I mean, what better way to kick off our cocktails for the month of December?
This Festive Cranberry Clementine Martini is the epitome of what a December cocktail should look like. It features two of the biggest winter produce stars – cranberries and clementines – and gets jazzed up with good ol’ vodka plus a dash of Grand Marnier. I mean, who doesn’t want to sip on something this tasty all through the most festive month of the year?
Okay serious talk here – I realize I do not have too many martini recipes here on the blog, and that’s simply because I’m usually not a straight-up martini kind of gal. I just can’t seem to get down with olives/olive juice and/or onions flavoring my cocktails. And sorry to all my vodka-lovers out there, but I usually tend to lean towards booze with a little more inherent flavor (I’m looking at you, gin and bourbon) rather than more mildly-flavored vodka.
BUT give me a martini that is full of fresh clementine juice, tangy cranberry juice AND Grand Marnier on top of that vodka? Yes, please. I will take a Festive Cranberry Clementine Martini any day!
I honestly don’t know why I haven’t thought to use fresh clementine juice in more of my cocktails before now. I mean, at this time of year grocery stores are chock full of those huge bags of them, and I don’t know about you but I unfailingly only get about halfway through before I notice them starting to go bad. And it breaks my heart to have to throw them away. After tasting this delicious concoction, I now know I just need to juice some of those bad boys up and grab my trusty cocktail shaker so I can be sipping on said Festive Cranberry Clementine Martini in no time at all.
That’s my kind of holiday cocktail.
So tell me, who has exciting plans for this weekend? We are taking a weekend to lay a little low (I mean, who are we kidding, we have a one-month old, laying low is our life) because next weekend we’re heading up north again to celebrate my dad’s birthday and cut down our Christmas tree. If nothing else, our baby girl will be quite the seasoned traveler by the end of the year!
There always seems to be a plethora of holiday celebrations and events that kick off as soon as we get through Thanksgiving, so I hope you’re up to something fun and festive these next few days. No matter what your plans, I hope you can work in making (and consuming) a Festive Cranberry Clementine Martini or two!
Festive Cranberry Clementine Martini
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
- 1 ounce fresh clementine juice
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- Clementine wheel, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Strain through the lid into a martini glass.
- Garnish with a clementine wheel and enjoy!
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