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Wow your guests with the best Thanksgiving cranberry sauce recipe they will ever try. This Bourbon Cranberry Sauce is sweet and slightly tart with a whiskey kick that will have your guests coming back for seconds, thirds and fourths! You won’t have leftovers with this one.

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for family. A time for gratitude. A time for adding booze to as many food items as possible. The holidays always go down a little easier with a little booze, and this Bourbon Cranberry Sauce will go down just as easy. While your at it, serve up a Cardamom Cranberry Old Fashioned ahead of dinner to grease the wheels and put everyone in a festive Thanksgiving mood.

Now…There are a couple of key ingredients (besides the booze) that really make this recipe stand out: Luxardo Cherries and Tangerine Juice. These two ingredients add a decadent sweetness and floral aroma to the sauce to really set it apart. I don’t recommend substituting these ingredients.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

DELICIOUS. This sauce is SO delicious, it will be your go-to recipe every year and you friends will demand the recipe. Don’t be greedy, share it!
FRESH. The bright flavors of freshly squeezed tangerine juice and whole cranberries make this dish winner. (We love the jellied canned stuff too, but this one really stands out.)
DIFFERENT. This has a flavor profile that most guests won’t expect, and they will love you for it.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Ingredient Notes:

Cranberries. Use fresh whole Cranberries.
Tangerine Juice. This really needs to be freshly squeezed for the best flavor.
Maraschino Cherries. Not the bright red ones, but high-quality candied cocktail cherries. The absolute best ones are Luxardo Maraschino Cherries. I’ve tried them all, and these win by a long shot.
Bourbon or Whiskey. Use a high-quality Bourbon. I used Wild Turkey 101 for this recipe.

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list in the recipe card below.

Tools You’ll Need

MEDIUM SAUCEPAN. If you need a good set of cookware I highly recommend Cooks Standard. This rivals All-Clad in quality yet is a fraction of the price. I’ve had my set for over 10 years and have not been disappointed yet.
ZESTER. This high-quality USA made stainless steel zester is my favorite.

How to make Bourbon Cranberry Sauce:

Zest your Tangerine first, then cut and squeeze the juice out (strain out any seeds).
Over medium heat dissolve the sugars in the juice and zest.
Add the cranberries and cherries and cook until the cranberries start to pop.
Turn the heat to low and add the Bourbon and the cherry syrup. Cook for another minute.
Remove from heat and let cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Enjoy!

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Note: While some of the alcohol does cook off, not all of it will. This should not be served to anyone under age.

Substitutions & Variations

BOURBON. If you aren’t a fan of Bourbon, you can also make this with Brandy. It’s a little more subtle, but still tasty.
CRANBERRIES. Frozen cranberries will work if you don’t have fresh, they will just need a little more time cooking until they “pop”.

Common Questions:

Can this be made ahead of time?

Oh yes. You can easily make this 1 or 2 days in advance if needed. Once it is made, simply store it in an air-tight container in the fridge. Thanksgiving morning remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Fluff with a fork and add to your serving dish.

How long will Bourbon Cranberry Sauce keep?

If stored in a proper airtight container you can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Can I use frozen cranberries?

Yes, frozen will work too. You can add them to the saucepan right out of the freezer…they will just take a little longer to cook.

Can this be made non-alcoholic?

Yes, this is still a flavorful and delicious cranberry sauce without the booze. Just omit the Bourbon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Jessica

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