Spiced Cranberry Margarita

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Jump to Recipe
a glass of cranberry margarita with sugared rosemary.

This Spiced Cranberry Margarita is easy to make, holiday-inspired, and delicious. It has a beautifully bright and vibrant red color, making it the perfect Christmas and New Year’s drink. This margarita is subtly spiced and refreshing and has the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and we think you all will love this festive cocktail this holiday season!

🥃  Ingredients

This cranberry margarita recipe calls for simple ingredients. It’s a festive spin on our classic margarita, except we used a spiced cranberry simple syrup and an orange liqueur, like Cointreau. To serve, we rimmed the glass with cinnamon sugar and garnished it with sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs.

  • Tequila. The best tequila for this delicious drink is Añejo or Reposado Tequila. We prefer Añejo Tequila as it has a robust flavor with vanilla notes, which pair very nicely with the sweet and tart cranberries.
  • Cointreau. Don’t skip it; it adds nice orange notes that pair nicely with the cranberry flavor. You can also use triple sec too.
  • Fresh lime juice. Be sure to use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled ones when making homemade margaritas.
  • Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup. We use fresh whole cranberries, orange juice, and spices (ginger and cinnamon) to make a simple, flavorful cranberry syrup. It’s easy to make, and you can use the simple syrup for more holiday cocktails. Alternatively, you could also use cranberry juice, but if you do, we recommend adding simple syrup to help balance the tartness of the cranberries.

📃  Instructions

This margarita is easy to make, and the simple syrup can also be made days in advance. Here’s how to make it.

  • Make the Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup. This syrup is simple to make and requires minimal ingredients, which you probably have in your pantry. Just be sure to have frozen or fresh cranberries.
  • Add ingredients and ice to a shaker. Add tequila, orange-flavored liqueur, fresh lime juice, cranberry-flavored simple syrup, and ice to a cocktail shaker.
  • Rim the glass. On a plate, toss cinnamon and sugar with a pinch of margarita salt or coarse salt. Rub the rim and the side of the glass with an orange or lime wedge. Tilt the glass into the mixture so that it sticks to the glass.
  • Shake and Strain. Shake vigorously and strain the drink into the prepared glass filled with ice.
pouring mixed drink into a glass.

How to garnish a holiday margarita?

To make this holiday drink stand out at that next Christmas party you are hosting, here are some of our go-to tips:

  • Rim the glass. Since this recipe has sweet and tart notes, we love to rim the glass with cinnamon sugar with a pinch of salt. Another great option is adding a bit of orange zest to the edge.
  • Garnish the drink. Instead of using a wedge of lime, add sugared cranberries, fresh berries, or a sprig of rosemary. This adds a nice festive touch.
  • Add a Cinnamon Stick. To add a slight smokiness flavor, carefully light one end of a cinnamon stick and blow it out before adding it to the drink.
glasses of cranberry margaritas.

FAQs

Can I use cranberry juice?


Yes! You can substitute the simple cranberry syrup for cranberry juice. However, cranberry juice is pretty tart, so you will want to balance out the tartness with regular simple syrup. We recommend 1 1/2 oz of cranberry juice and 1/2 oz of simple syrup or agave nectar.

This Cranberry Margarita is subtly spiced and refreshing and has the perfect balance of sweet and tart. It’s the perfect festive drink for the holidays, and we hope you all love it. Enjoy! ♡

Spiced Cranberry Margarita

4.91 from 11 votes
This Cranberry Margarita is subtly spiced and refreshing and has the perfect balance of sweet and tart; making it the perfect festive drink for the holidays.
a glass of cranberry margarita with sugared rosemary.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yields 1 drink
Ingredients
Cinnamon-Sugar Salted Rim
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
To Garnish
Instructions
  • Make the Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup.
  • Add ingredients and ice to a shaker. Add tequila, orange-flavored liqueur, fresh lime juice, cranberry-flavored simple syrup, and ice to a cocktail shaker.
    2 oz Añejo or Reposado Tequila, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 1/2 oz Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup, 1/2 oz Lime Juice
  • Rim the glass. On a plate, toss cinnamon and sugar with a pinch of salt. Rub the rim and the side of the glass with an orange or lime wedge. Tilt the glass into the mixture so that it sticks to the glass.
    2 tbsp granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp sea salt
  • Shake and Strain. Shake vigorously and strain the drink into the prepared glass filled with ice.
  • Garnish and Serve. Add sugared cranberries or Rosemary sprigs. Make it festive and enjoy.
    sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs, lime wedge, cinnamon stick
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition Facts
Serving1gCalories434.64kcalCarbohydrates67.33gProtein0.19gFat0.2gSaturated Fat0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat0.04gMonounsaturated Fat0.01gSodium2353.89mgPotassium74.86mgFiber0.64gSugar64.71gVitamin A17.12IUVitamin C8.54mgCalcium21.48mgIron1.71mg
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