1 of 12 Days of Amorada: Merry Cranberry Margarita

for the vanilla ginger syrup
Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan. Scrap the beans out of the vanilla bean and add them and the whole pod into the saucepan along with the ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then set it aside to cool to room temperature. If you’re making this ahead of time, store it in the fridge with the vanilla bean pod and ginger still in the syrup. If you’re using it as soon as it cools, remove the ginger and the pod. This will make about 1 cup of syrup – keep it stored in the fridge for a week or so.

for the cranberry juice
Add the whole cranberries and the water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for 5 or 6 minutes until the berries pop. Pour the berries and liquid into a blender. Blend until the cranberries break down and you have a deep red mixture. Pour it through a strainer, pressing down with a spoon to release all the juice.

margaritas
To make the margaritas, rim the ridge of your glass with a lime wedge and dip in margarita salt. Fill the glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, Grand Marnier, simple syrup and lime juice with ice, and shake for about 30 seconds. Pour over ice and squeeze in lime slices.

sugared cranberries
Add 1 cup of the sugar and the water to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and bring the mixture to a boil, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Set it aside until it is cool enough to touch. Once the syrup is cool, either dunk the cranberries in it or pour the liquid over top of them in a bowl. Place the remaining sugar on a plate. I find the cranberries stay the prettiest if you try to remove any syrup “globs” and roll them in sugar one at a time.