Cranberry Orange Marmalade Sour

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Mostly because of the food. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie… I could go on and on. A part of me is a bit sad that I’ll be missing that this year as I head on down to Nashville on Thanksgiving. But I got a little taste of Thanksgiving this week when I made this Cranberry Orange Marmalade Sour with my friends at Exotico Tequila.

I really enjoy coming up with different ways to enjoy drinks that fit the season. This drink is perfect to serve alongside all the dishes that you’ll be whipping up on turkey day. I can only assume that you’ll have cranberries in the house so making the cranberry syrup for this drink will be easy peasy.

Cranberry Orange Marmalade Tequila Sour, serve 1

2 oz. Exotico Tequila

3/4 oz. lemon juice

3/4 oz. cranberry syrup*

1 heaping barspoon of orange marmalade

Sprig of rosemary, for garnish

*Cranberry Syrup, makes 1 cup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup fresh cranberries

First, make your cranberry syrup which is super easy! Add sugar, water and cranberries to a saucepan and simmer on low heat. Stir frequently until all cranberries have started to pop. After the cranberries have fully cooked, about 10 minutes, the syrup should be looking bright red. Remove from heat and let completely cool. Strain out cranberries and store syrup in a bottle or jar in the refrigerator.

After you’ve made your cranberry syrup it’s time to make a Cranberry Orange Marmalade Tequila Sour. Add tequila, lemon, cranberry syrup and orange marmalade to a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

I love this cocktail so much! The cranberry syrup is tart and the orange marmalade provides sweet, citrusy and jammy fruit notes. The rosemary is delightfully fragrant. And well, the tequila, it’s Exotico Tequila so it’s perfect in everything as far as I’m concerned. If anything embodied Thanksgiving in a glass it would most certainly be this drink 100%. The cranberry syrup makes this Cranberry Orange Marmalade Tequila Sour such a lovely hue as well. I wish fresh cranberries were around ALL YEAR!

I hope you consider making this for your Thanksgiving festivities next week. I’ll be en route to Nashville to sell my book at a holiday market for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday at Ft. Houston. If you’re local to Nashville stop by, grab a book and say hi! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!