Add Leftover Cranberry Sauce To Bourbon For The Ultimate Post-Thanksgiving Cocktail

Thanks to its spicy, woody, caramel notes as compared to other whiskeys, bourbon is a popular ingredient when making spiced-up cranberry sauce for a holiday meal. Serendipitously, these same components work just as well in cocktail form: With only a spoonful of leftover cranberry sauce, you can mix up a tart yet warming bourbon cocktail that is sure to keep the seasonal spirit going.

Especially when made fresh, the fruity condiment is bourbon's perfect foil thanks to its zippy sweetness, which counters the whiskey's boozy edge. Depending on how nuanced or strong you like your drinks, you can start with a tablespoon of sauce and a shot of bourbon, use double the amount of each, or just double up on the alcohol. From there, you might try topping your concoction with ginger ale (or ginger beer if you like a spicier kick) in an ice-filled rocks glass – a single large cube will keep it from becoming overly diluted. You could also get your cocktail shaker involved, as actress and culinary celebrity Tiffani Thiessen did on TikTok.

@tiffanithiessen

Back with another Thanksgiving leftover recipe. No one ever finishes the cranberry sauce...so make a cocktail. My Cranberry Sauce Cocktail from HereWeGoAgain. #cranberrycocktail #thanksgivingleftovers #recipeswithleftovers #holidaycocktail

♬ greedy – Tate McRae

Thiessen's leftover cranberry sauce cocktail calls for two full shots of bourbon but adds an ounce and a half of orange juice and an extra teaspoon of sugar for a rosy-hued tipple that's on the sweeter side. Crucially, she strains her chilled drink so there aren't any floating fruit bits. (Letting the cranberries burst and cook down substantially when making your sauce can help with this, yielding not just a better side dish at the Thanksgiving table but also a smoother post-holiday bourbon cocktail.)

While there are many ways to enjoy bourbon and leftover cranberry sauce cocktails, using homemade sauce made from fresh fruit is best for achieving the right tartness and consistency. The gelatinous canned classic will work, but you'll want to thin it out with some cranberry juice and a squeeze of lemon first — it needs the extra zing.

You should also feel free to get creative with your cranberry sauce seasonings: Adding fresh ginger, using maple syrup or honey instead of sugar, or tossing in some vanilla and cinnamon during cooking will complement bourbon's oaky, spiced flavors. Citrus fruits are especially useful. With some juice and extra zest in your sauce, you'll have a drink that essentially tastes like a lemon- or orange-cranberry bourbon smash.

Of course, bourbon isn't the only liquor that makes its way into homemade cranberry sauce. The iconic orange-flavored liqueurs Grand Marnier and Cointreau are also popular additions. Champagne, meanwhile, adds a dry sweetness that balances out the cranberries' tartness. For an elevated classic, you can bring all of these ingredients together to make a cranberry version of the Seelbach cocktail by muddling your sauce with bourbon, Cointreau, and bitters, then topping your glass with champagne. With bourbon and leftover cranberry sauce, a satisfying cocktail is just a few shakes or stirs away.