There’s just something about a cocktail with fresh cranberries inside that screams holidays.
Not many food items are as visually evocative of time spent with family and friends as the humble cranberry. It could be a nod to the sweet and tart cranberry jelly served with your holiday turkey.
Whatever it is, I just feel warm inside when I see cranberries. In the case of this holiday Kentucky buck cocktail, some of that warmth might be due to the bourbon.
What is a Buck (cocktail)?
To put it simply, bucks are cocktails that combine a spirit with citrus and ginger beer or ginger ale.
And much like its sister cocktail, the Moscow mule, this bourbon buck recipe gets a major boost from the citrus element in the shaker. In the case of this Kentucky buck, I’m using lemon juice to provide a tart counterpoint to the natural sweetness of the bourbon and ginger beer.
However, instead of going with a canned ginger ale, I made my Christmas-inspired Kentucky buck cocktail with a ginger simple syrup and added soda water at the end.
The brightness of the lemon juice plays off the sweet and spicy kick of the ginger simple syrup – and pairs perfectly with the warm and soothing finish of a good bourbon.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup or ginger syrup
- 2 ounces cranberry juice
- 2 ounces club soda
- fresh cranberries (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cocktail
- Combine bourbon, juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass with crushed ice. Top with soda, and garnish with fresh cranberries.
Ginger Simple Syrup
- Place 1 + 1/3 cups water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Peel a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger and cut into smaller chunks. Add ginger to water and turn the heat down to low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Then remove ginger and stir in 1 cup of white sugar until completely dissolved. Refrigerate simple syrup and use as needed.
