Spiced Rum Cranberry Sauce ~ this quick and easy spiked cranberry sauce recipe is an adult skewing twist on a Thanksgiving classic…
Everyone has their own eating style when it comes to holiday dinners. We hone this style from the earliest days, even before we graduate to the ‘adult table’. We all know someone who makes neat little piles that can’t touch each other, or folks who polish off their potatoes before moving on to their beans, etc. My holiday eating style definitely revolves around the cranberry sauce. I’ve never been able to resist the glistening ruby berries (or wobbly can-shaped gel as the case may be) and I like to include a little of that precious sauce with every bite. I’ve always been fast to grab for it because it’s always served in a such a distressingly small bowl. My plea to holiday menu planners everywhere ~ include more than one bowl of cranberry sauce on your tables!! One is definitely not enough 🙂
ingredients for spiced rum cranberry sauce
- fresh cranberries
- this recipe is formulated for a 12 ounce bag but I beg of you to double or triple it! And yes, you can use frozen cranberries, no problem.
- spiced rum
- any brand, don’t splurge. If you don’t normally drink it, buy a couple of mini airline sized bottles.
- brown sugar
- water or orange juice
- spices
- we going with classic fall spices, just a pinch of each: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice.
what is spiced rum?
Spiced rum is golden rum that has been infused with aromatics, including spices and sometimes fruits. Captain Morgan isn’t revealing his secret formula, but we can bet it includes aromatics like anise, cloves, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, peppercorns, and nutmeg. Orange peel and vanilla is sometimes used. The flavor profile makes it perfect for the holidays.
what to expect from this spiked cranberry sauce
What distinguishes it from others I’ve seen is that mine is not shy. Mine has enough rum and enough spice that you can actually taste it. And remember, cranberry sauce is a condiment, we’re not eating huge bowls of it at a time, so it should have a robust flavor. I added a few pinches of spice to echo the spices in the rum, and the molasses in the brown sugar adds a delicious depth.
does the alcohol cook off?
Much of the alcohol cooks off, but it’s a myth that all alcohol cooks away. In most foods a substantial amount of alcohol is still present, even after long cooking, so this is for adults only. If you’re feeding a mixed crew, I recommend making a plain cranberry sauce to go along with this one (and label them!)
more holiday cranberries
- Cranberry Orange Cake
- Chocolate Cake with Cranberry Buttercream
- Cranberry Apple Crisp
- Easy Crock Pot Cranberry Butter
- Cranberry Gingersnap Pie
Spiced Rum Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 1/2 cup spiced rum
- 1/2 cup water or orange juice
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch cinnamon
- pinch allspice
- pinch ground ginger
- pinch ground cloves
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Turn down the heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Let the cranberry sauce cool completely before refrigerating. It will thicken as it chills. You can make this up to 3 days in advance.
Can rum extract be used instead of actual alcohol?
Happy Thanksgiving! Stop by for a beach inspired pillow giveaway!
I was JUST making cranberry sauce before I saw this post. I used pineapple and mango and ginger in it – but no rum. Silly me! Yours looks fab!
Love the rum in your cranberry sauce. Very islandy. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sam
Very very nice! I love this. I was thinking about a rum or bourbon version as well, but I am glad I tried your Hot Pepper one this year! My husband and son have talked about it several times and can’t wait to actually eat more than a taste of it.
Oh but you can pull it together easily, you’re not like us mere immortals.
Ok I’m going to make that cran sauce for Christmas Day.