We hear a lot about what the holidays are really about. What we should be thinking about. What we must be cautious not to lose in consumerism. Well, let me tell you, I don’t consider myself an authority on what the holidays are really about. All’s I know is that one of the inevitable byproducts is that families get together seemingly with the sole intention of driving each other nuts. And an inevitable byproduct of that is that mama ends up needing a cocktail.
I’m lucky. My family and I don’t really drive each other crazy during the holidays (at least not any more so than the rest of the year). Christmas day itself is another story – we are the pinnacle of modern familial structure, which results in a bit of chaos just trying to get everywhere and see everyone. I’m not complaining – I know how fortunate I am to have too many people to see on Christmas versus not enough. But it’s a busy day.
That’s why we’re toning it down a little this year. The to-do list combined with my natural proclivity to overwhelm myself has resulted in many Christmases spent frantically rushing around from Location A to B to C without ever really being anywhere. That changes this year – maybe the missives to not lose sight of the holiday are sticking with me this year, maybe I’m just getting old, or maybe I’ve been so busy with work that I’ve gotten precious little non-holiday time to do this recently – but I’m really feeling it when I think about how nice it can be to just hang out with the people you love…you know, as long as there’s vodka.
(I’m kidding, Mom).
This is one of my favorite infusions to date – it’s seasonal-looking as all get out, and makes a perfect gift. Add a bow and a cute tag with a couple of drink recipes on it and you’re all set. This is yummy on its own over ice, or with a splash of soda water or tonic. And obviously, it would be a pretty ideal cosmo base. It’s also just plain handy to have around if you do happen to have the kind of family that drives you to drink.
To those who celebrate it, I hope you have the merriest of Christmases. To those who don’t, I hope you get some Festivus time off. I’m taking most of this week and am really excited to actually have some time to kick up the blog again – I wish all of you peace, quiet, and some time to do things you love.
- Vodka (I use Svedka for infusions these days. Most any brand will do, just don't pick from the bottom shelf)
- 1 bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 lime
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Slice the lime into rounds and use a paring knife to cut into each round and remove the fruit so all you have left is the rind. Twist each piece of rind to make a spiral and set aside.
- Pierce each cranberry with the paring knife. Drop cranberries one by one into liter bottle. Add a piece of lime rind every couple of inches. Add sugar and shake to distribute.
- Pour in vodka until bottle is completely full. Seal and shake gently to dissolve sugar.
- Let sit in a cool dark place for at least five days (I just put mine in the fridge). You can still gift it if it's not done - just add a note to wait X days to use.
Source: Love U Madly
Love this idea for a Christmas gift! It sounds like a delicious combination and the colors are so festive.
Thanks Karis! I gave a whole bunch of bottles away but made sure to keep one for myself 🙂
Hey there! I will be making this for an Xmas gift: what’s the maximum time this infusion can last in the fridge? The exchange is at the beginning of December and I’m planning on making this soon…
Thanks for the inspiration !!
Hi Cat, it’ll keep for months in the fridge. I actually had a leftover bottle in my fridge that I didn’t use until April (made in December) and it was still good. The flavors were much more infused/pronounced, which I think is actually a good thing!
This recipe looks delicious – I’ll definitely try it for my husband & I first and make as gifts if it tastes as good as it looks!
You mention attaching a recipe or two when gifting. It would have been nice to see a few recipes posted above since I’ve searched a bit and can’t find any with cranberry-lime vodka specifically.
What did I do wrong? After two weeks, the vodka isn’t very sweet and has a bitter citrus taste from the lime. I love the recipe and so want it to turn out well.
Hi Lynn – try straining it and removing the lime, then add the cranberries back in and add both a bit more vodka and a little more sugar (don’t add any more lime). That should help dilute any bitterness and make it a little sweeter. It shouldn’t be too sweet – it’s an infusion versus a liqueur so it’s normal for it to still be pretty vodka-y.
Thanks, Julie, I’ll give that a try. If I make this recipe again, should I do something differently, to get a better result?
Hi Lynn – this infusion definitely does have a strong flavor without being sweet, and it may be that it isn’t to your taste as written – but if you prefer it sweeter like a liqueur, you can absolutely adjust yours to use less lime and add more sugar until it’s to your preference!
Really Want to try this recipe! But how do you drink it afterwards? Straight, or does anyone have an idea for a cocktail?
Hi Elena,
I found this cranberry lime vodka recipe and decided to make it for my boss who loves to drink Cosmopolitans. The drink already has a splash of cranberry juice and lime juice so I think this vodka would be perfect to make cosmos!
Going to make a test batch this weekend, was wondering where you found the bottles shown in photos?
Thanks!
Hi Louise – I got the bottles at Crate & Barrel, here: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/airtight-glass-bottle/s216669
Made these for a gift for x mas party thet looked so nice the first day the next day the limes were faded and thet didnt look as good. What do u suggest.
This looks great, but one question. Do you leave the cranberries in the bottle, if you are planning to keep it for a month or more? If am using smaller bottles (about 20 oz)what is the proportion of cranberries to vodka? It looks like there wouldn’t be much actual vodka with all the volume the cranberries take up.