For the Spiced Cranberry-Orange Simple Syrup:
- The zest and juice of 1 Orange
- 1 each cinnamon stick
- 2 each whole cloves
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
- ½ cup of water
- ½ cup of dried cranberries
To Complete
- ½ ounce Spiced Cranberry-Orange Simple Syrup
- ½ ounce ginger liqueur
- 3 ounces champagne
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- To Garnish: Rehydrated cranberries from the syrup + fresh orange zest
For the Spiced Cranberry-Orange Simple Syrup:
- Using a peeler, peel the zest from the orange. Ensure that you do not peel too deeply. You only want the zest, not the bitter white pith. Set the zest aside.
- Cut the orange in half and juice it into a small sauce pot. Discard the remaining bits of orange.
- Into that same sauce pot, add the water and sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Heat the mixture on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to simmer.
- Once simmering, carefully add the orange zest to the pot and gently stir to submerge. Cook the zest in the liquid for 1 minute at a medium heat so that the liquid is simmering but not at a rapid boil.
- After 1 minute, turn off the heat and add the whole cloves, the cinnamon stick and the dried cranberries. Allow everything to sit in the liquid for at least 15 minutes to finish softening and infusing the flavors.
- After 15 minutes, chill the syrup. Remove the cloves and cinnamon stick before using. Use the rehydrated cranberries and orange zest as a garnish.
To Complete:
- Pour the cranberry juice, the ginger liqueur and the Spiced Cranberry-Orange Simple Syrup into a champagne flute and gently swirl to combine.
- Top with champagne and garnish with the rehydrated cranberries and fresh orange zest.
