Artificial Flavors Free Hot Spiced Cranberry Drink
Warm, deeply spiced, and impossibly fragrant, this mulled cranberry drink is the kind of thing that makes your whole kitchen smell like the holidays. The base is 100% cranberry juice — no mystery sweeteners or flavor packets — simmered low and slow with cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, and fresh orange peel until everything melds into something genuinely special. Maple syrup does the sweetening here, and you can dial it up or back depending on how tart you like things, which means no guessing games with pre-flavored mixes. Bottled spiced drinks and holiday punches are notorious for hiding synthetic flavoring agents in their ingredient lists, so making this from scratch puts you completely in control. The gentle simmer — never a rolling boil — keeps the spice flavor clean and rounded rather than sharp or bitter. Strain it into mugs, tuck in a cinnamon stick, and you have something that looks as good as it tastes.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 4 cups cranberry juice (100% juice, no added sweeteners)
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 whole allspice berries
- 3 strips orange peel (about 3 inches each, pith removed)
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
For serving
- orange slices, for serving (optional)
- cinnamon sticks, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the cranberry juice, water, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel strips, and ground ginger in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- 2
Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture just begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edges, about 8–10 minutes. Do not bring to a full boil.
Want the full recipe?
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!