Description
This Spiced Cranberry Juice is a refreshing and nutritious mocktail that combines fresh cranberries with aromatic spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Perfect for any season, this juice can be served cold, room temperature, or gently heated for a warming treat. It’s naturally sweetened with agave syrup or honey and infused with citrus zest to brighten the flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 liter cold water
- 1 piece of orange or lemon zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
Optional Spices
- 3 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 3 allspice berries
- 1 star anise
- 1 inch grated ginger
Additional Flavorings
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice or lemon juice (optional)
- 3 tablespoons agave syrup, honey, or sugar (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Wash the cranberries and any additional fruit thoroughly to ensure they’re clean and ready for use.
- Combine Ingredients: Place the cranberries, citrus zest, and cold water into a medium-sized pot for heating.
- Add Spices: Tie your chosen spices in a small cheesecloth pouch for easy removal, or add them directly to the pot if cheesecloth is unavailable.
- Heat the Mixture: Bring the pot contents to a gentle boil over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, immediately remove from heat after about one minute to preserve vitamins.
- Cool Down: Allow the mixture to cool for 30 minutes to an hour so flavors develop and it becomes safe to handle.
- Strain Juice: Remove the spice pouch and strain the liquid through a tight-mesh colander into a jar, pressing the berries and fruit to extract all the juice.
- Sweeten: Taste the juice and sweeten with agave syrup, honey, or sugar according to your preference.
- Rest: Let the juice stand for a few hours or overnight to allow all the flavors to blend harmoniously.
- Serve: Serve the spiced cranberry juice chilled, at room temperature, or gently heated in the microwave for a comforting warm drink.
Notes
- This juice offers great nutritional benefits thanks to fresh cranberries and warming spices.
- You can adjust the level of sweetness by adding more or less agave syrup, honey, or sugar.
- The beverage can be enjoyed hot or cold, making it perfect year-round.
- Using a cheesecloth pouch for spices makes removal easy and prevents grainy textures in the juice.
- Allowing the juice to rest enhances the depth and complexity of the flavors.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (240 ml)
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 0.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
