Cocktail Hour: Spiced Cranberry Rum Fizz
In this Cocktail Hour post I’m sharing a warm and cozy cocktail I whipped up for a housewarming party recently. I’m a fan of all things Serious Eats because they are a wealth of knowledge about everything related to food and drink, their recipes are always on point and this one is no exception.
Meet the Spiced Cranberry Rum Fizz. Below is the original recipe with a couple of my personal twists. It’s refreshing, citrusy and will warm you through to your toes. It’s the perfect party drink for the fal season!
What you need:
For the Tangelo Ginger Simple Syrup:
- peeled zest from 2 tangelos, no white pith
- 1/2 cup grated fresh ginger
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
For the Spiced Cranberry Mixer:
- 6 tablespoons tangelo ginger simple syrup
- 2 cups unsweetened 100% cranberry juice, such as Knudsen's - I do recommend using this as opposed to a sweetened cranberry juice. I made it both ways and it creates a better balance of tart and sweet with the unsweetened one.
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum, such as Flor De Caña
For each cocktail:
- 1/4 cup Spiced Cranberry Mixer
- 2 tablespoons chilled dry sparkling wine or prosecco
- thinly sliced fresh cranberries for garnish
How to make it:
For the Tangelo Ginger Simple Syrup:
I love making my own syrups for cocktails. It’s extremely easy. Just combine equal parts sugar and water for the simple syrup, and then add any flavours you like, in this case, tangelo peel and grated ginger. Heat it over high heat and once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer for seven minutes and then let it cool. You can get creative with syrups using what you have leftover in your fridge or spice cupboard to play with the flavours of traditional cocktails or to create your own inventions!
Best Enjoyed:
In a short glass, on a cold night with good friends. I keep the Spiced Cranberry Mixer in the fridge, so between that and the chilled sparkling wine, there's no ice needed when serving this baby.
About the “fizz” cocktail
The mention of a “fizz” cocktail first appears in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas's Bartender's Guide, according to Wikipedia. Variations of fizz cocktails were popular in America through the 1900s and the 1940s. At one point the gin fizz was so popular that bars would employ teams of bartenders to take turns shaking the drinks.
My Twists
Instead of orange zest I used tangelo – a hybrid of the tangerine and grapefruit. I happened to come across them in the store and thought it would be fun to try something different. They’re very citrusy and juicy and I found them more flavourful than your typical orange.
Even though the original recipe calls for white rum, as many cocktails do, I’m a bigger fan of dark rum and its rich, caramelized flavour, so I swapped in some dark Flor De Caña instead. It also makes for a darker, beautiful, ruby-red coloured cocktail.
