Why you’ll love these cranberry margaritas
These easy cranberry margaritas made from scratch, which means they taste way better than any margarita mix you could ever buy.
Who’s ready for the weekend? I know I am, and these cranberry margaritas are just the thing to celebrate this summer being almost over. The margaritas are perfect for the heat, but the cranberry reminds you that fall is just around the corner. Yes. The heat will end. Maybe not as soon as I would like it, but there is an end in sight.
More cranberry recipes: easy cranberry bars / spiced cranberry sauce / cranberry salsa / cranberry orange cookies / cranberry chicken salad
Ingredient notes:
- Tequila – I always opt for tequila blanco, but you can use whichever type of tequila you prefer. Just make sure it’s a decent quality. I actually used to think I hated tequila – turns out I only dislike the bad tequila.
- Cranberry juice – This tart juice completes this margarita and saves you a ton of time, you only have to juice a few limes. For this recipe, you’ll need the sweetened cranberry cocktail juice.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make a cranberry margarita
Rim a glass. You can use either a lowball or margarita glass, rim it with sugar and fill with ice.
Shake. Fill a cocktail shaker with all ingredients and ice. Shake until well chilled, strain and pour into your rimmed glass.
Garnish. Add a lime wedge and a mint sprig with a few fresh cranberries and serve.
Frequently asked questions
No triple sec isn’t necessary for margaritas, but it adds a great depth of flavor and a touch of sweetness to your margaritas. If you don’t have triple sec, an orange liqueur, such as Cointreau will work. You can also substitute another fruity liqueur or an equal amount of simple syrup.
It honestly just depends on what you’re going for. Cointreau has a higher alcohol content, so it won’t be quite as sweet, but I prefer it to triple sec. Triple sec, however, is significantly cheaper (making it a great budget-friendly option) and on the sweeter side for those that prefer their drinks sweet.
I recommend buying the highest quality silver tequila you can afford, but it doesn’t have to be the best tequila on the shelf either. You will be mixing it with sweeteners and lime juice – and in this case cranberry juice. I don’t recommend gold tequila for margaritas, but if you do prefer the flavor, go for it.
More margarita recipes: fresh prickly pear margaritas / white christmas margaritas / spicy jalapeño margaritas
Cranberry Margaritas
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cranberry juice
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce triple sec or orange liqueur
- 1 1/2 ounces tequila
- Sugar, for garnish
- Lime wedge, for garnish
Instructions
- Rim a highball or margarita glass with sugar and fill with ice.
- Stir ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and pour into glass.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I really wanted to like this. It was too bitter for my tastes. But the color is beautiful! So I played around with it. A half ounce (maybe a tad more!) of simple syrup gave me the flavor I was looking for!