8 Cranberry Spirits To Liven Up Thanksgiving Dinner

We all know how the tart zing of cranberry lends an acidic bang to Thanksgiving dinner. Cranberry sauces and jams bring the turkey-centric meal together, adding a wink of sweetness, a punch of sour, and an eye-catching crimson hue to all of our beige-food-filled plates. While a collection of cranberry cocktails enjoy their time in the sun (especially during "Sex in the City" resurgences), my secret weapon for incorporating the dense berry into a night of imbibing relies on looking to the professionals.

Sure, I've whisked my share of cranberry simple syrups and even infused my own spirits, but every time I do, I regret not picking up a bottle of cranberry spirits made by distilleries. Unlike my attempt to cram cranberry flavor into a generic spirit or force juice or syrup into my custom cocktail, by planning and grabbing a bottle of cranberry spirits, I can save time and shake (or stir) up a cocktail with more intention behind the cranberry flavor.

To help me zero in on the best cranberry-flavored cocktail options I called on Ashlyn Hubenak, bar manager of Han Oak restaurant and spirit consultant who believes, "A good cranberry liqueur achieves harmony between acidity and sweetness. It should be zippy, yet approachable." On the other hand, they note that bad cranberry liqueurs can be overly sweet, to offset the tartness of the cranberry, ending up with a poor consistency and flavor. Below is my shortlist of cranberry-focussed spirits so you too can produce a cocktail more akin to a bar program than a kitchen sink creation. 

Chances are if you've flown Alaskan Airlines in the past couple of years, you've treated yourself to Portland, Oregon's craft canned cocktails from Straightaway. Their cute branding and clever riffs on drinkable classics helped the brand expand outside of the Pacific Northwest market. Still, it's their aperitif, Amaro, and digestif offshoot line, Accompani, that we're most excited about this holiday season.  

Specifically Crimson Snap, Accompani's cranberry-laden bottle, has become not only a go-to route for adding lively fruit flavors to our beverages but also an eye-catching host gift throughout winter's occasions. Ashlyn Hubenak expands on why reaching for a liqueur provides a more unique flavor than simply relying on cranberry juice, "I reach for juice when I am looking to create a lighter, brighter beverage with more liquid. Liqueurs add complexity that is difficult to achieve from juice alone. I prefer a liqueur if I am looking to maintain a spirit-forward profile and balanced body. You can absolutely combine forces to marry brightness and depth."

Infused with orange peel, Seville oranges, bark, and gentian root, Crismon Snap tastes like Suze from the Woodlands; the bottle veers bitter and therefore can happily stand in for aperitifs like Campari, Aperol, or Cynar in classic cocktails like Negronis, spritzes, or Manhattans for a stiff, elegant, and seriously cranberry-inflected cocktail.

For a bouncy, light-hearted take on cranberry cocktails, Deep Eddy's Cranberry Vodka tastes like elevated Ciroq without the artificial sting. Made from real cranberry juice and Deep Eddy's own ten-time distilled vodka, Deep Eddy's cranberry offering swerves into the sweet realm and can easily be sipped simply over ice, but we prefer a cold-weather take on a Dirty Shirley cocktail for this admittedly sickly bottle.

For any drinker who sticks to clear liquors, a vodka infusion will be able to both capture their attention and appeal to their tastes. Not attempting to yank anyone out of their comfort zone, it's good to stash a bottle of Deep Eddy's Cranberry Vodka for when you know you'll be keeping company who enjoy cocktails over with ice, topped with fizzy sodas, or even taken as shots. Also handy when creating a boozy kiss to flambéed desserts like crepes, a bottle of Deep Eddy's will easily evaporate in one fun evening.

If you happen to enjoy a good martini and want to feel festive finding a quality cranberry-infused gin, look no further than Koval's moody gin liqueur. Though the brand's gin remains the base spirit, the red bottle is a great choice whenever you want to drift just slightly outside a typical martini. For other cocktails that lean into cranberry's natural zing, Ashlyn Hubenak recommends, "Anything that's a descendant of the gimlet, sour, or martini. These formats serve as a balanced base to choose whether you prefer to tip more sweet or dry. The cosmo is making a jazzy comeback I love to see." 

Perfect as a substitute for the crème de violette in a classic aviation cocktail, the stunning fruit-forward bouquet of Koval cranberry includes a blend of thirteen botanicals that bring to life the berry's tart, yet sultry allure. The brand's few gin infusions act as further evidence of Koval's commitment to cranberry; unlike lesser distilleries, Koval resists the urge to plump up their catalog with an array of trendy flavors. The Koval website suggests its drinkers simply splash their sparkling wine with scant amounts of this precious red liquid, which sounds like the perfect welcome beverage for thirsty guests needing to break the ice.

The most refreshing bottle on the list, Wild Roots Cranberry Vodka captures the bracing bitter splash of fresh cranberry. Unlike other infused vodkas, the folks at Wild Roots expect its amateur mixologists to retain a bit of bartending know-how, as this liquid isn't best tossed back as a shot but rather deserves an intentional cocktail. 

The brand, after its founder noticed how artificial flavors run rampant in the liquor aisle, dedicated itself to providing the market with fruity cordials featuring real produce from the Pacific Northwest where the distillery hails. While ice-cold cocktails are a dependable way to bestow your buzz, Wild Roots Cranberry Infused Vodka can lend an extra cozy element to a warm, spiced mulled wine or a distinctive variation on a hot toddy. If you find yourself in possession of this stand-out offering from Wild Roots, try pairing the tangy vodka with homemade rosemary syrup to invoke some soothing wintertime vibes.

A little off the beaten path, Schramm's specializes in meads (which are, admittedly, not spirits); aggressively sweet thanks to the honey, this niche product can act as a sweet surprise post-meal. In place of digestifs or sweet dessert wines, a short pour of mead compliments the sugar-laden dessert table without having to bother measuring and mixing a composed cocktail. Schramm's also sees the high potential of cranberry, and the honey-wine makers produce three variations featuring the scarlet berry; pure cranberry, cranberry raspberry, and cranberry ginger. 

For a match made in pie heaven, try kicking back with a forkful of pecan, apple, or pumpkin pie as the sharp, pleasantly syrupy beverage matches the baking spice notes of all three of Thanksgiving's classic closing dishes. A more difficult match for a key component of a cocktail, using a spoon to float a layer of this mead on a cocktail will dye your drink with a stunning streak of cranberry burst and imbue it with a hint of seasonality; try this trick with a margarita, a piña colada, or even simple a gin and tonic, to show off your cocktail crafting know-how.

A New York-born brand inspired by German cordials, Heimat's line of liquors, infused with locally harvested produce, includes ten bottles including this cherubic cranberry offering. Dense, sour, with a burst of freshness, Heimat's bottle might be the most versatile on the list, as the beverage tastes great no matter the season, and could easily sneak its way into sparkling water as a secret summertime ingredient just as believably as it livens up hot ciders, teas, or even light beers.

Without any seasonings or herbs that could make the liquor taste overtly wintery, Heimat's team chooses to focus on the berry's perky qualities. It allows drinkers to decide exactly how holiday-themed they want to make their cocktails. A little goes a long way, with a mere ounce of Heimat's liquor showing enough strength to impart a potent cranberry character to an entire drink; so be careful not to be too heavy-handed when dosing your drinks with this Central European-influenced pick-me-up.

Something of the crème de le crème of the bunch, Clear Creek Cranberry Liqueur might run a little pricer than the other choices here, but only because it punches far above its weight class. Sultry, sleek, and multi-purposed, you should track down Clear Creek's ruby jewel if you're arming your bar with only one cranberry bottle. Ashlyn Hubenak agrees, celebrating Hood River DIstillery's prize bottle by saying, "Hands down, the crown goes to Clear Creek's Cranberry Liqueur."

This drink boasts cranberry's signature grippy, tart tannins with a flavor coming as close to unadulterated cranberry as it can. A versatile spirit, able to perform in any kind of cranberry-based booze, possibilities abound when you open a bottle of Clear Creek. Balanced, but with brilliant personality, you can whisk this thick liqueur into whipped cream, serve it poured over ice cream, or soak it into a fruit cake. It'll be hard to resist polishing off any remaining drops in desserts asking for a little libation of their own.

And for those who don't partake in America's oldest pastime, need to pace themselves, or are just taking their doctor's advice on alcohol and having a hiatus from hooch, Ghia's Berry Aperitif steps in as a convincing surrogate for the real thing. Launched in 2020, Ghia met the spirit-free cocktail movement at the exact right moment. Its line of non-alcoholic beverages is intended to help its drinkers savor and celebrate meaningful moments just as vibrantly as their boozy counterparts.

Ghia's Berry Aperitif, their newest offering, takes the brand into the non-bitter arena for the very first time; though tannic, this berry aperitif appeals to fruit lovers as opposed to drinkers missing the sternness of spirit-forward cocktails. Costing a pretty penny at $38 for a bottle, Ghia's dedication to quality shows in its hefty price point, but at the end of the day, Ghia makes one of the only alcohol-free aperitifs able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your favorite spirits.

Call me bitter but my shelf dedicated to cocktail bitters keeps expanding. Finely made bitters are a subtle cocktail addition that can add a kiss of whatever flavor you're seeking out, letting you put your own thumbprint on every drink you create. Learning how to be intentional about when to include these biting drops, and to which drinks, can elevate your cocktails from house party to restaurant quality in only a couple of shakes.

Though the market contains enough bitter drop brands to drown in, Fee Brothers is a firm favorite for several reasons. Somewhere between a boutique bottle of bitters and your typical Angostura, the Fee Brothers label never compromises on the potency of its flavors, and its cranberry drops flaunt both perky and tannic notes at once. It's the perfect choice for a seasonal twist on an old-fashioned old fashioned cocktail for the Thanksgiving weekend.

To write this list, I recalled the many crimson cocktails I've been lucky enough to imbibe in recent memory, as well as researching the most highly regarded bottles of cranberry infusions, liquors, bitters, and cordials. I excluded any beers and sparkling wines from the list because of their inability to retain their fizz beyond a few hours after opening. I also called on an expert for advice on stand-out cranberry bottles, and when cranberry can shine in cocktails. Any spirits out of the reach of most U.S. markets were not considered because they'd be difficult to consistently track down. Whenever possible, I also veered toward spirits able to boast real cranberry juice as opposed to artificial flavoring.