Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (2024)

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Treat yourself to a festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic (or two, or three) this holiday season! You know that you deserve it.

To be honest, I've always thought that (some) gin and tonics sometimes taste like a Christmas tree. Or at least taste the way that a Christmas tree smells. Know what I mean? Maybe? No? Agree to disagree.

Either way, we have taken a standard (and perfectly tasty) G&T recipe and made it even more delicious and festive with the addition of cranberry juice and fresh cranberries.

Need more festive holiday co*cktails? Try my White Christmas Margarita or Loaded Christmas Ale! Sous Vide Eggnog is a great choice if you're looking for a nonalcoholic holiday drink.

Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (1)
Jump to:
  • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
  • 💭 What is a Cranberry Gin and Tonic?
  • 📝 Ingredients
  • ❓ Recipe FAQs
  • 🔗 Other holiday co*cktails
  • ✨ Recipe

🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

It's very festive. Red cranberry juice, the juniper flavor of the gin... this drink screams "Christmas."
It is so easy to make. This drink is so easy to make. All you need to do is pour a few ingredients into a glass!
It tastes great. Cranberry, gin, and tonic flavors all play very well together.

💭 What is a Cranberry Gin and Tonic?

A regular gin and tonic is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: it's gin, tonic, and lime juice served over ice.

A Cranberry Gin and Tonic has all of those ingredients plus some bright red cranberry juice. It adds some sweet-tart flavor, beautiful color, and holiday festiveness.

📝 Ingredients

  • Cranberry juice: You can use either cranberry juice or cranberry juice concentrate. Whatever floats your boat.
  • Lime juice: Freshly squeezed, please!
  • Gin: Use your favorite gin. Durham Distillery Conniption (American Dry) Gin is an old standby, but I've also been enjoying Bar Hill Gin lately, too. Use whatever you like!
  • Tonic water: Tonic water is a carbonated beverage, in which quinine is dissolved. Quinine, in addition to having a bitter flavor, has been used as a prophylactic against malaria. Use whatever tonic you favor!
  • Garnishes: As always, garnishes aren't mandatory. But I recommend garnishing your G&T with cranberries (fresh or sugared) and/or a lime wedge.
Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (2)

👩🏻‍🍳 How to make Cranberry G&Ts

Truthfully, it couldn't be simpler.

Fill your Old Fashioned (or rocks) glass with ice, then pour the cranberry juice over the ice. Squeeze the lime gin and cranberry juice over the ice. Squeeze the lime over the ice, too, before adding your gin

After that, just top everything off with some tonic water. Et voila. You have yourself a very delicious Cranberry Gin and Tonic.

Please don't forget to garnish with some cranberries (fresh or sugared cranberries!) and a lime wedge if you're feeling fancy. And you know that you are.

Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (3)

❓ Recipe FAQs

Can I make a bigger batch of these drinks?

Sure, you can make a big batch of the cranberry, lime, and gin. Once you pour the drinks into individual glasses, top them off with some tonic.

Should I use cranberry juice or cranberry juice concentrate?

Either one will work. Keep in mind that pure cranberry juice will be more tart, while cranberry juice co*cktail will be sweeter.

What kind of gin should I use?

In short, whatever you like! There's really no wrong answer here. However, if you use a gin that's colored with butterfly pea flower (think Empress gin), it will obviously alter the color of this drink.

Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (4)

🔗 Other holiday co*cktails

Looking for more holiday co*cktails? Check out the co*cktails linked below. Some are from this blog, some are from other fabulous bloggers.

  • White Christmas Mimosa
  • White Christmas Margarita
  • Grinch Mimosa
  • Cranberry Moscow Mule

I'd love to know what you thought of this recipe! Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️ star rating below!

✨ Recipe

Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (9)

Cranberry Gin and Tonic

Lauren Pacek

Treat yourself to a festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic (or two, or three) this holiday season! You know that you deserve it.

4.59 from 53 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Inactive Time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 2 minutes mins

Course co*cktails

Cuisine American

Servings 1 co*cktail

Calories 359 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1.5 ounces gin
  • 2 ounces cranberry juice or cranberry juice co*cktail
  • ½ lime juiced
  • 2 ounces tonic water
  • lime wedge and fresh or candied cranberries for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Over ice, combine the gin, cranberry juice, and lime juice in an old fashioned glass.

  • Top with the tonic water and garnish with a lime wedge and cranberries.

Notes

  • I like Conniption American Dry Gin.
  • You can use cranberry juice or cranberry juice co*cktail depending on what you like. Juice co*cktail is much sweeter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 359kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 21mgFiber: 6gSugar: 48g

Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Festive Cranberry Gin and Tonic Recipe – A Nerd Cooks (2024)

FAQs

What is gin and cranberry juice called? ›

This helps soften the herbal notes that come from the gin itself, creating a well-rounded co*cktail mixture. Now, it's called a Cranberry Gin Fizz for a reason, so that's precisely where the cranberry juice comes into play! Cranberry juice is known for its subtle sweetness and bright, tart notes.

Is cranberry and tonic good? ›

The Cranberry Gin and Tonic is a delicious and refreshing drink that is a great choice for any occasion. It's not too sweet, not too bitter, and has just the right amount of complexity to keep you interested. So, the next time you're in the mood for a gin-based co*cktail, give this one a try!

Is gin and cranberry good? ›

Cranberry Gin Tonic is a really easy to make drink, yet it looks and tastes so special. If you are a gin (and tonic) lover, you'll love the cranberry and lime twist here. It's aromatic, zesty, citrusy, a little tart, and oh-so-delicious. Try it!

How do you make Christmas G&T? ›

For the Holiday G&T:
  1. 2 oz sloe gin.
  2. 1 oz gin.
  3. 1 oz cranberry shrub.
  4. 4 dashes orange bitters.
  5. 1/2 tbsp lemon juice.
  6. 1.5 oz clementine juice.
  7. 3-4 oz good quality tonic water.
Dec 14, 2017

What does Snoop Dogg put in gin and juice? ›

Fill a co*cktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, vodka, and pineapple juice.

What not to take with cranberry? ›

Possible Interactions
  • Warfarin (Coumadin): Cranberry may raise the risk of bleeding, especially if you already take medications to thin the blood such as warfarin. ...
  • Aspirin: Like aspirin, cranberries contain salicylic acid. ...
  • Other medications: Cranberry may interact with medications that are broken down by the liver.

Does cranberry cleanse your liver? ›

Cranberry juice contains a lot of antioxidants, which help your body cleanse toxins in a number of ways. They can help eliminate free radicals from the liver, reducing the damage they can cause to liver cells.

Is cranberry co*cktail good for kidneys? ›

In particular, cranberry juice is thought to help get rid of kidney stones, similarly to how it reduces incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Does gin cleanse the liver? ›

IT CAN HELP FIGHT LIVER & KIDNEY DISEASE

Juniper berries help prevent water retention in your body allowing you to pass more water than any other alcohol. This means that more harmful toxins and bacteria are flushed out of your system.

Is gin healthier then vodka? ›

In terms of nutritional profile, carbs, and calorie count, there is very little difference between vodka and gin.

Is gin the most healthy alcohol? ›

Gin has less sugar and fewer calories than some other liquors. If you already consume alcohol, gin may be a slightly healthier option. Be careful with mixers, however. They can make the sugar content of your drink skyrocket.

What is Christmas gin? ›

CHRISTMAS GIN® is a festive twist on our signature Fieldnotes Organic Gin®, enriched with black currants infusion.

What does Christmas gin taste like? ›

Edinburgh Gin Christmas Gin uses nutmeg and ginger root to build a warming and spiced base and add the heady aromatics of frankincense and myrrh while keeping the juniper bold and omnipresent. It's London Dry Gin, but that lands with a jingle when poured into a glass.

What is the Christmas gin that lights up? ›

The Ginologist Snow Globe - lit from within. Christmas is a time of joy and this gin embodies that feeling of joy that comes from the holidays.

Can you mix gin with cranberry? ›

More commonly associated with vodka, cranberry juice also pairs beautifully with gin as an alternative for tonic water, particularly when you add a kick of zesty citrus and a fresh herbal perfume from the garnish.

What is a martyr drink? ›

Martyr's Signature Margarita. 14.50. Espolon Blanco Tequila, Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice and Agave Nectar.

What is a Frankie drink? ›

Mix egg with the sugar Syrup. Pour 2,5 cl of Gin in a long drink glass and the lemon juice. Then put the eggmix into to the glass. Pour the Lemonade carefully into the long drink. The long drink is served with ice-cubes and straw.

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