The Spicy Elf is a delightfully complex holiday cocktail that balances homemade cranberry spice syrup with rye whiskey. This spirit-forward beverage blends warm-weather spices clove and cardamom with bright notes of cranberry and orange.
Table of Contents
Spiced Cranberry Syrup
This spiced cranberry-orange syrup is great to have around during the holidays because you can put a festive spin on just about any drink, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Add a couple of tablespoons of the syrup to sparkling water or ginger beer for a virgin bubbly. You can also make a big batch and give a small jar to your cocktail-loving friends.
What you’ll need:
- Cranberries
- Refined Cane Sugar
- Orange Peel
- Whole cloves
- Whole cardamom pods
- Water
Delicate Spirit Forward Variation
If you substitute the Basil Hayden Dark Rye for a different rye or bourbon, you might want to ditch the orange and ice and serve the cocktail up. This will allow the spirits to shine through with less of an orange citrus undertone.
Spicy Elf
Ingredients
Method
- Add all ingredients except garnish into a shaker and shake until well-chilled.
- Strain into a double old-fashioned with a large ice cube.
- For an extra layer of depth, use a culinary torch to lightly flame the orange and rosemary. Garnish and serve.
- Add all ingredients except sugar into a sauce pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add sugar and stir until it completely dissolves. Remove from heat.
- Strain syrup through either a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a mason jar or reusable simple syrup bottle.
