Skip The Store-Bought Version And Make Cranberry Ginger Ale At Home

Cranberries tend to appear during Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season because they're seasonal fall fruits. This sometimes means that cranberry flavored foods and drinks are similarly seasonal, such as Canada Dry cranberry ginger ale or Schweppes cranberry raspberry ginger ale. These limited-time beverages have a loyal fanbase, but if you can't find them on the shelves or you want to get festive during the off-season, cranberry ginger ale is simple to make at home and you can spice it up at your pleasure.

The most straightforward method for making cranberry ginger ale involves pouring some regular ginger ale into a pitcher, waiting until the fizz dissipates, and adding in the cranberry juice. But wait — you can get fancier. If you really want to taste the ginger in your drink, you can substitute the ginger ale for water along with about 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger. If that's too much of a kick, take a middle ground approach with a good ginger beer. Despite the similar names between ginger beer and ginger ale, ginger beer is made from fresh ginger and has a spicier flavor, where commercial ginger ale often lacks real ginger.

To boost the flavor in your cranberry ginger ale, you can go all in with cranberry syrup. Doing it yourself involves boiling fresh cranberries with sugar and cinnamon for a fresher, stronger cranberry flavor compared to store-bought cranberry juice. Combined with fresh ginger, this merry drink's strong flavor profile could be gently diluted with sparkling water as needed. As a garnish, toss in a cinnamon stick or a few cranberries to make it look suitably festive for your guests (or for yourself).

Once it's finished, you can drink it straight or use it as a mixer for holiday cocktails. It probably won't surprise you to learn that cranberry ginger ale is a versatile base. You can easily create a cranberry ginger fizz by adding vodka or gin, or you can shake up a few cranberry rum cocktails for the colder months. Alternatively, adding a fruit-forward red wine and a few real cranberries turns this cocktail into a holiday sangria. For a non-alcoholic spin, mix in a combination of apple cider, lemonade, or orange juice for a wintery punch.