Best Cranberry Lemonade (with Real Cranberries)

Sparkling cranberry lemonade served in a tall glass filled with ice and garnished with a slice of lemon.

5 from 8 votes

Best Cranberry Lemonade (with Real Cranberries)

Cranberry Lemonade is a tasty and refreshing drink with a perfect mix of sweetness and sourness provided by cranberries. Spread holiday cheer this season with this gorgeous pink lemonade drink.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: glasses

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Kushi

Ingredients

1.5 cups Cranberries fresh/frozen
3 cups Water
1.5 cups Sugar
1.5 cups Lemon juice
3 cups Sparkling water cold
Ice cubes plenty

Instructions

Step 1

In a pan on medium-high heat, add frozen cranberries, water, sugar and bring to a boil.
1.5 cups Cranberries, 3 cups Water, 1.5 cups Sugar
Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Pass this sweetened cranberry mix through a sieve and using a spoon extract all the liquid, leaving behind only fibrous cranberry pulp and seeds.
This can be stored up to 2 months in the refrigerator.

Step 2

To the extracted cranberry syrup, add freshly squeezed lemon juice and let it cool to room temperature.
1.5 cups Lemon juice
Cranberry lemonade concentrate is now ready. This can be stored in the refrigerator for at least one week.

Step 3

To serve, add cranberry syrup and cold sparkling water (or cold still water) in a 1:1 ratio into a glass filled with ice.
3 cups Sparkling water
Cranberry Lemonade is now ready. Serve with a slice of lemon, a few torn leaves of mint or basil, and enjoy!

Notes

Expert Chef Tips

Add herbs like rosemary or spices like cinnamon to infuse the cranberry syrup with its fragrance. Add it while simmering cranberries in sugar syrup.
You can easily combine (or completely substitute) cranberries with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc., for adding a delicious twist to the lemonade.

Nutrition