The Great Crannino

Cranberry compote is my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. It also makes for a fantastic cocktail!

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It’s quite easy to put together too, making it the perfect cocktail for Thanksgiving. The sharpness from the cranberry mixed with a bit of rum and Amaro Nonino will certainly put you in a festive spirit.

There’s only so many ways to enjoy leftover cranberry compote, so what not puree it and use it in a festive cocktail!

To make the Cranberry compote, you will need:

1 large orange, or 2 small oranges,
1/3 cup of sugar
12oz of cranberries- fresh or frozen
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp of Vanilla extract

First, I’ll zest the oranges which will yield around 2 tablespoons of zest,

Then I’ll juice both oranges. You will need 1 cup of juice.

Next, I’ll the orange juice to my saucepan along with the zest, the cinnamon sticks, the sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla extract and the cranberries. I will cook this over medium high heat for about 20 minutes until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.

I will let the compote cool and take a half cup to make our puree. This Cranberry compote will last in the fridge for 10-14 days.

For the puree, I’ll simply use an immersion blender and blend until smooth, and there are no visible chunks of cranberry skin left.

This cocktail is super easy to make with just a handful of ingredients and it is oh so delicious. You’ll need the pureed cranberry compote, some aged rum, and Amaro Nonino. If you are new to amari, I highly recommend by starting with Amaro Nonino, its very subtly bitter, and has wonderful baking spice notes and sweetness.

To build the cocktail, I’ll add 3 heaping bar spoons of the puree to my shaker tin, followed by one ounce of Amaro Nonino, and lastly, one ounce of aged rum. I will shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds and double strain into a tumbler with ice and top with some club soda, just a little over an ounce.

Finally, I’m going to finish with a brandied cherry.

And here it is! The great Crannino.

If you wanted to make a non-alcoholic version, shake together 3 heaping bar spoons of puree, 2 ounces of water and one ounce of simple syrup and top with club soda.

Cranberry Compote:

2 tbs orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup of sugar
12oz of cranberries- fresh or frozen
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Method:

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and let it come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until all the cranberries have burst. Remove cinnamon sticks and store in the refrigerator to firm up. The compote will keep for 10-14 days in the refrigerator.