The holidays offer endless possibilities for gelatin molds – think eggnog, pumpkin, apple cider, and cranberries. Cranberries? Yes please! Delightful and tart, I associate cranberries with turkey and cosmopolitans. This boozy gelatin, based on the classic cosmo, combines 100% cranberry juice with my favorite holiday flavors – ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. And booze. If you’re inclined to mix drinks at home, the ginger-spice simple syrup transforms cocktails into dazzling little liquid celebrations.
Recipe for ginger-spice simple syrup*
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 small whole nutmeg
Combine water with sugar in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. When sugar dissolves, remove from heat and add ginger, cinnamon, anise, and nutmeg. Cover pan and let sit overnight. In the morning, strain the syrup and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Should last a few months.
*Recipe adapted from here (epicurious.com)
Cranberry Ginger-Spice Martini (recipe for 3.5 cups)
- 2 packets Knox gelatin
- 1 cup water (for blooming)
- 3/4 cup cranberry juice (I use 100% cranberry juice, but if using a blend with added sugar, consider adjusting the sugar)
- 1 cup ginger-spice simple syrup
- ½ cup vodka (better vodka equals better gelatin mold!)
- ¼ cup triple sec (I used my new favorite Paula’s Texas Orange Premium Liqueur)
Put 1 cup of cold water in a medium bowl and sprinkle the 2 packets of gelatin on top of the water. Set bowl aside.
Put cranberry juice in small sauce pan, and put on medium heat. Upon almost boiling, remove from heat and add to the bloomed gelatin. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir in ginger-spice syrup and alcohol. Pour mixture into mold(s). Put in refrigerator until set.
Top layer (optional)
Since I had this seasonal gelatin mold to play with, I added a creamy top layer. Here’s what I used:
- 1 packet gelatin
- 1 cup water (½ cup for blooming gelatin, ½ cup for boiling)
- ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
Put ½ cup of water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set bowl aside. Bring ½ cup water to boil and remove from heat. Pour hot water over bloomed gelatin, stir until fully dissolved. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Pour mixture into mold and put in refrigerator. Once creamy layer is almost set, pour in cranberry mixture.
6 comments
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December 3, 2012 at 3:14 pm
The Homicidal Homemaker
This is beautiful and sounds delicious! I have this same mold, but have never done a two-tone layer using just the seasonal embossing on each mold. Looks awesome!
December 3, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Casey_Grim
Thank you! It’s a wonderful mold. I hope to use it again this holiday season.
January 3, 2013 at 11:56 am
Megan
I made this recipe exactly as written for a Feast of the 7 Fishes Christmas Eve party, using a lobster-shaped mold. My guests devoured it in, oh, less than 5 minutes? It was the clear hit of the party – I don’t think anyone expected the sophistication of flavors in a gelatin dessert. So, thank you so much for an excellent recipe! Your blog is great.
January 3, 2013 at 7:13 pm
Casey_Grim
That is wonderful to hear!!! Thank you for sharing. I work hard on the recipes, not knowing how they turn out when other people make them. I’m glad your guests enjoyed it.
December 23, 2014 at 3:29 am
Halal Gelatin
Its yumm yumm! I will give this recipe to my wife, so she can fill my belly beast with this awesomeness. And also i found your blog Gr8 nd YUMMY. 😉
February 16, 2015 at 5:23 pm
Zohaib Malik
Thank you for the RECIPE sharing i will request to my wife to make it for me 🙂