The perfect festive twist on a classic cocktail. This Cranberry Whiskey Sour is easy enough for any home mixologist to craft up and will impress your guests.
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About this cocktail
A traditional Whiskey Sour is a mixture of you guessed it whiskey with sugar, lemon, and often egg white. The lemon is what makes it “sour” and the egg white is there to tame it and give a smoother texture.
This Cranberry Whiskey Sour, features the same base ingredients, but we’re also adding cranberry juice to give it more of a festive feel.
This is the perfect cocktail for Friendsgiving, your Thanksgiving gathering, or Christmas too with a warm winter feel. Whatever winter happy hour you have going on, a Cranberry Whiskey Sour is the perfect cocktail to make.
If whiskey isn't your thing, I have plenty of other festive cocktails like this Pomegranate Champagne Punch, Cranberry Sangria, or this Cranberry Fizz Cocktail.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cranberry Juice - Will give our whiskey sour the festive twist.
- Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice - Lemon juice is the classic “sour” ingredient in a whiskey sour, but I like orange juice to keep with the festive feel.
- Whiskey - I used Maker's Mark. Use your favorite.
- Maple Syrup - To give sweetness to our drink.
- Egg White - Will create a smooth texture and give a bit of creamy foam on top. Think of a meringue with whipped egg whites for those gorgeous peaks.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1. Add cranberry juice, whiskey, egg white, maple syrup, and freshly squeezed orange juice to a cocktail shaker.
Step 2. Shake for 20-30 seconds until ingredients are well combined.
Step 3. Place a large ice cube in the cocktail glass, and pour whiskey sour over ice.
Step 4. Use a slice of the orange that was juiced and quickly line the rim of the glass ~elegant bar tender feels~ and garnish with an orange peel. For a more festive feel, you can also add fresh cranberries, sugared cranberries, maybe even a piece of rosemary, etc.
Recipe FAQs
A traditional Whiskey Sour may be garnished with lemon rind, orange slice, maraschino cherries, and a sugared rim, all of which would also go well on this Cranberry Whiskey Sour. I also used whole cranberries for this drink.
Since we are mixing our whiskey with other ingredients, it doesn’t need to be the nicest bottle of whiskey you have. You just want to avoid anything too harsh. Bourbon is my first choice in this Cranberry Whiskey Sour with its warmer, caramely flavors.
A Whiskey Sour is best when served VERY chilled and VERY well mixed. Two things that are best achieved when using a cocktail shaker and shaking with ice. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you could also shake it up in a mason jar with a lid that seals well or even a shaker bottle used for protein drinks.
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Recipe
Cranberry Whiskey Sour
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Handheld juicer
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- peeler
- Jigger
Ingredients
- 3 oz cranberry juice
- 1 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 oz whiskey
- 1 oz maple syrup
- 1 oz egg white
- 1 slice orange peel, for garnish
- fresh cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Add cranberry juice, whiskey, egg white, maple syrup, and freshly squeezed orange juice to a cocktail shaker.
- Shake for 20-30 seconds until ingredients are well combined.
- Place a large ice cube in the cocktail glass, and pour whiskey sour over ice.
- Use a slice of the orange that was juiced and quickly line the rim of the glass ~elegant bar tender feels~ and garnish with an orange peel. For even more of a festive feel, you can also add fresh cranberries, sugared cranberries, maybe even a piece of rosemary, etc.
Nutrition
Notes
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If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find CRANBERRY WHISKEY SOUR calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Sydney Van Acker says
the creaminess of a fruity drink is so unique. Love this and although i was nervous about the egg white in a cocktail, I love it!
Courtney Paige says
This combination is incredible. It's so easy to make and feels like a bartender made it for me!
Madison says
Made these tonight and was pleasantly surprised! I’m not a huge whiskey person but my family is. The cranberry and orange juices nicely balanced out the whiskey flavor and the maple syrup added the perfect amount of sweetness!
Jenny Mac says
We loved this one! The egg white was definitely something I’m not familiar with in a cocktail but I’ve had it in ones I’ve ordered so I went with it! Super tasty and creamy. Definitely recommend making!
Jack Allen says
Not your typical Whisky Sour, but that's what makes it such a refreshing cocktail. The cranberry is a nice change and is definitely a drink that is best enjoyed when the sun is out, and the weekend has begun!
Lauren Poirier says
Just made these for date night, so simple and my boyfriend and I were so impressed how good they were!