Cranberry pisco sour
This colorful and refreshing cranberry pisco sour cocktail recipe is made with cranberry juice, lime juice, pisco, cranberry simple syrup, egg white and ice. Served with sugared cranberries.
Pisco sours are one of my all-time favorite cocktails, they’re so easy to make and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. I do love a classic pisco sour, but I’ve discovered that like margaritas, they work amazingly well with fruity variations. This cranberry pisco sour is great holiday drink and a perfect way to use all those extra cranberries that we end up with around this time of year. Especially if like me you end up buying your cranberries at Costco and have way too many leftover after making the cranberry sauce.
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I did end up using regular cranberry juice for this recipe, it just works better than making your own cranberry juice. I did however make a cranberry simple syrup instead of the regular simple syrup. You can keep it plain or spice it up with cinnamon and other spices/flavors. I also made some simple sugar-covered cranberries to use as a garnish.
Pisco sour cocktails usually include egg whites. Though some of the fruity versions can omit them if the fruit produces its own natural “foaminess” when blended. You can use store bough pasteurized egg whites; or the egg white meringue powder mixed with water (according to the instructions on the powder container). Another alternative if you don’t want egg in it, is to use a couple tablespoons of aquafaba. Aquafaba is the liquid in the can of garbanzo beans, just make sure it’s unsalted.
In the notes section of the recipe below, I’ve also included some options in case you can’t find the Peruvian/Chilean pisco liquor. There’s also a suggestion in case you want to make a mocktail or alcohol-free variation of this cranberry cocktail.
Cranberry pisco sour
Ingredients
- 8 liquid ounces 1 cup of cranberry juice
- 4 liquid ounces 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
- 8 liquid ounces 1 cup of pisco, you can adjust the amount based on your preference
- 2 to 4 liquid ounces of cranberry simple syrup adjust to taste – see recipe below
- 1 egg white ~2 ounces – you can use pasteurized egg whites or meringue powder mixed with water. For a vegan alternative you can use aquafaba.
- Ice cubes I used ~1 cup
To serve:
- A couple of drops of bitters Angostura or your choice of bitters per drink
- Sugared cranberries – see recipe below
Instructions
- Combine the cranberry juice juice, lime juice, pisco, cranberry simple syrup, egg white, and a few ice cubes in a blender. Blend until the drink is foamy.
- To make the pisco sour cocktails in a cocktail shaker, combine all the ingredients listed above in a shaker, shake well, and strain before serving. If using a shaker it might be necessary to make 2 drinks at a time.
- Pour into serving glasses, add a couple of drops of bitters, garnish with sugared cranberries, and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can replace the pisco with whiskey for a cranberry whiskey sour.
- If you don’t have time (or extra cranberries) to make the cranberry simple syrup, just use regular simple syrup.
- Also, if you can’t find pisco you can use another grape brandy or Italian grappa.
- For a mocktail or non-alcoholic version replace the pisco with your choice of zero-proof alternatives or good old sparkling water.
Step by step preparation photos for cranberry pisco sour cocktails:
Cranberry simple syrup to add an extra kick of flavor to the drinks
Cranberry simple syrup
Ingredients
- ½ lb of cranberries
- 2 cups water
- 1 ½ to 2 cups sugar adjust to taste – because the cranberries have so much pectin less sugar is needed to obtain a simple syrup consistency, so the amount of sugar is based on how sweet you want the syrup.
- 2 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice
- Spices and other flavors: cinnamon sticks cloves, ginger, orange peel – optional
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredient in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for ~20-25 minutes.
- If adding spices do so during the last 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool down.
- Strain the mix to remove any chunks/seeds.
- Refrigerate and use as needed.
Sugared Cranberries to garnish the cocktails
How to make sugared cranberries
Ingredients
For the syrup:
- 1 cup of sugar
- ½ cup of water
For the sugared cranberries:
- 6 ounces of cranberries
- ½ cup of sugar
Instructions
- Put the 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil, stir well to dissolve the sugar. Cook on a low boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.
- Once the simple syrup has cooled down, add the cranberries to the syrup and mix well until they are coated with the syrup.
- Put the ½ cup of sugar on a plate. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries from the syrup and roll them in the sugar.
- Use a regular spoon to transfer the sugared cranberries to another plate, lined with a paper towel or wax paper, to let them dry for about 30-45 minutes.
What a beautiful version of Pisco sour:) I had lots of Pisco sours when I was in Peru;D