Non Alcoholic Cranberry Whiskey Kiss Mocktail
/A warming cranberry syrup adds some zing to this layered non-alcoholic whiskey cocktail
Non-alcoholic whiskey cocktails
Non alcoholic whiskey is getting so good, there’s no reason you need to miss out on holiday party cocktails if you have a bottle of premium zero proof spirits on hand. The great thing about non-alcoholic whiskey is they are all different, and each brand and bottle has its own taste profile. Monday zero proof whiskey was our choice for this specific non-alcoholic holiday cocktail because we made a big batch of a spicy cranberry syrup and knew it would be a perfect match. Monday zero proof whiskey has lovely notes of cinnamon and spice on the palette along with enough heat to stand up in a drink - a great seasonal combination with the tart and juicy flavours from cranberry.
Cranberry Spice Syrup for Holiday Drinks
The ingredient that really pulls this non-alcoholic cocktail together is a cranberry spice syrup adding some seasonal zing to what would just be a whiskey cranberry sour otherwise. This cocktail would still work with plain simple syrup, if you don’t feel like making a flavoured syrup, but truly the syrup is what makes it special. Bonus: You can make a big batch and use it for baking, coffees or dessert topping too!
Making Cranberry Spice Syrup
Simple syrup always follows the same formula which is 1:1 ratio of sugar and water, plus flavouring ingredients: in this case, cranberries, cinnamon, grated orange zest, ginger and nutmeg.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 tsp finely chopped ginger root
Preparation:
Add all the ingredients to a saucepan on medium heat and whisk to dissolve the sugar, or stir if you can’t whisk. Once the sugar has dissolved and is at a low simmer, you would usually take it off the heat and cover to infuse, but in this case we’re using cranberries so it needs to cook. Watch carefully and reduce heat before the mixture boils over. Simmer on LOW for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, cover and allow the mixture to steep and cool for another 10 minutes.
Place a bowl under a fine-mesh sieve. Strain the syrup into an airtight glass jar or bottle by pressing down on the cranberries to squeeze everything out. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Preparing your non-alcoholic cranberry whiskey kiss
Ingredients:
6 fresh cranberries
1/2 oz lime juice
1 tbsp cranberry spice syrup
1 oz 100% cranberry juice
3 oz Monday Zero Proof Whiskey
To bring out even more of the fresh cranberry flavour, we’re going to muddle 5-6 fresh cranberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker first. Then add in the rest of the ingredients, ice and shake to chill. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with sugared cranberries. Note: Use a hawthorne strainer to strain or else the cranberries block the openings on the shaker lid and you’ll have trouble getting the whole cocktail out.
A note about ice:
Ice is used in cocktails not only to chill them but to dilute the alcohol. Unfortunately, with non-alcoholic spirits and cocktails you want them chilled but you don’t want them diluted at all. This makes it a challenge to create cocktails that don’t taste flat. For this cocktail, make sure you’re using regular square ice cubes, as their condensation point will be higher than smaller round ice.
You could also keep your shaker and ingredients, including the non-alcoholic whiskey, refrigerated so the temperature difference won’t shock the ice into melting.
Cheers and enjoy this festive holiday libation!
Cranberry Whiskey Kiss
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1/4 tsp finely chopped ginger root
- 6 fresh cranberries
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1 tbsp cranberry spice syrup
- 1 oz 100% cranberry juice
- 3 oz Monday Zero Proof Whiskey
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the cranberries, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, ginger and nutmeg over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Watch carefully and reduce heat before the mixture boils over. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to steep for another 10 minutes.
- Place a bowl under a fine-mesh sieve. Strain the syrup into an airtight glass jar or bottle. Can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.
- In the bottom of a shaker, muddle cranberries with enough pressure to crack the berries
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Add ice and shake until chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass, or a rocks glass with ice if desired.
Notes
**Cranberry Spice recipe courtesy of Burrata & Bubbles.
