Both sweet and tart, cranberries are the ultimate ingredient when it comes to making holiday cocktails. Not only do cranberry flavors complement nearly every dish featured on a festive menu, but they add color and brightness, making your drinks pop! 

During the holiday season, one of my favorite non-alcoholic cranberry drinks is the Cranberry Sage CBD Spritz. This delicious spirit-free mixed drink is a wonderful alternative to alcohol, plus it pairs perfectly with just about everything served during a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Hanukkah feast because it’s made with fresh cranberry sauce. 

That’s right! You can add your favorite cranberry sauce into this beverage recipe to complement a number of your favorite dishes. To highlight savory flavors, I also love incorporating homemade sage-infused simple syrup. Sage adds a complex zesty flavor to the drink and is a perfect accompaniment to a myriad of fall ingredients used in our favorite holiday recipes. Mixed with fresh-squeezed lime juice and sparkling club soda, this refreshing drink will prepare your palate for a night of indulgence.  

To best infuse this Cranberry Sage Spritz with CBD, Care By Design “Rest” Drops present a calming blend of CBD, CBDA, and over 16 different terpenes including terpinolene, which is a common terpene also found in sage. This multidimensional terpene is often used to promote relaxation and is hallmarked by its floral, citrus, pine, and sage-like aromas and flavors, which make a fantastic match with this tasty beverage. 

When mixing drinks with CBD oil, remember to add the drops into the shaker tin before shaking with ice to best emulsify the ingredients together. Because this tincture is so expressive, I also recommend dotting the top of the drink with a few drops of CBD oil to boost the aromatics, similar to working with a bitters.

Ready to try this delicious holiday drink? Keep reading for the full recipe and be sure to stay tuned for more Herb Somm x Care By Design drink collaborations as part of the Elevated Elixirs series that we’ll be featuring this holiday season. Enjoy!

Servings: 1 drink 

Target Dose: 24 mg blend of CBD and CBDa per drink (using 1 ml Care By Design “Rest” Sublingual Drops)

Equipment:

• Small saucepan
• Shaker tin
• Hawthorne Strainer
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Old fashioned glass

Ingredients:

• Sage Simple Syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 7 to 8 fresh sage leaves
• Cranberry Sage CBD Spritz
• 2 ounces cranberry juice (I used Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice - no sugar added)
• ¾ ounce sage simple syrup
• ¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 dropper (1 ml) Care By Design “Rest” Sublingual Drops 
• 1 tablespoon cranberry sauce (your favorite recipe or see recipe below)
• Ice
• Club soda
• Fresh cranberries and a sage leaf for garnish 

Directions:

Begin by making the sage simple syrup. Combine the water and sugar in the bottom of a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low, constantly stirring until the sugar dissolves completely into the water. Reduce the heat, then add the fresh sage leaves. Simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow the leaves to steep for 45 minutes. Remove the leaves, then transfer the sage simple syrup into a Mason jar. Store in the refrigerator until it’s thoroughly chilled. 

Once the simple syrup is chilled, add the cranberry juice, sage simple syrup, lime juice, Care By Design “Rest” Sublingual Drops, and your favorite cranberry sauce in the bottom of a shaker tin. Add ice, then shake for 15 seconds or until very cold. Fine strain the liquid over an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice to remove the cranberry seeds and solids, then discard the solids. Top with a splash of club soda, stir the drink using a bar spoon, then garnish with fresh cranberries and a fresh sage leaf. For a boost of aromatics, dot the top of the drink with the Care By Design “Rest” Sublingual Drops, then enjoy! 

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 6 ounces (⅓ cup) water
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 (10 oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 strip orange zest
• Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice 

Directions:

Add the orange juice, water, and sugar to the bottom of a saucepan. Begin to heat until the mixture begins to boil and the sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries, orange zest, and a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until most of the cranberries have burst and liquid reduces (about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your stovetop). Transfer sauce to a serving bowl, then cover and chill until further use.