A Cranberry Simple Syrup that Sweetens Any Party

A good simple syrup is the best way to sweeten any festive party and makes a great hostess gift for any get-together! This year, my go-to is this Cranberry Vanilla Spice simple syrup that not only makes a great gift, but it’s also just a great holiday party recipe!

Whether you’re hosting this year or want to bring something to a party, this beautiful, bright syrup is sure to be a hit.

This versatile syrup can be used in so many yummy ways: in cocktails (of course), on pancakes or waffles, on unsweetened yogurt, as a sweetener for tea, lemonade or smoothies, over ice cream or pound cake, and the list goes on!

Here’s a few cocktail ideas for the syrup:

• Just add a spoonful into a flute and top with champagne, prosecco, or cava
• Mix with ginger beer and vodka for a holiday mule
• Replace the traditional sugar in an old fashioned or manhattan with this syrup for a new spin on a classic
• Mix with tequila and top with soda water and lime for a festive margarita
• Mix with sparkling water or lemon lime soda for a naturally sweetened mocktail, or a fun drink for the kids!

I opted to use maple syrup in this recipe, so there’s no refined sugars involved. Cranberries are packed with vitamins and are considered a “superfood”, so this is a sweetener you can feel good about!

The best part about making this syrup: when you strain it, you’re left with a delicious cranberry chutney! This spreadable chutney is great to serve with cheese and crackers, on biscuits, on a turkey sandwich, with pork tenderloin, or anywhere else you would use a spiced jam/chutney. It’s a two for one recipe!

You could gift them together or separately, and include a little note with some ideas of how to use them! If someone has been extra nice this year, you can make them a little gift basket.

Here’s a couple gift basket bundle ideas:

• Give a jar of the simple syrup with a bottle of champagne (tip: since you’re making a cocktail with the champagne, it doesn’t need to be an expensive bottle)
• You could also wrap the syrup with a bottle of ginger beer, small bottle of vodka, and copper mug = Holiday Moscow Mule Kit!
• Pick up a fresh, local baguette or artisan crackers, a soft goat cheese or brie, and wrap those with a jar of the chutney! That combo makes the most delicious, and simple appetizer!

Okay, now for the recipe. (It’s hardly a recipe at all because it’s so easy!) You just throw all the ingredients in a pot, let it reduce, then strain!

Cranberry Vanilla Spice Syrup (& Bonus Chutney) Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of cranberries
• About 1/2 cup of high quality maple syrup (depends how sweet you like it! you could start with 1/3 of a cup and go from there. give it a taste and add more if you like)
• 1 to 2 pieces of orange peel
• 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract (a real vanilla bean would be ideal to use here, but I just had extract on hand)

Directions:

1. Pour the cranberries into a medium size pot and cover with water (about 2 cups). Add in the rest of the ingredients.
2. Give it a stir and let it simmer and reduce until it becomes a thick syrup! (I let mine simmer while watching the last half of Elf, so probably about 30-40 minutes.) If it gets too thick, no worries- just stir in a bit more water!
3. Then, you’ll want to pour it through a strainer, and catch all the liquid in a bowl (preferably with a pour spout- it will make it easier to pour into a jar later!)
4. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the strainer, to make sure you squeeze out all of that yummy liquid.
5. Discard the orange peel and cinnamon stick (I actually just stick the cinnamon stick in the mason jar with the syrup). What’s left in the strainer is the chutney!
6. You could blend it up to make it really smooth if you want, but I like it kind of chunky.
7. Once the syrup cools a bit, you can pour it into a cute mason jar, or any air tight container. Same goes for the chutney!

I hope you enjoy this recipe all year long. It’s so good! Be sure to share your thoughts with me when you make it – I’d love to know how you liked it!

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