Cran-Merry Orange Refresher (Starbucks Copycat)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
Cran-Merry Refresher Base:
1 ⅓ cup cranberry juice cocktail
⅓ cup water
⅓ cup blood orange syrup
½ teaspoon citric acid
pinch cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
Cran-Merry Refresher:
½ cup Cran-Merry Refresher Base
½ cup water
ice
Freeze-dried cranberries (or fresh cranberries)
Directions:
Make the refresher base: Add all ingredients to a large mason jar and shake to combine.
Make the refresher: Stir together ½ cup Cran-Merry Refresher Base and ½ cup water, then pour over ice. Top with freeze-dried or chopped fresh cranberries, then drink up!
Notes:
This makes 2 cups of base, enough for 4 drinks. Store any leftover refresher base in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Substitutions:
Can’t find a key ingredient? Not to worry. Here are a few easy swaps to try:
Blood Orange Syrup - You’re welcome to use regular orange syrup instead.
Cranberry Juice Cocktail - While they’re not an exact match, tart cherry juice and pomegranate juice are close enough approximations. 100% cranberry juice is also a great substitute but will yield a less-sweet refresher.
Citric Acid - If you don’t have any on hand, try using 4x as much lemon juice (preferably fresh-squeezed for the brightest flavor). You can also use half as much cream of tartar (a.k.a. tartaric acid).
Fresh or Freeze-Dried Cranberries - Feel free to swap in pomegranate arils. You can also just omit them!
Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments:
When you play the part of Starbucks barista at home, you can make your order as long and complicated as you like—all with no upcharges or sullen stares! Here are a few ways to customize this refresher recipe:
Reduced-Sugar - Replace the granulated sugar with the cup-for-cup sugar-free sweetener of your choice. To cut back even further, consider using diet-style orange juice and white grape juice.
Lemony - Prefer it extra puckery? Swap out the water in favor of lemonade for an added boost of citrusy sunshine.
Sparkling - Make your cranberry orange refresher taste extra celebratory by using sparkling mineral water or orange or cranberry flavored seltzer to dilute the cranberry orange juice base.
Creamy - Take a page out of the pink drink playbook and use sweetened coconut milk instead of water when assembling your refresher. It’ll tone down the tartness a touch while adding a faint tropical undertone.
Caffeinated - If you order a refresher at Starbucks, it will be moderately caffeinated. I make mine without the caffeine because mama needs a detox every now and then, but don’t feel like you have to follow suit. Try adding green tea extract or green coffee extract tinctures for a little extra zip in your cup.
Holiday Spices- The Starbucks version of this refresher claims to have holiday spices, but it is virtually untasteable. Add a pinch of cinnamon and cloves to the refresher base for a holiday spiced version.
Recipe Success Tips:
Batch It - Got a thirsty fam? Make a larger batch by doubling, tripling, or quadrupling the recipe as needed. You can always freeze some for later if you like.
Visual Appeal - To make your cran-merry refresher look extra stunning, consider filling your ice cubes with cranberries and/or edible flowers, then garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a candied orange slice in addition to the cranberries. So cheerful!
Super Fresh - Surprisingly, winter is citrus season. If you can get your hands on fresh blood oranges and squeeze them yourself to make bloos orange syrup, you should! The flavor is divine.
FAQs:
Does the Starbucks Cran-Merry Orange Refresher have caffeine or gluten? Is it vegan?
If you order any refresher at Starbucks, it will have some caffeine—they add green coffee bean extract to their mixes. My homemade version does not, but you’re welcome to add it if you like.
While they’re also technically gluten-free, anything you order in-store runs the risk of cross-contamination since refreshers are made using shared equipment. If you are a celiac, the only way to ensure your Starbucks drink is safe is to buy it in a can or make it yourself. The drink is, however, vegan-friendly.
What was the Valencia orange refresher from Starbucks? Is this the same?
The Valencia orange Starbucks refresher is a now discontinued drink that was made with Valencia orange juice and sweetened lemon iced tea. The new Cran-Merry Orange refresher is quite different, using blood orange juice and cranberry juice as the primary flavors.
Do orange juice and cranberry juice taste good together?
Heck yeah, they do! Orange and cranberry is a classic pairing for a reason.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving: 1drink | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Sodium: 4mg | Sugar: 24g
Recipe courtesy of Coffy Copycat.com
Homemade Blood Orange Syrup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients:
1 cup blood orange juice (about 5-6 oranges)
1 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
Juice your oranges until you have 1 cup of blood orange juice.
Stir together the blood orange juice and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir until all sugar is dissolved and everything is combined, then remove from heat.
Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer to remove pulp, then transfer to a syrup bottle or mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes:
Optional Variations & Dietary Adjustments:
Reduced-Sugar - Oranges of all stripes all contain natural sugars, so you can’t make this completely sugar-free. However, you’re welcome to swap in the sugar-free alternative of your choice (e.g. monkfruit) to make it less caloric and lower-carb.
Other Citrus - This recipe will work with any variety of orange, including Cara Caras, mandarins and clementines. Have fun experimenting throughout the season!
Recipe Success Tips:
Juicy Fruit - To get the most juice from your oranges, roll them firmly on the counter in all directions for about 20 seconds before slicing them open. This helps to release the juice from the flesh, making it easier to get every last drop.
Freezer Friendly - Freezing citrus whole feels so wrong, but it works beautifully if you’re just using them for the juice and zest! In fact, a spell in the freezer makes the cell structures rupture, making them even easier to juice.
Shortcut - Feel free to use pre-squeezed juice to cut your prep time down to zero.
FAQ’s:
How should I store blood orange syrup? How long does it last? Can you freeze it?
Since this blood orange simple syrup is made with no preservatives other than sugar, it should be kept in the refrigerator and used within 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. For longer fridge storage, double the amount of sugar you use to make a rich simple syrup, which will last for up to 6 months in the fridge or a year in the freezer.
Does Starbucks have orange syrup?
Unfortunately, not anymore—at least not at the time of publication. But not to worry—now that you know how to make it at home, you can have it whenever you want!
Can you use orange syrup for cake?
Yes! I love soaking my naked cake layers with simple syrup before frosting to help them stay super moist. This blood orange syrup works beautifully for vanilla, chocolate, or orange-flavored cakes. You can also use the syrup to sweeten some frostings!
Nutritional Facts:
Serving: 2tablespoon | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Sugar: 23g
Recipe courtesy of Coffee Copycat.com