Vegan Cranberry Gin Fizz Cocktail w/ Aquafaba

Time to get festive!

This Cranberry Gin Fizz with Aquafaba has all of the refreshing flavors while still embracing the essence of winter. Almost identical to a traditional gin fizz, this recipe has a few unique tweaks that almost everyone will enjoy.

Creamy and delicious fizz cocktails made with egg whites are famously known for being rich and replicating the smooth taste of a chiffon pie. You still get that flavor and feeling in this recipe, but instead, you have the pleasure of using all vegan ingredients.

Forget the egg whites and make this vegan gin fizz with aquafaba instead. Shaken with cranberry, gin, and bitters, this gorgeous red drink has a tart and sweet flavor while still presenting a signature foam on top. It’s the perfect accessory to your best holiday outfit.

What is a gin fizz?

A classic tart and refreshing gin fizz cocktail is made with almost all of the same ingredients as a Tom Collins. The biggest difference, however, is in the foamy head! A gin fizz gets its classic look thanks to the frothy addition of a single egg white.

When you’re in a pinch and don’t have time to make simple syrup, go ahead and make a silver gin fizz instead. The recipe is almost identical, except it's made with granulated or cane sugar.

What is aquafaba and why use it instead of egg whites?

If you’ve never heard of aquafaba, prepare to have your mind blown. This is the leftover liquid in a can of chickpeas or what’s left after cooking dried chickpeas. When you whip it with a hand or standing mixer, it turns into almost an exact replica of whipped egg whites (or meringue)!

I recently starting using aquafaba in my cocktail recipes because it’s much less wasteful if you don’t have a use for the leftover egg yolk. It’s also much safer than working with raw eggs. 

You can use aquafaba in lots of recipes, like homemade macarons or in my Ruby Fizz Cocktail.

What do you need to make this cocktail?

This holiday gin cocktail has simple ingredients that are easy to find. Here’s what you need to make a cranberry gin fizz with aquafaba:

Gin

Gin drinks for winter always have an elegant and refined vibe. With its notes of pine, flowers, warm spices, and roots, gin can add a lot of depth to cold-weather cocktails.

There isn’t a specific brand or flavor of gin you need to use for this cranberry cocktail. A lighter variety will go nicely with the lemon juice, but since every brand is unique, feel free to experiment until you come up with the best concoction.

Aquafaba

This is the liquid you’ll find in a can of chickpeas. The drink will foam up after a dry shake in a cocktail shaker, foam up, and leave the signature head on top of the cocktail (just like a classic fizz). 

Aquafaba on its own doesn’t exactly have the best flavor (thanks to the beans). The flavor thankfully goes away after it’s mixed with cranberry juice, gin, and simple syrup.

Cranberry juice

Who doesn’t love cranberry around the holidays? Whether they’re served on the side of the Thanksgiving turkey, baked into cookies, or included on a delish appetizer, you can’t go wrong with cranberry!

If you want the best flavor, splurge on the organic cranberry juice. This won’t have any added sugar or preservatives and gives the cocktail a gorgeous ruby red color. The alternative (also known as cranberry juice cocktail) will have the extra sugar and make the cocktail taste a little sweeter but is still perfectly fine to use in this recipe. If you end up using the juice cocktail, you may want to omit the simple syrup!

A cocktail shaker and glassware

You’ll need a cocktail shaker to properly infuse all of the flavors together and help the aquafaba foam up. My shaker of choice is the Boston shaker, but any kind will work.

To finish, serve the finished cranberry gin fizz in a highball or collins glass (or these fun fizz glasses which are the ones used in the recipe pics!) to show off that gorgeous foam.

How to make a cranberry gin fizz with aquafaba

Let’s get boozy and make this fizzy cocktail in just a few simple steps:

What is a dry shake and why is it needed?

Shaking cocktails using the dry shake method is common in recipes that contain egg whites. This method emulsifies the eggs (or aquafaba) and lemon together. As a result, the drink becomes extra smooth and frothy.

To dry shake a cocktail, you need to:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a shaker glass.
2. Shake it for about 10 to 30 seconds or until it looks smooth and frothy.
3. Add ice into the glass and shake it again for about 30 seconds.
4. Pour and serve!

Recipe