, making sure all of the sugar has dissolved in the water.
  • Add cranberries and remove from heat. Cool slightly.
  • Add mixture to Cuisinart and chop just slightly to open up berries; cool completely.
  • Combine with vodka in a glass or plastic container and mix thoroughly.
  • Cover and store in a dark, cool location for 3-6 weeks; the longer the better.
  • Stir ingredients every couple of days.
  • Once the mixture is ready, strain through a fine metal sieve lined with cheesecloth (I like butter muslin; it's much finer and is sure to catch every seed); saving the berries; they are great on french toast, pancakes, or ice cream or put into muffins.
  • Pour liqueur into glass containers; serve chilled in liqueur or shot glasses or use to make the Cranberry Champagne Cocktail.
  • Time does not include the 3 weeks for 'brewing.'

To Make the Cocktail

  • Pour 1/2 to 1 ounce of the cranberry liqueur into chilled champagne glasses; add orange juice and orange zest; stir. Top with your choice of chilled sparkling wine.

Notes

  • I found the bottles I used the first year I did this at The Container Store; I’ve since seen them at World Market too but all retail bottles get pricey if making this for gifts.
  • Now I buy bottles from Specialty Bottle; they have multiple styles and sizes that are inexpensive for gift giving.
  • Butter Muslin is used in cheese-making and is a much finer weave than regular cheesecloth. Once you strain it you can wash it and use again. I usually strain twice to insure I get rid of any sediment!
 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Cranberry Liqueur
Serving Size
 
1 oz
Amount per Serving
Calories
44
% Daily Value*
Sodium
 
0
mg
0
%
Carbohydrates
 
7
g
2
%
Protein
 
0
g
0
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Calories
44
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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100 Comments

  1. Hi Barb, love your web site and the great many recipes you’ve provided us. I made your cranberry liqueur this past holiday season to give as Christmas gifts and enjoy in my own home. I’ve found many ways to use the liqueur in various drinks and all have been fantastic. I found some really cool inexpensive decorative bottles at Marshall’s and TJ Maxx stores and ended up with a great looking, and cost effective, gift for neighbors and friends. I made two batches of the liqueur and had a large amount of leftover cranberries. I just couldn’t stand the thought of throwing out these perfectly good chopped berries so I used them in my favorite cranberry-orange bread and it was AWESOME. Plus it provided an additional food gift to give out with the liqueur. Thanks for making our lives more delicious!

    1. I love hearing this Geoff…after all, the love I put into sharing isn’t so these recipes can just languish; I want people to make and enjoy them too!

      I still have some of the chopped cranberries; I put them in the freezer because I didn’t want them to go bad (which I doubt they would have considering they are half vodka at this point!). I need to follow your lead this time and do the same and use them in a bread…umm, that sounds GOOD!

      Thanks so much for your kind comment; much appreciated.

  2. I love your site — so classy! 🙂

    I would like to try this out this Christmas season! When you say, “Add mixture to Cuisinart and chop just slightly to open up berries; cool completely”, do you mean put them in a blender or food processor and chop them coarsely? I apologize for this query as I this will be my first time to make a liqueur.

    Thanks in a advance!

    1. Thanks so much Atasha; your kind comment means the world to me!

      And yes, that’s exactly what I mean. You don’t want mush, but want them broken up; coarsely chopped is perfect. So perfect I think I’ll just change it to those words! I hope you enjoy it; it’s delicious and so beautiful; sort of perfect right?

      1. Many thanks for your prompt reply, Barb 🙂 Now I can make this gorgeous liqueur in time for Christmas!

        Happy Thanksgiving! I also wish you advance Merry Christmas — may it be as awesome as you are!

        Cheers,

        Atasha

        1. Oh how sweet you are…thanks so much!

          Mine is done and I want to drink some now…but I know I best wait. Which is hard. 🙂

  3. This is fantastic – I am absolutely going to make this!!

    That’s funny, I just did a post last week about cocktail infusions – this one is definitely more of a cordial and I can just imagine it would be lovely to put a slurp of this into a glass of prosecco!

    1. It is fantastic with Prosecco! I haven’t done much else with it because that combination is so perfect.

  4. This looks gorgeous! And the champagne cocktail looks very festive (not to mention tasty!). I’ve never made my own liqueurs or even infused vodkas — really need to get into it. Anyway, thanks for this.

      1. Yes. I have a friend in Australia and they never have fresh cranberries and she’s made it using frozen ones. I don’t have specifics but I know they will work!

  5. what is the yield (in cc’s or ounces) from one recipe? I want to make a total of 1 gallon to give as gifts. It would really help if I knew from the start how much of each ingredient I would need.
    Thank you so much!

    1. I don’t have an exact measure Marilyn but I just added the quantities in the recipe and figure that the end output would be a bit more than a quart per recipe. Since a gallon has four quarts I would estimate you would have to quadruple the ingredients to make sure you had a gallon.

  6. You have inspired me to try this…and, possibly, others as well. I love that you give bottles of liqueur at the holidays. That’s a great idea.

    I am so proud of how far you have come with your pictures. The original was lovely but the current ones are gorgeous!

  7. Making this, even as I type. specialtybottles.com carries a very reasonable range of bottles for bottling these special gifts. I’m trying them this year.

    1. I know…they have saved me a fortune as I used to buy at Crate and Barrel or Cost Plus and the stupid bottles were the priciest part of the gift! I hope you love it too; it’s a gorgeous liqueur.

  8. Well, the results are in! 🙂 The family and friends loved the cranberry liqueur and are already “hinting” that they would be open to receiving more for Holidays 2013. I did make a second batch and added a couple of cinnamon sticks while it was infusing. That was quite nice as well. Thank you Barbara for helping me be one step ahead for 2013! 🙂

    1. So good to hear…I know I love it! It is simply the prettiest liqueur ever and doesn’t hurt that it tastes so good either does it. Here’s to 2013!

  9. Barb, you are a genius! I recently embarked on a slivovitz adventure and a vanilla bean extract adventure and happen to have a bag of frozen cranberries and an extra bottle on my counter that could easily accomodate another flavored vodka project. I’m glad this works with frozen cranberries. Thanks so much for sharing. Wishing you happy holidays! 🙂

    1. You are too sweet but I’ll take it! This is so easy and so good; not to mention SO beautiful! Hope you love it like we do. All I know is I got bottles back from gift baskets in the hopes they would be refilled…that says something huh? 🙂

    1. I have not but I would in a heartbeat…maybe substituting lemon juice for the OJ? I’ll have to try it!

  10. I made your cranberry liqueur and brought it to Christmas dinner. It was the hit of the dinner. One person declared it the best after dinner drink he had in his life. Thank you for sharing. I have some cranberries left; I think I will make another batch.

    1. Mary,

      Somehow I missed your comment in December on the cranberry liqueur of mine that you made and what a pleasant surprise to read it now; so very happy you enjoyed it as much as we do. Cheers!

  11. Seems to be something of a cranberry crisis here in Australia this Christmas & frozen cranberries are just not available. I’ve used the whole dried ones and they seem to have worked out well – with huge thanks to Barbara for her suggestions & support.
    Merry Christmas from down under!

    1. Not awful at all; the more time, the more the vodka mellows but I assure you; it has been tasted early and it is fine! Enjoy.

  12. Bugger – kicking myself! Wish I’d looked more closely at this recipe a week ago. I wanted to make it for gifts, but now don’t have enough time. Fresh cranberries a bit like hens teeth here in Oz. How would dried go, do you think?

  13. I totally made this for Christmas gifts last year. It’s so funny, as now we’re part of the recipe swap group (and twitter friends) and it’s all coming together now. I love this recipe, and definitely drank my fair share of this liqueur with champagne last year! It was SUCH a good Christmas gift, so thank you for the idea…I’m loving the updated photos and cocktail recipe.

  14. Oh, I love cranberry, and I love champagne. I must make this! Unfortunately, I’m a bit late for gifts I need this year, so my first try will just have to be for me only. (That will be tough, but I’ll make do.) Everyone else in 2012…

  15. I am going to be making this tomorrow!!!! What a neat idea! I have extra cranberries from Thanksgiving and we have a Christmas party coming up in a few weeks so this will be perfect!

    1. Perfect! Funny I just added this recipe to my list for using Thanksgiving ‘leftovers’ thinking someone might have cranberries to use but thought it might be a stretch. Guess not! Make sure to come back and let me know how it turns out; it is the most gorgeous liqueur…a bonus that I love the taste!

  16. I think I am most definitely going to make this over the weekend. A quick question though…How much will this make? I’m just trying to figure out what to store it for the 3 weeks. Also, I live in Illinois and I’m sure we’ll have freezing temps over the next few weeks (sooo not ready for that, but not much I can do about it!). If I store it in the garage, will this freeze or will the vodka prevent that?

    1. One recipe makes about 4 cups of finished product. The batch in my photo? I’ve probably quadrupled that because I give this as gifts. Or because I like to drink it? Both!

      I put mine in the garage and I’m in Denver. No matter how cold it gets outside it never freezes there and as you indicate, the alcohol in the mix raises the freezing point as well. I think you should be fine. Just remember to go stir it every day or so…and enjoy!

  17. Well..I made this today! Found slightly different bottles as World Market (thanks!) and went to town. I doubled the recipe (we are in New Orleans) and crossed my fingers that it turns out as beautiful as yours. Only 3 weeks to go! Thank you for sharing..this is right up my alley!

    Heather

    1. Yay! I’m sure it will Heather; hope you’ll take a pic after you bottle yours. You know what’s killer? Those vodka soaked berries after it’s all done. Amazing. You should sample every now and then; it’s interesting to see how both the vodka mellows and the depth of flavor builds. So excited you tried it!

      1. Today is bottling day! I’m so excited. I have been sampling along the way and you’re right..the vodka mellowed so much! I’ve spread the word about my “project” to family and friends and they are happily awaiting the results. I’ll snap a finished photo. 🙂 thank you again for this recipe!

        Happy holidays,
        Heather

        1. So glad to hear of your good results Heather. The truth is it can be used immediately…but that time spent aging, like the making of any liquor just adds so much to the end results. Hope your family loves it and I would LOVE a photo; please don’t forget!

  18. What a very cool recipe and am I ever glad you shared it again! I have just enough time to make this for the Christmas holidays and I know plenty of people that would love a drop or two. We love the Cava and Prosecco here too. Bubbles are good anyway they come!
    Now, to find some cool bottles. No World Market or Container stores here…*sigh*

    1. YAY!! I’ve been thinking I need to save bottles and the best ones would be olive oil or vinegar bottles…not as large as wine bottles (I would have to start this process and make gallons to fill enough of those) but still with a nice shape. The bottles are the priciest part of the gift; I need a ‘renewable’ resource of my own.

    1. It’s easy to make it look easy simply because it really is easy! That’s the magical part; I do hope you try it and be sure to let me know; we’ll sip one together!

    1. You want hope? Take a peek at the photo on this one. https://creative-culinary.com/avocado-tomato-and-mozzarella-pasta-salad-with-pine-nuts I think my all time worst but also right before point and shoot died. I don’t even like it’s replacement but will have to wait til summer for good tomatoes to do another revision. I don’t do recipes again just for photos but some are just dishes we love so I get a 2nd and 3rd chance. Whew!

      I think you are doing fine…it’s a lot of work if your passion is cooking isn’t it?

    1. You have plenty of time or I should say just about enough time. I might sneak a sip a bit early but the longer it can age, the better it gets. Then it will disappear. And you are most welcome; I love the sharing…only hope that readers enjoy it too.

    1. I do think they do Liren! Now if I could only figure out how to give them a nudge to give me the bottles back if they want refills. 🙂

      1. My husband and I make brandy from fruits on our trees and any fruit I can barter for at the farmers market all summer, and we have our friends trained…if they want more, they have to bring the bottles back!! We actually end up getting boxes of different bottles from some of them, LOL!!

        I am going to try your cranberry liqueur next winter, it sounds wonderful, and a great gift for the holidays.

        1. Smart friends you have. This past year I resorted to using plain old Ball jars…the cost of the bottles were just too much and most everyone was just getting a refill anyhow.

          Oh to have some of my own fruit trees. I want to try so much more and brandy is on that list. Blackberry and peach to start and from there…well, first the room addition to store the results. 🙂

    1. Thanks Andrea…I sort of enjoy seeing some before (When I hadn’t a clue about what I was doing) and after (when I still need to learn so much more). Hope you have a good holiday too and are still my friend after seeing the Driscolls post. Yes, I included the shot of our ‘tweetup.’

  19. I am in love with these delicious gift ideas. I was set on trying the coffee liqueur and now I may need to try this gorgeous cranberry liqueur first. Your photos are amazing. The color is just beautiful. I even like the older photo (cute bottles!:)

    1. Nothing wrong with both of them, right? You are too sweet but I can’t get rid of the old photos…I will forever see that first photo and remember the frenzy of that day. In a good, holiday spirit sort of way!

  20. I say call it a champagne cocktail, so much sexier than a sparkling wine cocktail. I would love to be your friend and get all these terrific Christmas gifts. Love the blog and the happy hour drink navigation link. Very smartly done.

    1. I agree…beside the old adage ‘if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck’ applies. This looks and tastes like champagne so champagne it is!

    1. I say do them both Jen. The cranberry is so seasonal and good I couldn’t not make it but I wanted to give out something different this year. Double batches of both? Less than two bottles of vodka!

  21. I love the ease of this recipe (‘cept the 3 week brewing time LOL) and I love your gift bottles, very cute. I was just thinking, perhaps people can ask at their local wine and beer brewing places to bottle their home-made liqueurs there? You could purchase the wine bottles directly from them (jumbo size gift!) and then for a small fee they may let you cork them on-site using their equipment. Just a thought.

    1. Heck I’ve got plenty of wine bottles I could use…but I would have to increase my brewing capacity…these smaller bottle are a good size. I need more of a flask size booze bottle. Hmm, now wondering where I could find those beyond checking the side of the road. 🙂

  22. I told you I was going to make this as soon as I replenish our ever diminishing supply of vodka:) What else can I do with all those cranberries I collected from the neighboring bog (kidding, but they are so available and cheap now:)
    You have come a long way since those early photos! Congratulations!

    1. Not cheap enough for me…heading to Costco today to get a bushel. I love them that much! And thanks Lana…I don’t even want to think of the money and time it’s taken but as long as the results are evidence of growth, I’m OK with that. I really enjoy the photography; more so now that the injury I suffered in early 2010 doesn’t limit me so much. There was a time when I was lucky to be able to stand on that bad leg for 2 minutes…that did not bode well for most of my pics!

    1. The color is gorgeous isn’t it. Well, with the right camera settings. Once I get some done enuf to make a cocktail that original pic is going to be relegated to the bottom as an example of a ‘before.’

  23. Ooooh this must be amazing! I love cranberry juice and this must be cranberry juice with a kick. Damn, another reason for us to move near you, those homemade holiday gifts!

    1. It is so good Jamie and takes all of about 10 minutes to put together. I want to do limoncello but it is so time consuming; having to peel all those lemons. I’ll do cranberries, thanks you very much!

    1. They are so easy…publishing coffee liqueur this Friday; it’s a winner too. Would love to hear about what you’ve made.

  24. I just started some cranberry liqueur and can’t wait to taste it in 3 weeks … this would have been lovely to share at Thanksgiving … oh well…. Christmas is just around the corner! I’m going to keep my eyes open for some pretty bottles so I can give some as gifts to some lucky friends! 🙂

    1. You might be able to sneak some out before then. The longer you wait and the longer the vodka ages, the more mellow the flavors become.

    2. I got my bottles in previous years for bottling the cranberry liqueur at The Container Store but just saw the same ones at World Market…I’m sure they were cheaper there. Lucky friends indeed.

    1. Just finished my batch of the cranberry liqueur for this year and made coffee liqueur yesterday. What do you make?

    1. Well, I just happen to have some I did not refrigerate and I just tasted it and it’s fine. The combination of alcohol and acid from the fruits makes for a natural preservative. So..suggest keeping cold but that little bit I have leftover is from last year at this same time. Best gift ever!

  25. Hi Denver Wine Girl–I’m in Denver too! I was just at the Sunflower on 38th yesterday and they had plenty of fresh cranberries!

  26. loving this idea. i know this post is a year old, but it was just highlighted on thekitchn, so expect some comments! any idea where i can buy bottles like that? thanks!

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