These Frozen Cranberry Daiquiris are the perfect summertime drink! Made with just 4 ingredients – an easy cranberry simple syrup, vanilla rum, fresh lime juice, and ice. Blend everything up and enjoy this refreshing, cold summer cocktail any day of the week!
This post is sponsored by our friends at Wisconsin Cranberries! All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Blue Bowl possible!
If you’ve never had a daiquiri, or tried cranberries in a cocktail, you are in for a treat today! Now, if you’re thinking “cranberries are for Thanksgiving and winter recipes!” – just give this a try. The cranberry flavor really shines in this drink, and is beautifully complimented by the fresh lime juice – proving that these little berries don’t just belong to winter!
And, I bet you didn’t know that Wisconsin produces more than half the world’s cranberries – pretty neat! We’re not just cheese and beer, heh.
Let’s Make Cranberry Simple Syrup:
Making simple syrup for cocktails is quick + easy, and it’s a great way to take your cocktail-making skills to the next level! For this version, we’re starting with water, sugar, a splash of vanilla extract, and frozen cranberries. Since you typically only see fresh cranberries in grocery stores closer to Thanksgiving and in the winter, we’re using frozen cranberries here! You can find them at many grocery stores in the frozen section year-round.
If you do make this recipe when fresh cranberries are available, they’ll work just fine too! Either way, you’ll be getting a good dose of Vitamin C + E, fiber, and antioxidants – cranberries are a great source of all these things!
Add everything to a small pot, and cook over a very low simmer for about 20 minutes. It’s important to keep the heat low here – we’re just trying to infuse the sugar + water mixture with the cranberry flavor, and boiling the mixture will set you on track to make more of a cranberry jelly or sauce (trust me – I made that mistake!).
When the mixture is ready, the cranberries will be soft and look a bit wrinkly, and you’ll have a slightly thick, syrupy mixture in the pot.
Strain this mixture, pressing down on the cranberries with a spoon to release all their juices. Discard the skins. And voila – there’s your super quick cranberry simple syrup!
Set the simple syrup in the fridge to cool down – we don’t really want to blend piping hot liquid into a frozen drink! I found that it chilled pretty quickly – about 20 minutes. You can also make this up to a week ahead and store it in a jar in the fridge until you’re ready to make your cocktails!
What’s in a Frozen Cranberry Daiquiri?
Great question! A daiquiri is traditionally made with ice (naturally!), freshly squeezed lime juice, a simple syrup – that’s where our beautiful cranberry syrup comes in – and rum! I have a bottle of vanilla rum on hand that’s absolutely delicious, so I used that, but you can use any type of rum that you enjoy. Add everything to a blender, and mix until combined and frothy!
And there you have it – the easiest cocktail ever! Taste the mixture, and add a splash more cranberry syrup, lime juice, or rum as desired, and you can even add a dash of maple syrup or agave if you want to sweeten it a tad more. I found that the ratio of tart to sweet was perfect here, but you can of course adjust it if you’d like. This recipe is ~flexible~!
Pour that pink drink goodness into your glasses, garnish with some cranberries, sip, enjoy, and repeat! You’ll be indulging in these drinks all summer long because of their incredible ease + flavor!
Happy sipping, friends!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below letting us know how you liked it!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with a photo of your creation! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make.
Frozen Cranberry Daiquiris
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Simple Syrup
- 1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries *If using frozen, don't thaw them first.
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Frozen Cranberry Daiquiris
- 6 ounces vanilla rum Or your favorite type of rum
- 4 and 1/2 ounces of the Cranberry Simple Syrup
- 1 and 1/2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 and 1/2 cups ice cubes (about 30 ice cubes)
Instructions
- Make the Cranberry Simple Syrup: Add the cranberries, sugar, water, and vanilla to a medium pot over very low heat. Cook over a bare simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. The cranberries will be very soft and the liquid will be a bit thick but shouldn't have anything close to a cranberry sauce or jelly consistency. It's very important to keep the heat low here so you don't overcook the mixture and turn it into cranberry sauce. Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the pot from the heat. Strain the mixture into a jar, pressing on the softened cranberries to squeeze the last bits of juice out. Discard the cranberry skins. Pop the cranberry simple syrup in the fridge to chill (about 15-20 minutes).
- Make the Daiqiuris: Add the vanilla rum (or rum of your choice), cranberry simple syrup, lime juice, and ice to your blender. Blend until everything is combined and frothy.
- Serve + Store: Serve immediately! Pour into glasses and garnish with skewers of fresh cranberries, if desired. This recipe makes 3 larger or 4 slightly smaller drink as written. You can also make just 1 drink at a time using 2 ounces of rum, 1 and 1/2 ounces of the simple syrup, 1/2 ounce of lime juice, and about 10 ice cubes. Leftover cranberry simple syrup can be stored in a jar in the fridge for about 1-2 weeks. *See note below about making these alcohol-free!
Notes
Order my new book:
Gina says
This has become one of my favorite drinks. It has definitely hit the spot as I sip it outside on these hot days
Stephanie Simmons says
Glad to hear you loved this drink, Gina! 🙂