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Steep: 1 week Final Steps: 1 hour
Yield: Just under 1 gallon

Liquid Holiday Cheer.

Cranberry Spice Moonshine is a festive drink that makes for a great, sharable holiday cocktail or handmade gift. With cranberries, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves, it blends some of the most iconic holiday flavors to form what may become a new tradition.

We should warn you, while this may liven up family get-togethers, it’s also deceptively potent. Proceed with caution and spread your holiday cheer responsibly.

PREPARATION:

To start, you’ll need to gather all the ingredients. 1 bottle (750 ml) Everclear®, 1 lb. cranberries (fresh or frozen), 3 cups apple cider, ½ gallon cranberry juice, 6 cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon of whole cloves, ½ teaspoon of allspice berries, 2 whole nutmeg (quartered) and an optional ½ cup sugar.

Roughly chop the cranberries. There’s no need to be a perfectionist here, you’re simply exposing additional surface area to create a more flavorful infusion.

Combine chopped cranberries with Everclear® in a large mason jar. Place in the refrigerator and steep for one week or until the cranberry is infused to your liking. As with most infusions, the longer you steep, the stronger the flavor.

After the cranberry infusion is fully steeped, it’s time to mull the spices with the cider and juice. To do this, combine the cranberry juice, apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves allspice and nutmeg in a large pot. If you choose to add the optional ½ cup of sugar, add that as well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Then, completely remove from heat and let sit another 30 minutes or until cool.

Once the mulled spices and liquids are cooled, strain into a large storage jar using a mesh strainer.

Then, take your cranberry infusion and strain into the same large container. Now, you have your finished product. For best results, allow the finished mixture to rest in the refrigerator at least 24 hours. It’s best enjoyed warm, but may also be served chilled.

From here, you can keep as a large quantity holiday celebration cocktail or you can divvy portions into smaller jars for gifting. Garnish with skewered cranberries and a cinnamon stick.

Also, don’t forget to download our free printable gift tags.

CRANBERRY SPICE MOONSHINE

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
6 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
2 whole nutmeg, quartered
3 cups apple cider
½ gallon cranberry juice
1 (750 ml) bottle Everclear®

Instructions:

  1. Roughly chop cranberries, combine with Everclear® in a large, sealable container.
  2. Steep one week in the refrigerator.
  3. Once steeped, combine cranberry juice, cider and spices in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and let sit another 30 minutes or until cool.
  5. Strain both mixtures into a large, sealable container.
  6. Gift and enjoy responsibly. May be served warm or chilled.

Tips:
Please use caution when making this delicious holiday beverage. Everclear® is highly flammable, so it and the cranberry infusion should be kept away from the stovetop or other heat sources. Once it’s been diluted with the cranberry juice and cider mixture, it can be safely heated.

If a more intense spice flavor is desired, you can increase the quantity of spices or mull time.

Check out our free Cranberry Spice Moonshine gift tags.