If you love cranberry, this homemade cranberry rum cocktail is so easy to make! It is fizzy and full of incredible sweet-tart cranberry flavor. This is a great drink to make throughout the fall holiday season!
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(This is a sponsored conversation written by me and on behalf of 7UP®. All opinions and gushings are all my own.)
Are you as excited about the holidays as I am? I love how the holidays can bring family and friends together. Do you have any special holiday traditions?
Our family has a fun tradition that is centered around cranberries. That probably sounds odd, but we try to develop a new cranberry recipe every year, something that everyone can enjoy.
This is the first year we decided to make syrup out of fresh cranberries. My kids thought a syrup would be fun on gluten-free waffles. Mr. Fearless Dining even suggested making a cranberry ice cream. Personally, I love cranberries in this amazing gluten free banana bread recipe!
I saw this homemade cranberry syrup idea as a delicious way to make cocktails (and mocktails!) for our friends who come to visit :-). Either way, we all win with this easy-to-make cranberry reduction sauce!
If you are entertaining this holiday season, you may want to try serving this Grinch Cocktail too :-).
Cranberries are a symbol of the holidays. These tart little berries are versatile and work with all sorts of recipes, from sauces to baked foods! Their tart flavor works beautifully with sparkly 7UP.
You are going to love this sparkling cranberry cocktail for holiday entertaining! The cranberry syrup can also be used to make mocktails. Follow the same recipe but skip the rum.
Given the tartness of this simple cranberry syrup, I chose 7UP to add sweetness to this cranberry rum cocktail recipe. The flavor of 7UP works well in so many cocktail recipes. Try pairing 7UP with liquors like:
- Bourbon
- Vodka
- Amaretto
- Gin
- Rum
Are you ready to see how easy this sparkling cranberry rum and 7UP cocktail is to make?
How To Make This Cranberry Rum Cocktail:
Step 1: Wash the cranberries and remove any that are not fresh. Add the fresh cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, 7UP, and water to a pot.
Step 2: Cook the cranberry mixture on medium heat until the cranberries pop. (You will hear them pop, it is really fun!)
Step 3: Use a spoon to mash the cranberries up against the pot’s side.
Step 4: Allow the cranberry mixture to simmer for another 15 minutes. The sauce will be thick with the cranberry chunks.
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Step 5: Use a mesh strainer to strain out the cranberry pulp. I kept a container underneath to capture all the delicious syrup. You should end up with a bowl of syrup and a bowl of cranberry pulp.
🔑 Sandi says: The cranberry pulp is delicious and can be used in recipes like gluten-free cranberry muffins…or you can make a chutney out of it and serve it with chicken or pork!
Add the cranberry simple syrup into a glass. For a cocktail, add rum and 7UP. For a mocktail, skip the rum.
We had fun making this sparkling cranberry cocktail in different glasses to decide which made the drink look fancy for entertaining. What do you think?
Serve With These Appetizers:
- Gluten Free Sweet and Sour Meatballs
- Easy Gluten Free Stuffed Mushrooms
- Crispy Gluten Free Air Fryer Ravioli
More Delicious Cranberry Recipes:
- Gluten Free Cranberry Coffee Cake – Fluffy and light with a thick streusel topping.
- Use your leftover cranberry pulp to make these Gluten Free Cranberry Hand Pies!
- Gluten Free Cranberry Scones – Another great recipe to use your cranberry pulp!
- This Cranberry Moscow Mule with this cranberry syrup.
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Cranberry Rum Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup 7UP®
- 2 cups water
- 3 ounces rum per drink
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Instructions
- In a pot, add all ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Use a spoon so smoosh cranberries into the side of the pan.
- Remove from the heat.
- Use a ladle to spoon some of the mixture into a mesh strainer. Use a spoon to press the mixture down, which forces the juice out of the mixture. Do this until the mixture is firm and has little moisture.
- Allow the syrup to cool.
- Add 3 ounces rum to a glass. Pour 1/4 cup syrup into the glass. Top off with 7UP®.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older December 2017 post with more recipe information.
My family loves the cranberry ginger ale that’s available during the holidays. Given that I’d try it with ginger ale! I use 7 up in my red sangria! Thanks for this idea!
I love that idea. The gingerale should add a nice flavor paired with the cranberry syrup!
How far in advance can I make the simple syrup. Because I’m entertaining a lot for people.
Hi Lori, I stored it for 5 days without issue. I am sure you could freeze the syrup and then thaw it when you need it. Take care and have a great holiday party 🙂
Hi! What kind of rum do I use?
Hi Angela, the rum doesn’t really matter. I would use any clear rum. Do not use spiced or dark rum. Have a great day!
Hi Sandy!
This may be obvious, but when making the cranberry syrup do I add the 7up and rum, and then add more 7up and rum later?
Hi Hilary, you are right, it can be confusing. I add 7Up while cooking. The rum is poured over the ice with the completed syrup. I add more 7Up on top for a fizz. I hope that helps. Have a wonderful holiday!
HI, in the commentary it mentions vanilla but it’s not in the recipe. How much vanilla do I add? Thank you!
Hi Megan, add one teaspoon to the cooking cranberries. Enjoy 🙂
Oh yes, I am all about the cranberries! I love them and stock up on them every year to keep in the freezer to hold me over for the year. This is definitely going on my list to try. It is so simple and sounds delicious. I think this will be a good base for many adult beverages. Thanks for sharing = )
That is a great idea to freeze cranberries to enjoy them all year long 🙂