Cranberry Beret

Adapted from Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons

Cranberry Beret

This is a reboot of a cocktail with a not-so-sexy name, Cranberry-Spice Cocktail, that I created for Food and Wine magazine. Cranberries, oranges, and apples are still at the heart of the drink, but I amped up the proof a bit with Laird’s apple brandy and played off the bittersweet orange notes of the Amaro CioCiaro and brightness brought on by the Aperol. It’s a great before-dinner drink to kick off a Thanksgiving gathering, a time when it’s good to keep people busy with a drink in their hand. You can also batch it up as a punch and have your guests serve themselves.

Reprinted with permission from Amaro by Brad Thomas Parsons, copyright © 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Ingredients

Serving: 1

  • 1 orange wedge
  • 1 orange wedge
  • 12 fresh cranberries
  • 12 fresh cranberries
  • 1 1/2 ounces apple brandy, preferably Laird's
  • 1 1/2 ounces apple brandy, preferably Laird's
  • 1/2 ounce amaro CioCiaro
  • 1/2 ounce amaro CioCiaro
  • 1/2 ounce Aperol
  • 1/2 ounce Aperol
  • 2 dashes cranberry bitters
  • 2 dashes cranberry bitters
  • hard apple cider, to top
  • hard apple cider, to top

Garnish: orange zest and three fresh cranberries, skewered

Directions
  1. Combine the orange wedge and cranberries in a cocktail shaker and muddle until the fruit is just broken up.
  2. Add the apple brandy, Amaro CioCiaro, Aperol, and bitters and fill with ice.
  3. Shake until chilled and double-strain into a collins glass filled with ice.
  4. Top off with the hard apple cider.
  5. Garnish with the orange zest and skewered cranberries.

Tagged: amaro, Brad Thomas Parsons, winter drinks

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