How to Make Holiday Cranberry Spiced Lemonade

Posted By Kimberly Turner on Nov 7, 2012 in Alcohol Drink Recipes, Beverage Recipes, Christmas, Cranberries, Featured, Holiday Drinks, Holidays & Events, Juice and Juicer Recipe, Lemons, New Year's, Sweets, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian | 0 comments

It’s that time of year again…Cold outside and the weather is getting downright frightful.

No worries! Get in the house, sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy this Cranberry Lemon Spiced Punch to the fullest!

I created this recipe especially for the ladies I’ll be presenting it to at The Women in Finance Event at Casablanca Winery Inn in Grimsby, Ontario, Canada on November 8th, 2012. Want to register? Click here!

The base of this beverage is my Homemade Lemonade Recipe, outlined below with complete instructions.

You will want to serve this beverage “made to order”. In other words, keep yourself a pitcher of homemade lemonade in the fridge over the Fall & Winter. When someone stops in, you’ll be prepared, or if you just need a festive pick-me-up, it’s already ready. Then, you’ll take the amount of lemonade needed, and add the spices to it on the stove.

Lemons are full of vitamin C and will also keep your immune system in check over the cold & flu season.

Serve with a few cranberries floating, a cinnamon stick, and if you feel super fancy, a lemon wedge! Mmm…

Type: Beverage Recipe
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 2 mins
Yield: 1 gallon

Ingredients:

4 whole lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
~ 1 gallon water
1 dozen fresh cranberries
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 whole cloves
1/4 tsp butter
* optional: brandy, rum, vodka – 3/4 shot per mug or glass

Instructions:

Halve and juice the lemons, reserving pulp if desired, and removing seeds.
Add lemon juice, pulp (if desired), sugar and water to a 1 gallon pitcher.
Stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve with ice or cool in refrigerator.
Add desired amount of lemonade, measured by a mug the size you’re using to serve it, and pour into an appropriate-sized pot for the stove.
Add remaining ingredients minus the optional alcohol & butter and heat to a simmer. Don’t allow the punch to boil excessively or for too long. You do not want to overcook the cranberries to the point that they’ll split or pop. The goal is to just cook them enough.
Immediately add butter and stir.
Pour into mugs and serve with a cinnamon stick to stir. Add alcohol like brandy, rum or vodka, if desired, for a more adult beverage.

The cranberries are more for esthetic reasons and Holiday cheer, but are edible, if desired.

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I hope you enjoy this Holiday Drink Recipe on Cooking with Kimberly. Until next time…

Eat Deliciously!