This 4-ingredient cranberry margarita recipe is fun and festive take on the classic margarita cocktail. Cranberry juice, tequila, triple sec, and lime juice come together for a delicious quick and easy cocktail perfect for the holiday season.
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When the holiday season comes around, I am always looking for quick and easy cocktails I can serve to holiday guests.
Thankfully, this quick and easy cranberry lime margarita is always crowd pleaser!
With just four ingredients, you are just a few pours and a shake away from the ultimate cranberry holiday margarita perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
If you love the flavors in this cranberry margarita recipe, you might also enjoy this cranberry mimosa or a tasty cranberry mojito. Serve any of these cranberry drinks with cranberry brie bites when your guests arrive for the holidays!
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Ingredients
When it comes to cocktail recipes with very few ingredients, quality is always key! For this simple cranberry margarita recipe, you will need:
- Cranberry Juice: 100% juice is best. Stay away from anything with "cocktail" on the label. Using a blended juice will add a bit too much sweetness and potentially some overly complex background flavors.
- Blanco Tequila: 100% agave blanco tequila is best for margaritas. It has a clean, clear color and a clean, predictable flavor perfect for a classic margarita.
- Triple Sec: The vibrant, fresh orange flavor pairs excellently with our base cranberry flavor.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Fresh squeezed is best!
- Optional Garnishes: Extra fresh limes, margarita salt, fresh cranberries, and rosemary will take presentation to the next level!
- Ice: Use clear, purified ice if possible. Cubes are best as they won't water down the cocktail from melting too fast.
See the recipe card further down the page for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
Substitutions
This cranberry lime margarita recipe is so delicious as written, but in a pinch you can make the following substitutions.
- Triple Sec: Triple Sec is an affordable mixer with a vibrant orange flavor that is perfect when paired with cranberries. Suitable substitutes include Cointreau, which has a softer, deeper flavor, or even Grand Marnier or Orange Curaçao. Note that the flavor and alcohol content will vary with these substitutions.
- Blanco Tequila: I prefer to make my margaritas with blanco tequila that is sourced from 100% agave. However, if you are a fan of dark, more complex tequila you can replace the tequila with your preferred type or brand. I love this article breaking down some of the best tequila for margaritas.
- Lime Juice: if you don't have fresh lime juice on hand, you can use prepared lime juice instead. This recipe can also be made with orange juice in place of the lime juice, but that is one step further away from a classic margarita! (Still delicious, though!)
Equipment
Getting the ingredients together is the hardest part of the recipe! Now that you have everything you need, you will want to gather your equipment.
To make the perfect cranberry lime margarita, you will need:
- Cocktail Glasses: You want to choose a glass that's in the range of 12-14 ounces.
- Cocktail Shaker: I love the etched glass in this fancy cocktail shaker but you can use a more simple option if that's all you have.
- Jigger: This handy tool is perfect for measuring out your liquor.
Some optional equipment is: margarita salt and cocktail picks to skewer your garnishes and help hold them in place.
How to Make Cranberry Margaritas
Now that you have everything gathered, you are just a few pours and shakes away from the best homemade cranberry margarita recipe ever!
- Start by filling your shaker with ice.
TOP TIP: When it comes to buying ice, the best ice for any cocktail is clear, purified ice. You can find this at pretty much any grocery store and even gas stations. When choosing ice for cocktails, always use cubed. Nugget and crushed ice are fun, but can melt quickly in cocktails. So stick to cubed for this recipe!
- Use a jigger or shot glass to measure out the tequila, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice pouring each one over the ice filled cocktail shaker.
The order you add it doesn't matter, it is going to be shaken anyway!
- Place the lid on your shaker glass and give a few quick shakes.
TOP TIP: Classic margaritas are shaken, not stirred! But if you don't have a cocktail shaker then a quick stir will be just fine.
- Pour your margarita into a glass with fresh ice. You can salt or sugar the rim glass if you want!
How to Serve a Margarita
Now that the cocktail is prepared and ready, it's time to prep your glass! Here's some tips about for serving cranberry lime margaritas.
- You can serve this cranberry margarita with lime over ice in a plain cocktail glass, or salt the rim for a classic margarita feeling.
- To salt the rim, simply use a wedge of lime to wet the rim of the glass with juice and the dip the rim in margarita salt.
- Fill the glass with ice and pour the prepared cocktail into the glass.
- Leave the strainer on the lid for margaritas so it captures some of the pulp from the lime juice.
- Garnish with fresh cranberries, extra lime and a sprig of rosemary if desired and serve!
Make it in Advance
When properly stored, a homemade cranberry margarita can last up to 3 days.
To store them, prepare them without ice and place in an airtight container in the fridge.
When it's time to serve, prepare a cocktail glass, fill with ice and pour the margarita into the glass.
Preparing for a Crowd
You can make a cranberry margarita pitcher of this recipe by multiplying the original recipe to the preferred amount of servings and serving it in a pitcher, without ice.
Place the entire pitcher in the refrigerator to chill the margaritas. When you're ready to serve, place the pitcher out with ice around it to keep the margaritas cold.
By keeping ice outside of the pitcher, you prevent the cocktail from getting watered down.
Expert Tips and FAQS
This quick and easy holiday cocktail recipe is about to be your new favorite! When you make it for the first time remember:
- Use cubed purified ice.
- Shake the cocktail over ice.
- Salt the rim of your glass before adding the ice.
- Use high quality, blanco tequila made from 100% agave for the best flavor.
This holiday cocktail is made from cranberry juice, blanco tequila, triple sec and lime juice.
Yes, to make in advance prepare the cocktail without ice and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Yes! Multiple the recipe to reach the desired amount of servings and serve in a pitcher without ice. To ensure the beverage is chilled, serve the pitcher in a bowl of ice and refrigerate prior to serving.
Sure thing! Add all your cocktail ingredients to a blender and then add the desired amount of ice. Blend it all up until it's smooth and creamy. Serve in a salted or sugared glass with your favorite garnishes.
More Easy Cocktail Recipes
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card right below! You can also write a review in the comment section further down the page I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @freshcoasteats in your photos on social media, I'd love to see your results!
Cranberry Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounce blanco tequila 100% agave
- 1 ounce triple sec
- ½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
- 3 ounces 100% cranberry juice
- Ice
Optional for Garnish
- Margarita Salt
- Extra fresh lime wedges
- Sprigs of rosemary
- Sugared cranberries or plain fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Prepare a cocktail glass by making a small slice in a lime and running the wedge around the edge of the glass. Dip the rim of the glass into margarita salt, fill with ice and set aside.
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Measure out each ingredient and add to the cocktail shaker.
- Shake for 20 seconds.
- Pour into prepared cocktail glass filled with ice and serve.
Notes
- Use cubed purified ice.
- Shake the cocktail over ice.
- Salt the rim of your glass before adding the ice.
- Use high quality, blanco tequila made from 100% agave for the best flavor.
Charlie says
Cheers to this delicious drink! I have been searching for the perfect Cranberry Margarita recipe, and I finally found it. This is the ideal balance - just the right amount of lime juice! I picked some fresh limes off the balcony and we enjoyed the cocktail one evening as the sunset. Tomorrow night, we are going to try your French Martini!