This Cranachan Cocktail is a celebration of raspberries and other fruit flavors.
The drink takes it’s inspiration from the Cranachan, a Scottish dessert made with raspberries, whipped cream, and whiskey.
The dessert is traditionally served for Burns Night.
So why not serve a Cranachan cocktail to pour one out for dear Robbie Burns?
Cranachan Cocktail -inspired by the classic Scottish dessert
This cocktail is a wonderful way to honor the return of the warmer days of spring.
Even the pretty pale pink color looks like springtime.
And the flavor is so tasty, it warms your heart.
This cocktail starts off with a great gin (we used Caorunn since it’s a lovely Scottish gin) and Calvados.
Calvados is a lovely apple liquor from Normandy.
Add in some honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, and raspberries and you’ve got yourself a unique and flavorful combination.
It is sure to make you smile.
Serving a Cranachan as a beverage:
The Cranachan Cocktail is wonderfully versatile.
It is simple to make, yet looks fancy and sophisticated.
Easy enough to enjoy on a quiet evening at home, it also fits in nicely at parties and brunches.
The festive pink color makes it perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day brunch, weddings, and any other event that calls for a pretty, fruity, pink cocktail.
Even though the drink doesn’t have fresh apples in it, I crave a good apple brandy drink during apple season.
A great drink to serve for Burns Night
When you need a delicious drink to help you makr events where it’s appropriate to serve a delicious Scottish cocktail,
the Cranachan is perfect to serve alongside a flight of fine scotch.
In fact, we think this is an excellent choice not only for your Burns Night supper, it’s also great for St. Andrew’s Day, or when you’re celebrating the Highland Games.
It’s also an excellent choice for celebrating the New Year – especially if your planning to observe all 5 days of Hogmanay.
In fact, when a cocktail tastes as good as this one, there really isn’t a bad time to serve it!
Thank you to our friends at Caorunn for sharing their recipe and photos with us.
Ingredients to make a Cranachan Cocktail:
- Gin – we used Caorunn
- Calvados – or your favorite apple brandy
- Honey Syrup
- Lemon Juice – we used fresh squeezed
- Raspberries
- Pasteurized Egg White
- Soda Water
- Cinnamon stick, for garnish
- Cinnamon sugar, for garnish
Note: A Cranachan trifle is made with whiskey.
While we’ve made this drink with gin and Calvados (brandy), you may substitute the gin for the Scotch whiskey of your choice.
If you don’t have honey syrup, you can water down some thick honey with some hot water.
Why do you put egg white in the drink?
Bartenders have been putting egg whites in drinks for ages.
It makes the drink taste better and improves the texture.
Egg white gives a drink a nice creamy texture and tops the drink with foam.
When you look at the photos, the foam on top of the drink comes from the shaken egg white.
But I know, you’ve always heard that egg whites can carry salmonella.
Can I use aquafaba in the drink instead of egg white?
If you aren’t comfortable using egg white in a drink, that’s okay.
Our vegan friends have given us a fantastic substitution.
And frankly, it works great, even if it sounds weird.
It’s called Aquafaba – chickpea juice.
Aquafaba does the same job in a drink that an egg white does.
And it doesn’t taste like a chickpea is in your drink at all.
If you’d like to read up more about how to use Aquafaba in drinks, Eater has written a great piece about using aquafaba in vegan cocktails.
Can I make the drink without alcohol?
Yes, you may make a Cranachan drink without the alcohol.
It won’t truly embody the spirit of the trifle it’s named for, but it will still be a delicious drink.
You’ll omit the gin.
In place of the Calvados, substitute some apple cider.
If you can find an apple and pear cider blend, that’s even better.
There’s a good one available seasonally from Martinelli’s that’s perfect if it’s the right time of year.
Replace the volume of the gin and calvados with the cider and make the drink as instructed.
It will still be a delightful dessert drink.
How to make a Cranachan drink:
First, measure your ingredients and add them to a cocktail shaker.
Shake well.
Place a fine mesh strainer over your beverage glass filled with ice and pour through the shaker’s strainer.
This is called double straining.
Top the drink with soda water.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick and dust the top with cinnamon sugar if you’d like.
It adds a little bit more of that dessert digestif element to it to add the cinnamon and the sugar.
More delicious drinks made with gin for you to enjoy:
Cran Apple Long Island Iced Tea
French Champagne Punch with Gin
Hpnotiq and Cherry Heering Christmas Cocktail
try it and share!
Please let us know how you enjoy our Cranachan Cocktail recipe.
If you make it yourself, please let us know on Pinterest that you tried it and tag us with #champagneandcoconuts on your Instagram photo.
If you haven’t had a chance to make it yet, be sure to save the recipe on Pinterest so you’ll remember where you found it.
Cranachan Cocktail Recipe with Gin and Calvados
Equipment
- Measuring cup or jigger
- Cocktail Shaker
- Cocktail Strainer
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Beverage Glass
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ oz Gin - we used Caorunn
- ½ oz Calvados
- ½ oz Honey Syrup you can use honey simple syrup or thin some really thick honey with hot water until it's a liquid
- ½ oz Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
- 5 raspberries
- ¾ oz Pasteurized Egg White
- Soda Water
- Optional: Cinnamon stick for garnish
- Optional: Cinnamon sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Shake first 6 ingredients and double strain into a highball glass filled with ice.
- Top with soda water.
- Garnish with a large cinnamon stick and dust with cinnamon sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published September 4th, 2020. It was updated December 14, 2021.
Hi, I’m Jennifer. I love to cook and entertain. I have a lot of fun sharing traditional food and drink recipes as well as putting a new spin on the classics. I strive to provide easy to make recipes that are perfect for the home cook, bartender and entertainer.
Your tip to make this with aquafaba was right on! Thanks