Cranberry Cocktails

By mollydahma

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 cups dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• Thin strips of zest from 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, crushed
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups seltzer

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cranberries into a large, high-sided skillet; set aside. Bring syrup, wine, brown sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, lemon zest, peppercorns, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, whisking occasionally.

Pour over cranberries. Cover tightly with foil, and bake until cranberries are soft but have not burst, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a bowl; cover with 1 cup cooking liquid. Let cool completely.

Bring 1/2 cup cooking liquid and the granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, whisking until sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat to low; simmer until liquid has reduced and barely coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a medium bowl; let cool completely. Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 3 days.

Reserve 40 cranberries. Puree remaining cranberries and liquid in a blender.

To serve, place 10 reserved cranberries on each of 4 decorative skewers. Pour 1/4 cup puree and 1/4 cup syrup into each of four 12-ounce glasses; stir to combine. Add skewers, and fill glasses with ice. Top with seltzer, and serve.