Jul Tidings

Cranberries almost always have a spot on the table during the holidays, but we just might like lingonberries even more. Sweet-tart lingonberries are similar to cranberries in flavor, but with a bit of a floral, raspberry note to them. Lingonberries are often featured in Swedish (and other Scandanavian) holiday meals, so we decided to combine lingonberry syrup with Swedish Punsch to make a holiday-worthy daiquiri.

The syrupy concentrate that we used came from Ikea, home of all things Swedish. It is a sweetened, concentrated lingonberry juice that is intended to be reconstituted with water to make a fruity, non-alcoholic drink. The concentrated form delivers a lot of flavor and is an ideal cocktail ingredient because of that intensity. We simply added the syrup and the spiced Punsch into a recipe where we might ordinarily use simple syrup – and with very festive results. The daiquiri is a brilliant red color and has plenty of citrus, spice and fruitiness to it. It’s easy, festive and very tasty.

If you don’t have an Ikea nearby, or didn’t stock up the last time you were visiting one, you can use a cranberry syrup instead. Our usual ratio is 1:1 juice and sugar (a simple syrup made with pure cranberry juice instead of water), which will get you good results that are just as festive, if a little less Scandanavian-themed, as the lingonberry.

Jul Tidings
1 1/2 oz white rum (we used Cana Brava)
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz lingongberry concentrate

Combine all ingredients in a shaker or mixing glass, fill with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a lime wedge and a lingonberry (or a cranberry).