Arándano and Tequila

If you’re like me you don’t often think of tequila and Thanksgiving. But it’s a well established fact that 2020 is a different kind of year, so why not try a different cocktail to go with your upcoming holiday feast?

‘Arándano’ is Spanish for ‘cranberry’ – you could simply call this ‘cranberry and tequila’ but this name seems more fitting. For cocktails, I prefer to use good old fashioned cranberry juice cocktail instead of a more natural cranberry juice that may contain other fruit juices. We stock a few small cans so we always have some when we need it. 

A reposado tequila has been aged between two to twelve months in wooden barrels so it has a slight smoky or woody flavor and a bit of color. If you don’t have a reposado on hand, I’d recommend a blanco (unaged) for this cocktail since there are other flavorful ingredients. Most importantly only use a 100% agave tequila.

Adding elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain) smooths out all of the flavors and adds just a hint of sweetness. It’s kind of like adding a really good simple syrup.

I made this cocktail before there were bags of fresh cranberries at the grocery store. But I recalled that Wegmans had a frozen fruit mix (‘Cranberry Blend’) that contained cranberries, blueberries, blackberries and red raspberries. I picked out a few of the frozen cranberries to garnish our drinks and used the rest of the fruit in our breakfast protein shakes. There’s no need to thaw the cranberries when using them for a garnish – they’ll keep your drink cooler longer! I’d avoid eating cranberries on their own as they are quite tart.

I hope that cranberries not only find a place on your table but also at your bar this Thanksgiving. This would also make a lovely drink for your Christmas celebration. In future years when we are back to feeding a crowd, consider making a pitcher.