Cranberry Lemon Drop Martini
A delicious – and beautiful – take on the classic lemon drop martini, with a recipe for homemade cranberry simple syrup you can use for more luscious cocktails.
Cranberry Simple Syrup
- 2 cups fresh cranberries chopped
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup sugar
Cranberry Lemon Drop Martini
- 2 ounces cranberry simple syrup
- 2 ounces lemon juice
- 1 1/2 ounces vodka
- Ice
Cranberry Simple Syrup
Chop the cranberries roughly, and add them to the pan with the water. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to a medium-low setting and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat, and mash the cranberries gently. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine strainer. Add any water necessary to make up 1 cup of juice – it will be pulpy.
Add the 1 cup of juice to a saucepan with the 1 cup of sugar over a medium-high setting and bring to a boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and set it aside to cool.
You’ll need 2 ounces for the drinks – the rest will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Cranberry Lemon Drop Martini
Fill a cocktail shaker about 2/3 with crushed ice.
Pour in the cranberry simple syrup, lemon juice and vodka.
Shake vigorously for about a minute.
Pour into a sugar rimmed glass and garnish with lemon and cranberries.
Serve right away.