Filled with holiday cheer, this Cranberry Margarita is the perfect Christmas and New Years drink! Made with only 4 simple ingredients, it’s easy to make and comes together in only 5 minutes.
One of my favorite things about winter is the abundance of cranberries, so today I’m bringing you a festive Cranberry Margarita cocktail to get the party started!
Filled with holiday cheer, this cranberry cocktail is the perfect Christmas and New Years drink. Made with only 4 simple ingredients, it’s super easy to make and comes together in only 5 minutes.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cranberry juice
- Blanco tequila
- Triple sec
- Lime juice
Which tequila should I use?
For this recipe, choose a high-quality blanco or silver tequila for the best cranberry margarita. The bottle should say 100% agave, but that doesn’t mean it has to break the bank. Here are a few tequilas I recommend.
- Espolòn Blanco
- Olmeca Altos
- Casa Noble Crystal
- Don Julio Blanco
Don’t forget the garnish!
To make this cranberry margarita look beautiful and festive, I rimmed the glass with sea salt and garnished it with fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary.
It makes the whole thing feel like a fun winter wonderland and I can’t help but have a huge smile on my face when I’m holding one!
For this recipe, I used a cocktail shaker. I have one that I purchased at my local Target, but I’ve actually been meaning to replace it. It drips down the side when I’m shaking and pouring my drink and it can just get a little messy. I’ve been eyeing this one from OXO Good Grips in particular. It’s inexpensive, has a nonslip grip which is KEY and looks well-constructed.
But if you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can still make this. Just use a large glass and mix the ingredients with a spoon. It’s not as fancy, but it does the job.
More cocktail recipes you’ll love
- Classic Margarita Recipe
- Frozen Margarita Recipe
- Easy Sangria Recipe
- Spicy Habanero Pineapple Margarita
- Spicy Tequila Sunrise
INGREDIENTS
- coarse sea salt, for rimming glass
- ice
- 4.5 ounces cranberry juice (3 shots from standard size shot glass), or more to taste
- 1.5 ounces blanco tequila (1 shot from standard size shot glass)
- 1 ounce triple sec (2/3 shot from standard size shot glass)
- 1/2 lime
- fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs, for garnish *optional*
INSTRUCTIONS
- Run a lime wedge around the rim of a glass and dip in salt. Fill the glass with ice.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add cranberry juice, tequila, triple sec and the juice of half a lime. Shake to combine.
- Strain the cocktail over the prepared glass and garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs.
ISABEL'S TIPS
Nutritional information gathered using light cranberry juice.
Lynn Meadows says
Oooh this looks fantastic! It’s perfect for my next holiday party =) It looks pretty easy to mix. But I love your presentation. Makes everything look so festive.
Isabel says
Thanks, Lynn! Cheers!
Healthy Kitchen 101 says
Such a diverse recipe collection for cranberry this year. I have made from the cranberry sauce, salad with cranberry, pork with cranberry and now I should make another discover of cranberry margarita, shouldn’t I? xD
– Natalie
Carly Johnson says
Does it have to be silver tequila? Or would Souza Gold work?
Isabel says
Hi Carly, you can definitely use gold tequila if you’d like. It all works!
regina says
can you make this in a large pitcher?
Isabel says
Absolutely! I’d put everything in a pitcher except the ice so it doesn’t get watered down.
Saurabh says
What would be the proportions though? How would you convert a cup recipe for a pitcher?
Isabel says
Here are some estimates to make a pitcher of 5 drinks:
2 3/4 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cup + 3 tbsp tequila
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp triple sec
1/4 cup lime juice
Hope that’s helpful!
Annette says
Can you use rum or something else other than Tequila? This looks soooo good!!
Cait Weingartner says
Oh wow! How absolutely delicious these Cranberry Margaritas look. These are going to be a “must serve” on Christmas Eve this year. Thanks for sharing!
Isabel says
Thanks, Cait! They’d be great for New Year’s too!
Nina Frambuesa says
I LOVE cranberry juice, this is an awesome idea!!
Ellie | Hungry by Nature says
Love this holiday spin on the marg!!
Isabel says
Thanks, Ellie! I love that it makes the holidays a bit more festive 🙂