Frozen Cranberry 75

Gin, fruit, and bubbles is just a chef’s kiss of a flavor combination if you ask me. This twist on the classic French 75 celebrates the ultimate holiday fruit: the cranberry! It’s a shame their tartness and vibrant color aren’t more widely available throughout the year, so we’re going to mix them in our cocktails while we still can.

A classic French 75 is made with 1 part lemon juice + 1 part simple syrup + 2 parts gin + 6 parts Champagne. So what we’re really doing here with this holiday version is adding cranberry as our fun flavor and blending it with ice to make it like an adult slushy.

Watch Me Mix It

Make a Frozen Cranberry 75 With Me

1. To your Beast® Blender, add gin, cranberry juice, lemon juice, cranberry sauce (or maple syrup, or homemade cranberry maple syrup), and crushed ice.
2. Blend it all together until it becomes smooth and frosty.
3. Pour into two chilled coupe glasses with sugared rims (optional), leaving a little space at the top.
4. Gently stir in Champagne or Prosecco to fill the glass. Stirring the bubbles ensures you won’t lose the fizz.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist and/or cranberries.

Make Your Own Cranberry Maple Syrup

These frozen cranberry cocktails call for cranberry sauce or maple syrup, but you should totally try making your own cranberry maple syrup instead of using either of the other two ingredients. Your homemade syrup will make these holiday cocktails brighter and much smoother, plus making your own syrup couldn’t be easier. Give it a try! To make about 6 oz. of syrup, you’ll need:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 strip lemon peel
• Optional: 1 rosemary sprig or 1 cinnamon stick

Let’s do it:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a small pot.
2. Simmer for 5 minutes until the berries burst.
3. Mash, strain, and let cool completely before adding to your Frozen Cranberry 75.

Holiday Twists

Rosemary Cranberry: Add 1 rosemary sprig to the blender or muddle it in before blending.

Cinnamon Sugar Rim: Rim with cinnamon + cane sugar for cozy vibes.

Vanilla Cranberry: Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 oz vanilla syrup for a softer, dessert-like flavor.

Spiced Orange: Add 1 oz fresh OJ + a pinch of ground nutmeg.

Ginger Cranberry: Add 1/2 oz ginger syrup or a few thin slices of fresh ginger before blending.

Vodka Swap: Swap the gin for vodka if you’re not a gin person.

Mocktail: Replace the gin with 4 oz non-alcoholic gin (Lyre’s, Monday Gin) OR more cranberry juice and replace the Champagne with 4 oz non-alcoholic sparkling wine or plain soda water.

The More the Merrier

Cranberry cocktails perfect for holiday hosting. Here is the scaled recipe for batching it up in a pitcher for 8 people.

• 16 oz gin
• 8 oz cranberry juice
• 6 oz lemon juice
• 4 oz cranberry maple syrup (or 8 tbsp cranberry sauce + 4 oz maple syrup)
• 8 cups crushed ice

Make the same way you would make it for two people, potentially doing it in two batches based on he size of your blender. Before serving, pour it into 8 coupes, leaving room at the top. Top each glass with 2 to 3 oz Champagne or Prosecco and give them a gentle stir so you don’t lose the bubbles. Garnish with sugared cranberries or a lemon twist.