Christmas Margarita Recipe

Christmas and holiday parties are just around the corner. If you enjoy making drinks, it’s even more fun to craft festive drinks! Putting a creative twist on classic drinks, such as a margarita, can make Christmas parties and cozy nights so much more fun and exciting. I recently made cranberry margaritas with my friends and it was so fitting for the holiday season! So today I’m sharing how easy this Christmas margarita is to create, along with festive garnishes and a mocktail alternative!

Christmas Margarita Recipe

I love that this margarita doesn’t require too many ingredients and the garnishes make it so festive and unique. I made “frosted berries” and “snowy sprigs” to make this drink more memorable, and it was super easy to do!

What Is A Christmas Margarita

There are so many festive-looking cocktails you can make this time of year, but if you’re a tequila fan, a Christmas margarita will be right up your alley. You can easily batch prepare this drink and store in a pitcher if you’re hosting or attending any holiday gatherings! I’ll also show you how you can prepare this drink without alcohol so that all of your guests feel included.

How To Make A Christmas Margarita

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz Silver Tequila
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 oz cranberry juice

Garnishes (optional):

• Granulated sugar or margarita salt
• Fresh cranberries
• Fresh rosemary
• Edible silver glitter

Ingredient Notes:

• Simple syrup may be added for a sweeter taste.
• Cointreau can be replaced with any orange liqueur, such as triple sec, Grand Marnier, Solerno etc.
• One lime yields about 1 oz of juice, or you may use store bought lime juice.
• You can use white cranberry juice for this recipe to omit the red color.

Mocktail Version:

• Replace the tequila and Cointreau with 2.5 oz of cranberry Poppi

Equipment:

• Cocktail shaker
• Margarita rim dish
• Lime squeezer

Shop Ingredients, Equipment and Glassware:

Shop Similar Glassware and Tools:

Instructions

Step 1 – Make The Sugared Cranberries

If you’re making sugared cranberries for the garnish, you’ll want to begin that process first!

• In a medium saucepan, make simple syrup (bring 3/4 cup of water and 3/4 cup of sugar to a boil and whisk until the sugar is dissolved).
• Allow the syrup to cool for 5 minutes and pour over 1 cup of fresh cranberries. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, place the cranberries onto parchment paper on a baking sheet and let them dry for about 1 hour.
• Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a bowl and toss the sticky cranberries in the sugar until they’re coated. Allow them to sit for another hour (room temp or fridge).

Step 2 – Make The Drink

In a cocktail shaker, combine 1.5 oz of silver tequila, 1 oz of Cointreau, and 2 oz of cranberry juice over ice cubes. Squeeze both sides of a lime into the shaker.

Step 3 – Shake

Make sure the cocktail shaker is closed tightly, and shake for about 20 seconds.

Step 4 – Sugar or Salt Rim

Rim the margarita glass with a lime slice and then granulated sugar (or margarita salt).

Step 5 – Frosted Rosemary

Over a plate or paper towel, dust a rosemary sprig with edible silver glitter to make it look like a snowy tree!

Step 6 – Presentation

Strain the drink mixture into the cup over ice cubes. Add sugared cranberries and frosted rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Shop the Setup:

Christmas Margarita

There are so many festive-looking cocktails you can make this time of year, but if you're a tequila fan, a Christmas margarita will be right up your alley. You can easily batch prepare this drink and store in a pitcher if you're hosting or attending any holiday gatherings! I'll also show you how you can prepare this drink without alcohol so that all of your guests feel included.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings 1 drink

Equipment

• Cocktail shaker
• Margarita rim dish
• Lime squeezer

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 oz Silver Tequila
• 1 oz Cointreau
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 2 oz cranberry juice
• 1.5 cups Granulated sugar optional, for garnish
• Margarita salt optional, for garnish
• Fresh cranberries optional, for garnish
• Fresh rosemary optional, for garnish
• Edible silver glitter optional, for garnish

Instructions

 

• In a medium saucepan, make simple syrup (bring 3/4 cup of water and 3/4 cup of sugar to a boil and whisk until the sugar is dissolved).
• Allow the syrup to cool for 5 minutes and pour over 1 cup of fresh cranberries. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, place the cranberries onto parchment paper on a baking sheet and let them dry for about 1 hour.
• Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a bowl and toss the sticky cranberries in the sugar until they're coated. Set aside and allow them to sit for another hour (room temp or fridge).
• In a cocktail shaker, combine 1.5 oz of silver tequila, 1 oz of Cointreau, and 2 oz of cranberry juice over ice cubes. Squeeze both sides of a lime into the shaker.
• Make sure the cocktail shaker is closed tightly, and shake for about 20 seconds.
• Rim the margarita glass with a lime slice and then sugar (or margarita salt).
• Over a plate or paper towel, dust a rosemary sprig with edible silver glitter to make it look like a snowy tree!
• Strain the drink mixture into the cup over ice cubes. Add sugared cranberries and frosted rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Notes

Cointreau can be replaced with any orange liqueur, such as triple sec, Grand Marnier, Solerno etc.

One lime yields about 1 oz of juice, or you may use store bought lime juice.

You can use white cranberry juice for this recipe to omit the red color.

Simple syrup may be added for a sweeter taste.

For a mocktail version: You can replace the tequila and Cointreau with 2.5 oz of cranberry Poppi or something similar.

If you’re hosting a holiday party and need some treats to go along with your Christmas margarita, I’ve shared a bunch of easy and festive holiday foods on the blog.