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This festive Christmas margarita features tart cranberry juice and a salt rim for the perfect holiday drink. Ready in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients!
It’s not often that tequila features in Christmas cocktails, but here’s the best way to use it in your holiday lineup: try the Christmas Margarita! I love that this festive drink keeps all the character of my classic margarita but adds cranberry juice for a vibrant color and sweet tart nuance.
With a garnish of fresh cranberries and rosemary, it’s holiday perfection. I created this drink especially for a holiday party last year, and everyone could not stop talking about it!
Ingredients in a Christmas Margarita
This classic cocktail is one of the most iconic in the world: it was invented in the 1930’s and is even more popular today. My classic margarita uses just three ingredients lime juice, Cointreau, and tequila.
The Christmas margarita is a spin on the classic, but I’ve added cranberry juice and simple syrup to balance the tartness. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tequila: I like a quality blanco or reposado tequila for this cocktail. Blanco has a clean, crisp flavor, and reposado adds subtle oak and vanilla notes. (For more, see my post on the best tequila for margaritas.)
- 100% Cranberry Juice: This ingredient makes or breaks the drink! You’ll want pure, unsweetened cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail. The 100% juice has a brighter color and allows you to control the sweetness level. (If you end up with sweetened juice by accident, simply cut the simple syrup in half.)
- Cointreau: Cointreau adds depth and a subtle citrus sweetness that bridges the cranberry and lime flavors beautifully. Triple sec works in a pinch.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Always use fresh-squeezed lime juice in margaritas (never bottled).
- Simple Syrup: I use just a touch of simple syrup to balance the cranberry. You can use traditional simple syrup or maple syrup for a subtle depth of flavor.
How to Create the Perfect Salt Rim
A salt rim is essential for any margarita: the salt crystals on the rim enhance the sweet and sour flavors in each sip.
Use kosher salt or flaky sea salt: never table salt, which tastes harsh and dissolves too quickly.
Here’s what I do: I spread the salt on a small plate in an even layer. Then I cut a small notch into a lime wedge and run it around just the outside edge of my glass rim to moisten it. Then, I tilt the glass at an angle into the salt, rotating to coat only the outer rim.
Tips for Making Christmas Margaritas
Here are a few tips for making this drink (or if you’re ready to start, jump to the recipe below):
- Use Fresh Garnishes: A sprig of fresh rosemary and a few fresh cranberries make the drink, and the rosemary adds a festive aroma. I like to thread 2-3 cranberries on a cocktail pick with a lime wedge.
- Upgrade Your Ice: For the best presentation, I use clear ice. Clear ice cubes look crystal-like in the glass and melt more slowly than cloudy ice, keeping your margarita perfectly chilled without diluting it too fast.
- Make It a Pitcher: This recipe scales beautifully for parties. For 8 servings, combine 1½ cups tequila, 1½ cups cranberry juice, 1 cup Cointreau, ½ cup fresh lime juice, and ½ cup simple syrup in a pitcher. Add 3 handfuls ice and stir until cold, then pour into individual salt-rimmed glasses.
What to Serve Alongside
This Christmas margarita is ideal for holiday gatherings: especially a holiday cocktail party! Make it along with a Christmas Martini or Christmas Mule and some nibbles and appetizers! You can make up a holiday platter with some of the Christmas appetizer ideas below:
- Pinwheel appetizers for easy finger food
- Baked brie with honey and pistachios
- Easy goat cheese appetizer with citrus jam
- Marinated olives
- Veggie tray with creamy dips
- Fruit dip, peanut butter dip, or chocolate hummus with strawberries and green apples
- Cookie tray with hot chocolate cookies, gingerbread cookies, and healthy buckeyes
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Pre-Mixed Pitcher: Combine the tequila, cranberry juice, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup up to 4 hours ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, stir with 3 handfuls ice and pour into prepared glasses.
Salt-Rimmed Glasses: Prep your rimmed glasses up to 2 hours before the party. Set them aside at room temperature so the salt adheres properly.
Leftover margarita mix (without ice) keeps refrigerated for 24 hours, though the lime juice will lose some brightness over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but you’ll need to adjust the sweetener. Use only ½ tablespoon of simple syrup (or even less) and taste before adding more. Sweetened cranberry juice cocktail already contains added sugar.
I like a quality blanco tequila like Espolòn or Cazadores for its clean, crisp flavor. Reposado tequila works too if you prefer the subtle oakiness it brings.
Cointreau is traditional and provides the best flavor, but you can substitute triple sec in equal amounts. You could also try Grand Marnier for a deeper, more complex orange flavor.
Start by using only half the cranberry juice and replacing the other half with orange juice or pomegranate juice. You can also increase the simple syrup to ¾ ounce (1½ tablespoons) to balance the tartness.
Yes, go to my Virgin Margarita, substitute half the tonic water with cranberry juice and increase the simple syrup to 1 teaspoon.
The Christmas Margarita
The Christmas margarita is the best holiday drink! This brilliant cranberry spin is irresistible and perfect for festivities.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces tequila blanco or reposado**
- 1 ½ ounces 100% cranberry juice (not sweetened)*
- 1 ounce Cointreau
- ½ ounce fresh lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup or maple syrup,* or more to taste
- Kosher salt or flaky sea salt, for the rim (optional)
- Ice, for serving (try clear ice)
- For the garnish: cranberries, rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Cut a notch in a lime wedge, then run the lime around the rim of a glass. Dip the edge of the rim into a plate of salt (or for a festive look, use Margarita Salt).
- Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake until cold. Strain the margarita into the glass with the salted rim. Fill the glass with ice, garnish with cranberries and a rosemary sprig, and serve.
Notes
*If all you can find is sweetened cranberry juice, use half the simple syrup quantity (or add to taste).
**Pitcher Variation (8 servings): Mix together in a pitcher: 1 ½ cups tequila, 1 ½ cups 100% unsweetened cranberry juice, 1 cup Cointreau, ½ cup lime juice, and ½ cup simple syrup. Add three handfuls of ice and stir until cold. Pour into individual glasses.
A really well-balanced, easy to drink, margarita!
Let us know if you have any questions!