Cranberries are the flavor of the holiday season. So instead of the traditional orange juice mimosa on Christmas morning, mix up this simple and delightful Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler. It’s also perfect for Valentine’s Day or brunch any time of year!

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Essential Ingredient: Cranberry Simple Syrup

We here at Spilling Tequila are big fans of Royal Rose Organic Simple Syrups. Their products are organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free, with ingredients locally sourced near their Newcastle, Maine facility. Each syrup is made with raw sugars, farm-fresh ingredients, and without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

We do love to make our own simple syrups, but Royal Rose has some unique flavor profiles that are tougher to duplicate (like the Hot Ginger Lime we used in this Hot Ginger Mule!).

Their Cranberry Spice is perfect for all your fall and winter holiday drinks. It’s tart and warm and mixes well with whiskey and vodka. It also makes a stellar sparkling cocktail.

Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler Recipe 

To make this drink, you’ll need 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, 1 ounce of Royal Rose Cranberry Spice Organic Simple Syrup, and chilled Prosecco.

The hardest part of making this drink is getting those fresh seeds out of the pomegranate. Yep, it’s messy, but fresh ingredients are SO worth it.

Once you’ve liberated the pomegranate seeds from their captivity, put about 1/4 cup of seeds in measuring cup (or any other wide-mouthed container) and add 1 ounce of the Cranberry Spice syrup. Muddle well to release the pomegranate juice.

Give the mixture a stir and then strain into a glass. For this drink, you’ll want to use a champagne flute, a large coup glass or any sparkling wine glass. We chose this gorgeous glass not thinking about how big it was and ended up pouring half a bottle of Prosecco into one drink!!! Oops! I’d recommend one the smaller ones above.

Once you’ve strained into the perfect glass, top off the Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler with Prosecco and garnish with some pomegranate seeds and a cinnamon stick. If you opt for giant glassware – you may want to double up on the pomegranate/syrup mixture to maximize the fruity flavor.

Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Instead of the traditional orange juice mimosa on Christmas morning, mix up this refreshing Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler.

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
• 1 oz Royal Rose Cranberry Spice Simple Syrup
• Chilled Prosecco

Instructions

1. Combine pomegranate seeds and cranberry spice syrup in a measuring cup (or other container) and muddle well.
2. Strain into a glass and top with chilled Prosecco.
3. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds and a cinnamon stick.
4. Please drink responsibly!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 180Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information is estimated and should only be used as a general guideline.

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If you’re #TeamEdward, this vampire cocktail is for you! It’s rich, balanced, and beautiful and would also be perfect for Valentine’s Day or Christmas!

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I’m a Twilight fan. And I’m not ashamed.

I was excited to get Stephanie Meyer’s brand-new book, Midnight Sun, which tells the tale of the original Twilight book from Edward’s perspective. Naturally, I wanted an appropriate cocktail to sip while I read.

Not Your Average Vampire’s Kiss

When I searched online for vampire drink recipes, I found a lot of them called “Vampire’s Kiss.” The ingredients varied and I tried a couple of them. Chambord and champagne. Variations on a vodka cranberry. Meh.

I wanted my drink to be more intense and complex. It needed to be blood-red (not pink) and it needed to include whiskey.

My go-to drink is a whiskey sour, so I started there and added some POM Wonderful pomegranate-cherry juice. It was delicious, but still a little too pink and frothy from the foam.

(But if you’re a big whiskey sour fan like me, here’s that Pomegranate Whiskey Sour recipe.)

After some trial and error, I came up with an awesome recipe. I decided to call my vampire drink “#TeamEdward.” Because, obviously.

How to Make a Vampire Cocktail

You’ll need Chambord (black raspberry liqueur), lime juice, pomegranate juice, simple syrup, raspberries and blackberries, and a whiskey of your choice. For this recipe I used Misunderstood’s Ginger Spiced Whiskey, which I highly recommend! The ginger flavor adds a fantastic depth to this vampire drink.

You’ll also want to make some red sugar to rim your glass. It’s so simple to make – just put a few tablespoons of white sugar in a small Ziploc bag and add a couple drops of red food coloring. Knead and shake the bag until the color is absorbed and evenly distributed.

When your sugar is the desired color (just add more food coloring one drop at a time if you want it darker), pour it onto a plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of your glass, then press the glass edges into the sugar. Here’s a link to the martini glass I use.

Now it’s time to make your vampire cocktail! First, put 3 raspberries and 3 blackberries into your cocktail shaker. Add 1/2 ounce of simple syrup and muddle gently (this is the muddler/spoon I use and love!) to squish up the fruit.

Now add a few ice cubes, 1/2 ounce of lime juice, 1/2 ounce of Chambord, 1.5 ounces of pomegranate juice, and 2 ounces of whiskey. Shake it until the shaker is nice and frosty, then double strain into your glass. You want the drink to look smooth and not have pieces of fruit in it.

Finally, carefully place one large ice cube into the glass. I love these oversized cubes – they make the drink look that much more dramatic!

This cocktail is so delicious. It’s just sweet enough and the various ingredients give it a lot of complexity. I hope you enjoy it while you’re reading Twilight, watching the movies, or enjoying another holiday with friends and loved ones. (And while you’re sipping, light one of these #TeamEdward candles!)

Vampire Cocktail: #TeamEdward

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

If you're #TeamEdward, this vampire cocktail is for you! It's rich, balanced, and beautiful and would also be perfect for Valentine's Day or Christmas!

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Ingredients

• 2 oz Misunderstood Ginger Spiced Whiskey (or whiskey of your choice
• 1/2 oz Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur
• 1.5 oz pomegranate juice
• 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• A few raspberries and blackberries
• 2 T white sugar
• Couple drops red food coloring

Instructions

1. Add the sugar and a couple drops of food coloring to a Ziploc bag. Knead and shake the bag until the color is absorbed and evenly distributed.
2. When your sugar is the desired color (just add more food coloring one drop at a time if you want it darker), pour it onto a plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of your glass, then press the glass edges into the sugar. Set the glass aside.
3. Put 3 raspberries and 3 blackberries into your cocktail shaker.
4. Add 1/2 ounce of simple syrup and muddle gently to squish up the fruit.
5. Add a few ice cubes along with the lime juice, Chambord, pomegranate juice, and whiskey.
6. Shake until the shaker is nice and frosty, then double strain into your glass.
7. Please drink responsibly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 320Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information is estimated and should only be used as a general guideline.

The post Vampire Cocktail: Twilight-Inspired #TeamEdward appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

I came up with this Pomegranate Whiskey Sour recipe when I was trying to make a vampire-themed cocktail. This drink turned out to be a little too pink for the vampire theme, but it’s still delicious!

This post contains affiliate links to products and services we recommend. We may make a commission, and there is no cost to you.

My go-to drink is the whiskey sour. Before I started this blog and started taking my home bartending skills seriously, I always made a whiskey sour with bourbon, lemon juice and simple syrup. I never used a sour mix and the idea of a raw egg white kinda grossed me out.

But I have evolved.

The first time I tried an egg white in a drink is when Naomi made me her Pisco Sour. I loved the smooth, creaminess the egg white brought to the drink. Ever since then, I’ve been obsessed with foamy sour drinks!

I even did a little research and found that when egg whites are shaken thoroughly without ice, they emulsify. Agitating the whites causes their proteins to unfold and mixes in air bubbles, creating a nice foam that’s perfectly safe to drink. (Check out these other cocktail questions you’ve always wanted answered!)

Perfect Valentine’s Day Cocktail

When I was working on a vampire-themed cocktail (inspired by Stephanie Meyer’s new Twilight book – Midnight Sun), I turned first to my trusty whiskey sour. How could I make it red? And so the Pomegranate Whiskey Sour was born.

It’s definitely too pretty for a vampire cocktail, but its pink foaminess is just perfect for Valentine’s Day or even Christmas! To make this drink, you’ll need:

• 2 oz whiskey of your choice (rye and bourbon are both types of whiskey, so they work great, too)
• 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup (or this skinny, sugar-free version!)
• 1/2 oz pomegranate juice
• 1/2 oz egg white

Pour all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake without ice. This is called a “dry shake” and it’s an important step to emulsify the egg white.

After a vigorous dry shake for 15-20 seconds, add ice and shake again for another 20-30 seconds. The outside of the shaker should be nice and frosty and your arm should be tired. 🙂 Then strain into a coup glass and let it sit for a few seconds to allow the foam to rise to the top.

Let’s talk a little more about that egg white. It can be difficult to measure a half-ounce of an egg white. It’s thick and not always easy to get the perfect amount. Don’t stress about it. A half ounce is typically half of an average egg white, so if you are making two whiskey sours, just put the whole egg white in. I rarely measure my egg whites anymore and it’s never made much of a difference in my drink.

If you really want to impress your guests – or your Valentine – garnish your sour with a pretty flower, a dried rosebud, a Luxardo cherry, or even some cocktail glitter!

Pomegranate Whiskey Sour

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

The Pomegranate Whiskey Sour is a classic whiskey sour with the simple addition of pomegranate juice - making it pretty and foamy and pink!

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Ingredients

• 2 oz whiskey
• 1/2 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• 1/2 oz pomegranate juice
• 1/2 oz egg white

Instructions

1. Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and vigorously dry shake (without ice) for 15-20 seconds. This is an important step to emulsify the egg white.
2. Add a few ice cubes and shake for another 20-30 seconds.
3. Strain into a coup glass and let sit for a few seconds to allow the foam to rise to the top.
4. Please drink responsibly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 173Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is estimated and should only be used as a general guideline.

The post Pomegranate Whiskey Sour appeared first on Spilling Tequila.