This easy and delicious Cranberry Margarita, also known as a Christmas Margarita, is made with four simple ingredients resulting in a cocktail that has just the right amount of sweet, tangy and sour flavors.
This cocktail is beautifully festive in a glass with a salted or sugared rim, especially when paired with a lime wedge or a few fresh cranberries for garnish. Serve this delicious margarita at all of your holiday parties! Your guests are going to LOVE it!
Serve this Cranberry Margarita recipe with Pork Tenderloin and Keto Cauliflower Mash for a cozy winter dinner, or, alternatively, with an appetizer spread of Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Little Smokies Pigs in a Blanket or Spinach Balls for a fun happy hour.
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Ingredients
Here's what you need to make a Cranberry Margarita:
Here's what you need to make a Cranberry Margarita:
- Silver tequila
- Cointreau
- 100% Cranberry juice
- Fresh lime juice
- A lime wedge and salt or sugar for the rim, if you're into that
- Ice
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's how to make a Cranberry Margarita:
1. To salt or sugar the rim of your glass, rub the edge with a wedge of lime, then dip it in a plate of salt or sugar.
2. Add the tequila, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice to a glass then stir until everything is well mixed. Finally, add a few ice cubes and serve. (If you're feeling extra, garnish the cocktail with a few fresh cranberries.)
Hint: Alternatively, if you prefer, rather than stirring you can shake the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker with ice, then pour into a prepared serving glass.
Substitutions
Want to substitute an ingredient in this Cranberry Margarita? Here's how:
- Silver tequila - This cocktail is equally good with vodka, gin or whiskey in place of the tequila.
- Un-sweetened cranberry juice - Use an equal amount of orange juice, pineapple juice or grapefruit juice for a more citrusy or tropical margarita.
- Cointreau - Triple Sec is a good alternative to Cointreau, although it has a lower alcohol content, is less expensive, and will produce a slightly different flavor than Cointreau. Learn more about Cointreau.
Variations
Try one of these variations of a Cranberry Margarita:
- Spicy - add two slices of fresh jalapeno to add a touch of spice to your margarita.
- Light - replace 1 oz of the tequila with sparkling water for a lighter margarita with less alcohol and less calories.
- Sweet Cranberry Margarita - for a sweeter cocktail either use sweetened cranberry juice or add ½ ounce of simple syrup to the cocktail.
Or try this Skinny Spicy Margarita.
Equipment
A few tools that come in handy for this recipe are:
Storage
Store Cranberry Margaritas in the fridge for up to 3 days, just make sure to remove any ice so the margarita doesn't get watered down.
Tip
To make a pitcher of Cranberry Margarita that serves 4, simply quadruple the recipe and serve. Alternatively, you can store the pitcher in the fridge without ice for up to 3 days.
FAQ
A Cranberry Margarita consists of four simple ingredients - tequila, cranberry juice, Cointreau and lime juice.
Yes! The cranberry juice adds a nice tartness to complement the tequila and then the Cointreau adds a bit of sweetness to balance everything out for a refreshing cocktail that is both smooth and delicious.
A Cranberry Margarita! Or, if you're serving this around the holidays you're welcome to call it a Christmas Margarita.
Related
Looking for other easy drink recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve Cranberry Margaritas with one of these Mexican-inspired dishes:
Recipe
Cranberry Margarita
Equipment
- 1 jigger
Ingredients
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- 1 ounce cointreau
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- ½ ounce lime juice
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a glass,
- Stir, add ice and serve.
Shannon
So good!