Mulled Cranberry-Orange Non-Alcoholic Fizz

A Bite Inspired By… Thanksgiving:

There’s so much pressure to serve amazing food on Thanksgiving that drinks are often overlooked.  Don’t you deserve something extra special to wash all that delicious turkey and mashed potatoes down with?  Look no further!  I’ve created the perfect Thanksgiving themed sparkling beverage with the amazing flavors of clove, orange, ginger, cinnamon, and, of course, cranberry.  Easy to whip up and guaranteed to impress!

With less than a week until Turkey Day, I’m sure you’re being overwhelmed with millions of fantastic recipes for turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, stuffing, etc. etc. etc.  Trying to decide between the 60 turkey recipes you found on Pinterest that all look similar, yet “oh so different” at the same time can definitely be a chore.  So rather than adding another Thanksgiving food recipe to your already extensive repertoire, I’d like to offer you a drink to complement all those delicious dishes instead.

A delightful, sparkling, aromatic drink to be exact.  Enter the Mulled Cranberry-Orange Fizz inspired by Thanksgiving!  It’s a non-alcoholic beverage (so the kids can drink it too!) with a kick.  Have you ever had hot mulled wine or apple cider before?  This spritzer has the same warm flavors from the mulling spices, but in a cold fizzy drink.

The trick is that I mull the cranberry juice with cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, and orange zest first.  Then, I put it in the fridge so it can get nice and cold and, afterwards, I add freshly squeezed orange juice and club soda.  Voila!  Mulled soda!  The spices warm you up, while the cold fizziness refreshes your palate and prepares you for that second helping of mashed potatoes.  Whether you’re serving a traditional turkey with giblet gravy, a vegan roast, or something completely out of the box at your Thanksgiving, this drink will be the crowd pleaser you’re searching for to round out your perfect feast!

My family has a lot of unique, borderline quirky Thanksgiving traditions (what family doesn’t?)  One of our funniest ones involves cranberry sauce.  My mom and I both LOVE cranberry sauce, but for some reason, we can’t agree on what kind is the best (yes, believe it or not there are many, many, MANY different types of cranberry sauce and they’re all completely different– it’s totally true). I like mine with simple, clean flavors: walnuts for a little texture and orange zest for a kick.  That’s it.  My mom’s version is a little more complex.  She likes hers “spiced” with all these flavors like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, star anise, etc. etc. etc… the list goes on.  We used to argue about what kind to have at Thanksgiving until we realized this shocking truth: you can NEVER have too much cranberry sauce.  So now, we have two different types of cranberry sauce on the table every Thanksgiving.  And they lived happily ever after.

My Mulled Cranberry-Orange Fizz embodies both my love of orange zest and my mom’s love of spices (without having TOO many spices, of course).  There you have it folks!  Family harmony in sparkling beverage form.

It’s not just for Thanksgiving either.  Every “Bite Inspired by…” a holiday is meant to bring you back to that special day any day of the year.  So enjoy this gorgeous, delicious drink anytime to bring yourself back to those warm and fuzzy feelings of togetherness, love, and way too much food.  Happy Thanksgiving all!