Joe's Drunken Cranberry Sauce

A delicious new twist gives this cranberry sauce a new life!

Prep time: 0

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serves 8 to 10

Soy/Gluten/Dairy Free

Vegan & Vegetarian

Tired of the old boring cranberry sauce? This cranberry sauce is so easy to make and it is so delicious! It's called Drunken Cranberry Sauce for a reason: it is loaded with alcohol! But don't worry...the alcohol burns off during the cooking process! Also, this is not an ordinary cranberry sauce...it has raspberries, which add another layer of flavor to the sauce.

Forget about that stuff that comes in a can: make your own and impress everyone at the dinner table!

What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia, and the sub-national entities Leiden, Norfolk Island, and the inhabited territories of the United States. It began as a day of giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

Similarly named festival holidays occur in Germany and Japan. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and Brazil, and around the same part of the year in other places. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.

What is Cranberry Sauce?

Cranberry sauce or cranberry jam is a sauce or relish made out of cranberries, commonly served as a condiment or a side dish with Thanksgiving dinner in North America and Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom and Canada. There are differences in flavor depending on the geography of where the sauce is made: in Europe it is generally slightly sour-tasting, while in North America it is typically more heavily sweetened.

History of the Cranberry Sauce

The recipe for cranberry sauce appears in the 1796 edition of The Art of Cookery by Amelia Simmons, the first known cookbook authored by an American.

Although the Pilgrims may have been aware of the wild cranberries growing in the Massachusetts Bay area, sugar was scarce, so it's unlikely that cranberry sauce would have been among the dishes served at the First Thanksgiving meal. Cranberries aren't mentioned by any primary sources for the First Thanksgiving meal. The only foods mentioned are "Indian corn", wild turkey and waterfowl, and venison. The rest remains a matter of speculation among food historians. Although stuffings are not mentioned in primary sources, it was a common way to prepare birds for the table in the 17th century. According to a "Thanksgiving Primer" published by the Plymoth Plantation, cranberries may have been used in the stuffing recipes, but it's unlikely they would have been made into a sauce because sugar was very scarce.

Cranberry sauce was first offered to consumers in North America in 1912 in Hanson, Massachusetts. Canned cranberry sauce appeared on the market in 1941, allowing the product to be sold year-round. Cranberry sauce can be used with a variety of meats, including turkey, pork, chicken, and ham.

What is the flavor profile?

A combination or sweet and tart with sharp notes from the Cachaça.

What ingredients will I need to make this?

fresh cranberries, fresh raspberries, orange juice, white sugar, cane sugar, and Cachaça.

What else will I need to make this?

A saucepan, a wooden spoon, and measuring cups.

What is Cachaça?

Cachaçha, a distilled sugar cane alcohol, is the main ingredient for Caipirinha. It is clear and has a very distinctive flavor. Kind of reminds me of a vodka and grappa but smoother. I found it to be a perfect match for fruit based cocktails.

Where can I get Cachaça?

You can order it online by clicking here or at your local wine shop.

Can I make substitutions?

Yes. You can substitute the Cachaça with a non-spiced Rum, Brandy, Cognac, port, or Whiskey.

You can also use strawberries instead of raspberries.

Are there other Thanksgiving Recipes on this website?

Yes...visit the Thanksgiving tab found in the "Recipes" section for more recipes or....just click here.

Ingredients