With Thanksgiving less than a week away, it is time to start thinking about your sparkly beverage. Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. We start out our morning at the gym, then race to moms house to begin cooking. We all have specific roles (no not the ones you eat) for the day. I, Ashley am always in charge of beverages, dessert, and mashed potatoes. Hayley is responsible for veggies and stovetop stuffing lol, and Abigail…. well… she likes to walk around the kitchen acting like she is working on a task when she really isn’t, and then eventually does the rolls right as the turkey is coming out of the oven. Luckily, we find it funny so this is all playful banter! If I could insert the laughing emoji I would!

Ahhh thanksgiving. I am smiling ear to ear as I think about it.

This year, I wanted to bring an alcoholic beverage that had ZERO added sugar, no juice, yet still had sweet flavors of the season. I love me some sugar, so this task was one I had to think through. But, I was beyond pleased when my first attempt at this drink worked! It took me all of 5 minutes to make.

 

I call this the CranApple Sparkle because it consists of Cranberries, Apples, Cinnamon, Diet 7 up and some mint… and who doesn’t love a drink with some sparkle

Step 1

Place 2 cups of fresh cranberries on the stove. Add 1 pealed and cut apple. Add 1 tbps of cinnamon, stir all together and cover pot with a lid. Let boil down and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.

Step 2

Remove from heat. In a shaker, add ice, 2 shots of vodka (I like mine strong) and 1/4 the cranberry Apple mix. Shake away. 

Step 3

Strain mixture into your glass. The Cranberry Apple Mixture will absorb the vodka, but do not worry. Once you have strained the mixture into your glass, pour 1 cup of 7up over the top of the remaining strained fruit mixture. This will pull out more flavor without having to dump all the fruit mixture into your glass. 

Step 4

Add some Ice to your glass and a mint garnish and you are ready to sip away!

Repeat steps 2-4 for remaining 3 glasses.

 

Recipe

(Makes 4 drinks) 

1 cup cranberries

1 Apple Pealed and Sliced

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Ice

Fresh Mint Garnish

4 cups Diet 7 Up