Cranberry Ginger Shandy

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 04/23/21
Cranberry Ginger Shandy With Ginger Sugar Rim

The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 6 1/2 cups

The popular shandy takes on a dark, fruity twist in the cranberry-ginger shandy. It's a simple recipe that turns the summer drink into the perfect beverage for autumn and winter parties, and it's incredibly easy to make. The pitcher drink will create four 12-ounce servings, but you can always pour shorter drinks or mix a larger batch for more guests.

Spicy ginger beer and tart cranberry make this shandy unique. A little lemon juice adds a bright accent and a ginger-sugar rim makes every sip spicy and sweet. Finally, it's all topped off with beer for the full shandy treatment.

Hefeweizen or another wheat beer is ideal with this flavor combination, but you can also pour your favorite pale ale. The lightest beers, like lagers, may not hold up to the darker fruit (save those for citrus shandies).

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice

  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle) ginger beer

  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 2 to 3 lemons

  • 2 (12-ounce) bottles pale ale or wheat beer

  • Ginger sugar, for optional rim

  • Lemon wedges, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for a Cranberry Ginger Shandy
    S&C Design Studios

  2. In a large pitcher, combine the cranberry juice, ginger beer, and lemon juice. Stir well. Chill until you're ready to serve.

    Making a Cranberry Ginger Shandy Punch
    S&C Design Studios

  3. Add beer to the pitcher just before serving.

    Making Cranberry Ginger Shandy by the Pitcher
    S&C Design Studios

  4. Before serving, rim tall glasses with a ginger-sugar rim, wetting the rim with lemon juice and rolling it in a mix of ground ginger and sugar.

    Rimming a Glass With Ginger Sugar
    S&C Design Studios

  5. Pour the shandy into the prepared glasses over ice, if desired. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve and enjoy.

    Cranberry Ginger Shandy
    S&C Design Studios

Tips

  • To make ginger sugar, combine 1 part white granulated sugar with 1/2 part ground ginger. Mix it well until you get a uniform light brown color.
  • If your shandy is chilled, there's really no need to add ice. The other option is to add ice to the pitcher.
  • Don't mix it up too early or you will lose some of the effervescence from the beers. You can also hold the beer, then top each glass with freshly tapped beer.
  • You will need two whole lemons to get 3 1/2 ounces of fresh-squeezed juice.

Recipe Variations

  • Make as much or as little of this drink as you need. Simply keep the ingredients in proportion: 1/2 part each cranberry juice and ginger beer to 1 part beer. For a single drink, a squeeze of juice from a lemon wedge is perfect.
  • Give the shandy a kick by adding a shot (1 1/2 ounces) of whiskey or vodka to each glass.
  • Toss a couple of cinnamon sticks into the pitcher and let the flavor infuse into the drink for a few minutes to add a little extra spice. Cinnamon can also be added to the individual glasses.

How Strong Is a Cranberry Ginger Shandy?

This is one of the lightest mixed drinks you can make because you're essentially cutting the beer's strength in half. The lemon juice is a factor, too, so the alcohol content ends up as a very mild 2.3 percent ABV. There's very little worry about your guests becoming drunk off this one!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
219 Calories
1g Fat
46g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 219
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 23mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 46g 17%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 129mg 645%
Calcium 72mg 6%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 380mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)