Thursday, September 27, 2012

Cranberry Cordial


My blogging buddy, Kathy at Moving On To The Past, recently did a couple of posts about making cordials and inspired me to dig out my recipe for Cranberry Cordial and one of the extra bags of cranberries I bought last year just for cordial making. Thanks Kathy!! :)

1 16-ounce bag cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 bottle vodka

Combine cranberries, sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until skins start to pop. Cool berries completely and then place them in a half-gallon jar.

Add vodka and stir well. Allow mixture to infuse for at least a week stirring occasionally. I left mine for almost two weeks.

Strain cranberries into a bowl using a colander lined with cheesecloth. Use a spoon to press the good stuff out of the cranberries. Do NOT eat the cranberries, they are really potent! Ahem, don't ask me how I know. (hic!) Pour the cordial into a jar and then squeeze the cheesecloth to extract the last little bit of cordial. I got an extra 1/2 cup!

Make a simple syrup of 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Cool completely and then mix into the strained cordial. Allow to age for 2 to 3 weeks.


Pour into decorative bottles. Okay, I only had two decorative bottles but you get the idea! :) This makes lovely gifts for the holidays or an extra special after-dinner drink for you on those nippy fall and winter evenings.

Sharing with Rural Thursday and Farmgirl Friday.

15 comments:

  1. somehow i envision this packing quite the punch - the kind that sneaks up on you... vodka and cranberries? oh, yeah. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Nippy" fall and winter evenings?
    A pun?
    [smile]

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice & Pretty... I made something like this last year :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pretty! So what's the proof on that???

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! Cranberry has to be great! Our cherry and strawberry are mellowing out right now but we gave our dinner guest a sneak peek taste last night. I'll have to try this one too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I forgot. I had to make a pineapple upside down cake for work and had saved the cherries that I strained out. They have been in the freezer so I took out enough for the pineapple centers, removed the pits and baked them into the cake! Now I am sure the alcohol baked out but everyone at work was talking about my spiked pineapple upside down cake! It was super moist using the fresh eggs too. Since the girls are still small I used an extra but it may have taken it over the two regular eggs you are supposed to use. Well, how moist it was! And from a box mix too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pretty and potent! I have a feeling this would be a hit with the younger crowd. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Candy, I assume that this can be stored at room temperature? This is a perfect solution to a couple of holiday gifts!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Candy, Thank you for this fun idea, I have made raspberry cordial several times. Good Stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've never tried a cordial. I might have too. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh that looks so yummy! I think I should try this. Nice for a holiday drink!

    ReplyDelete
  12. OH ya I like the bottle on the right! Where did you find that?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Candy Can I use strawberries or peaches? Did you use a grain or potato vodka?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Michelle,
    I used CHEAP vodka! LOL!! Since it's going to be sugared and flavored, any vodka will do. I would check online for suggestions on using other fruits but a peach cordial sounds divine!! :)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting the Lazy J Bar C! I really appreciate all comments and read and enjoy each and every one! Due to the ever increasing amount of Spam, Anonymous comments will no longer be accepted.