Cranberry liqueur

So yesterday I cataloged our annual holiday treat boxes, and I’ve received far more comments and excitement about the liqueurs than the treats. Which either means I need new friends, or I have the best friends ever.

In any case, here’s the cranberry liqueur recipe. I haven’t tried the coffee one enough yet to know if I want to share it, but hopefully that will be coming soon!

Orange-cranberry liqueur

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• Grated zest of one orange
• 3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice (1 orange should be more than enough)
• 2 cups vodka

- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil; simmer for at least three minutes or until all of the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear.

- Add the cranberries (whole), orange zest, and orange juice. Make sure you zest the orange before you cut it to juice it – it’s much easier that way.

- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

- Place the mixture in a food processor (a blender would probably work too), and process until most of the berries are cut open. Cool completely.

- Add vodka and mix thoroughly. Either pour into or do that step in some sort of glass or plastic container that can be closed (we used a few stopper-topped bottles from Ikea, but milk jugs, alcohol bottles, or similar things would work).

- Store in a dark, cool spot for at least two weeks, stirring or shaking every few days if you can remember (I did not).

- Strain through as fine a sieve as you’ve got. The fineness of the sieve will determine how much berry residue and seeds are left in your liqueur.

- Saving the berries is probably a good idea. They’d be great on yogurt or ice cream, and make one heck of a champagne cocktail to have with breakfast. I’m just saying …