Classic margaritas get a festive twist in these easy and delicious Cranberry Margaritas. They’re a favorite holiday cocktail and will be the hit of your celebration!
Because a festively beautiful and delicious drink always makes the holidays merrier and brighter, right?! They’re the ultimate holiday cocktail for margarita lovers and incredibly simple to make. They’re perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years!
Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Margaritas
- Simple to make: This recipe is super easy to mix up using a few ingredients.
- Customizable: This recipe can be easily adapted to suit your personal taste.
- Festive deliciousness: These cranberry margaritas add a festive flair to any holiday gathering!
Ingredients Notes
- Tequila – I use silver tequila.
- Cranberry Juice – You’ll need 100% cranberry juice (not the cocktail blend). It is more tart but so flavorful and refreshing! If you find it is too tart, you can always add a little simple syrup.
- Triple sec – orange liqueur.
- Lime wedges – for lime juice, rimming the glasses and garnish.
- Salt mixture – I use a combination of kosher salt, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and nutmeg for rimming the glasses. You can most definitely use salt only for rimming, but I love the hint of fall spices in the mixture.
- Optional garnishes – Fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs aren’t required, but sure do make this cocktail merry and bright!
How to Make Cranberry Margaritas
- Pour tequila, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice into a small pitcher. Stir well to combine.
- Prepare the salt mixture by stirring together kosher salt, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. Pour onto a small plate.
- Rub a lime wedge around the edge of each glass. Dip in the salt mixture to coat. Serve the margaritas over ice and garnish, if desired.
Helpful Tips
- Quality ingredients: The better the quality of your tequila and orange liqueur, the better your margarita will taste.
- Fresh is best: Use freshly squeezed lime juice if possible for the best flavor.
- Roll your limes on the countertop before cutting and squeezing to get the most juice from them.
Common Questions
You can use any type of tequila you have on-hand, although the flavor may change.
You can mix the cranberry juice, tequila, and orange liqueur in advance and store it in the fridge. Add the lime juice and ice just before serving.
You can use a couple of drops of orange extract if you don’t have orange liqueur. Keep in mind that this will lower the alcohol content and may also change the flavor.
Recipe Variations
- Sweeten it up: If your cocktail is too tart, add a dash of simple syrup to sweeten.
- Make it spicy: Muddle a few slices of jalapeno in the bottom of the cocktail shaker before adding the ingredients to add a spicy kick to your margarita.
- Frozen cranberry margarita: Blend the ingredients with ice for a frozen margarita.
More Festive Holiday Drinks
Cranberry Margaritas
Ingredients
For the margaritas:
- 1 cup silver tequila
- 1 ½ cups 100% cranberry juice
- ½ cup triple sec orange liqueur
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- Lime wedges, fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs optional garnish
For rimming the glasses:
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour tequila, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice into a small pitcher. Stir well to combine.
- Prepare the salt mixture by stirring together salt, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl until combined. Pour onto a small plate or saucer.
- Rub lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Dip in the salt mixture on the plate to coat.
- Serve margaritas over ice and garnish with cranberries, lime wedges and/or fresh rosemary sprigs, if desired.
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include salt mixture for rimming glasses.
- This recipe yields approximately 24 ounces, which can be three (eight ounce) servings or two larger (12 ounce) servings.
Nutrition
If provided, nutritional info is a courtesy, is not guaranteed and should only be considered as a guideline.
This post was originally published October 2015. It has been updated with new text, new photos and recipe slightly revised December 2021.
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Valerie | From Valerie's Kitchen
My favorite! These look amazing, Amy. Pinned 🙂
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Thanks so much, Valerie! 🙂