Cranberry-Infused Vodka Drink: The No. 1

A beautiful shade of pink. Tiny champagne bubbles dancing on your tongue. No, this isn't Audrey Hepburn's idea of a good time (although I choose to believe that Holly Golightly and I would be hot-mess level besties), this is the "No. 1," the first drink made with our homemade cranberry-infused vodka.

While you could simply sip the beautiful and mild nectar over ice, feeling festive and slowly losing your inhibitions, I choose to pair this with festive additions such as champagne!

In the event that I actually have any of the infusion left over by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I will toast my family with this delightful drink and give thanks to the wonderful meal, the irreplaceable company, and the bubbles that tickle my nose and bring out the cranberry flavor in a subtle and sophisticated way.

Have I tempted you enough? Are you ready for it?

Don't worry, I didn't drink these both myself. Though if my life depended on it...

The No. 1 is an incredibly simple drink that is both understated and delicious, much like my puns. For this cocktail you will need:

Tools:

A shaker

A strainer 

A coup glass or champagne flute

A knife

Left to Right: Silly glass that won't hold enough alcohol, Champagne flute, Coup glass

Ingredients:

1.5 oz cranberry-infused vodka

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

.75 Tablespoon simple syrup

Champagne (Prosecco or a sparkling wine will do just fine, too. But please, for the love of all that is good on this Earth, do not use sparkling moscato.)

Lemon for garnish

Now for the fun part

1. Combine vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker full of ice.

2. Shake that baby up until it's nice and cold (ain't nobody got time for tepid treats!)

3. Strain mixture into coup or flute.

4. Top off with sparkling wine of your choice (just please not moscato, because that choice will always be wrong)

5. Garnish with a lemon twist and run the rind along the edge of the glass so every sip is tart and tasty.

Then you're done! Cheers to you and your wonderful taste in drinks!

"Pro" Tip: Chill your glass with some ice cubes and water before straining your cocktail into it. This is more difficult with a champagne flute, but if you pop it in the freezer for a few minutes before you use it, it achieves the same effect. All this does is ensure that you're drinking a really cold drink. Seriously. Taste a drink that isn't ice cold and tell me it's delicious. YOU WON'T.

Secondary "Pro" Tip: If you're feeling rullllll fancy, you can also garnish your drink with a few whole frozen cranberries. This way your guests know the contents of the drink (if you're into surprising your friends with booze) and it makes you look classy AF.

Now a few items to clarify in case you're unsure:

1. Simple syrup. As the name suggests, it's really simple to make. You could buy it from a store, but why do that when you likely have the ingredients in your home already?! It's a 1:1 ratio of water and white cane sugar. Boil your water over medium heat and just as it starts to roil, pour in the sugar and remove from the heat. Stir continuously until all the sugar has melted. Carefully pour BOILING LAVA HOT concoction into a glass receptacle like a Mason jar or Perrier bottle. Let cool and enjoy in your cocktails and iced coffees.

You can also infuse your simple syrups but then it's called "slightly-more-complicated syrup" and I'll go over some of my favorite infusions at a later date.

2. Lemon twist. Now, this isn't entirely necessary, but it does add some extra flavor and color to a large array of drinks. Fruit twists can be as simple as slicing the rind off of a whole lemon, orange, grapefruit, etc., or you can extract the fruit entirely and twirl the fruit up with some toothpicks. I'll post a blog about twists eventually. I'm new to this, gimme some time to figure stuff out!

That's all for now! Check back next week for The No. 2!

xoxo, Teele