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Add a festive twist to your holiday gatherings with this scrumptious holiday cranberry margarita. Bright cranberry juice cocktail combines with silver tequila, triple sec and grenadine for a cocktail that is both tart and sweet. A splash of fresh lime and optional salt rim elevate the flavor while festive garnishes like cranberries, a fall flower or star anise make the drink feel special. It’s easy to shake, elegant to serve and perfect for holiday cheers around any party table.
With silver tequila and triple sec, lime juice, grenadine, and more, this holiday margarita contrasts tart flavors of lime and cranberries with sweet grenadine.
Cocktail fans may also enjoy butterscotch white Russians, elderflower rum mojitos or what about a strawberry lime daiquiri? Treat yourself!
Why You’ll Love It
Festive and bright: Cranberry juice and grenadine bring holiday cheer in every sip.
Well balanced: Lime, tequila and triple sec offer tart, sweet and boozy harmony.
Easy to make: Just shake, pour and garnish for a crowd‑pleasing cocktail.
Customizable garnish: Cranberries, fall flowers or star anise add visual flair.
Holiday Cranberry Margarita Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Lime wedge and coarse salt: Lime firms the rim and salt adds a savory contrast.
Cranberry juice cocktail: Offers tart fruit flavor and beautiful holiday color.
Silver tequila: Clean tequila base that lets cranberry shine.
Triple sec: Adds orange sweetness and smooth balance.
Lime juice: Brightens the cocktail and balances the sweetness. I recommend using fresh lime juice.
Grenadine: Deepens the color and adds sweet pomegranate notes.
Optional garnishes: Fresh cranberries, edible fall flower and/or star anise are garnishes to elevate presentation.
How to Make Cranberry Margaritas
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Rim the glass: Swipe lime around the rim and dip into coarse salt.
Shake the cocktail: Combine ice, cranberry juice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and grenadine in a shaker and shake until cold.
Pour and garnish: Strain into rimmed glass and add cranberries, an edible flower or star anise if desired.
Substitutions and Variations
Use white cranberry juice: For a lighter color and milder tartness.
Swap grenadine: You can replace with pomegranate syrup or agave nectar for sweetness.
Non‑alcoholic version: Omit tequila and triple sec and top off with sparkling water or ginger ale.
Gluten free option: Use pure cranberry juice cocktail and ensure your triple sec is gluten free.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin your festive meal with brie cranberry bites and a cranberry margarita.
Main course: Enjoy a sheet pan ham dinner with roasted acorn squash and pomegranate and feta Brussel sprouts casserole.
Dessert: Enjoy a slice of pumpkin slab pie and another cranberry margarita!
How to Store Cranberry Margaritas
Store: You can store leftovers for up to 3 days as long as you don’t add the ice until serving.
Freeze: I haven’t tried freezing these.
Top Tips
Chill the glass before serving: This keeps the drink cold longer.
Use fresh lime juice: It brightens the cocktail more than bottled juice.
Don’t overdo the grenadine: Start with half a tablespoon and adjust sweetness to taste.
Shake vigorously: This ensures proper mixing and colder serving.
Cranberry Margarita FAQs
It’s fine to make it up to 3 days in advance, as long as you don’t add the ice until just before serving because it will melt and dilute the drink.
This red syrup plays a role in many cocktail recipes such as rum runners. It also goes into desserts like tropical popsicles where you want to add a sweet, fruity flavour and a red color. It used to be prepared using a pomegranate juice base and you can get true grenadine made of pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice. Alternatively, the cheaper varieties are made with sugar or HFCS, food coloring and citric acid. You can always use simple syrup if you don’t want to use grenadine.
Festive Cranberry Margarita Recipe
Holiday Cranberry Margarita
Ingredients
- 3 Ounces cranberry juice cocktail
- 1 ½ Ounces silver tequila, such as El Mayor Tequila Blanco
- 1 Ounce triple sec, such as DeKuyper Triple Sec
- ½ Ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ to 1 Tablespoon grenadine
- ice
For the Salty Rim
- 1 Wedge lime
- coarse salt
Optional Garnishes
- cranberries, fresh
- edible fall flower
- star anise
Instructions
- Swipe a lime wedge around the rim of your glass. Holding the glass at a 45-degree angle, dip the dampened rim of the glass into the coarse salt, rotating it until salt covers the entire rim.
- Fill a cocktail shaker about halfway with ice. Add cranberry juice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and grenadine. Shake to combine until the shaker feels ice cold (10 to 20 seconds).
- Pour into rimmed glass.
- Garnish with fresh cranberries, an edible fall flower (I used a Chrysanthemum), and/or a star anise pod, if desired.
Notes
Use fresh lime juice: It brightens the cocktail more than bottled juice.
Don’t overdo the grenadine: Start with half a tablespoon and adjust sweetness to taste.
Shake vigorously: This ensures proper mixing and colder serving.
Nutrition
The holiday cranberry margarita captures seasonal spirit with its bright and balanced flavor profile. Cranberry and grenadine add festive color and sweetness to the holiday margarita recipe, while lime juice and tequila keep it crisp. Salted rim and garnishes elevate the presentation for any holiday party. Pour it chilled over ice, serve in rimmed glasses and enjoy a cocktail that’s as beautiful as it tastes and perfect for celebration.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Just when I thought the classic Marg recipe couldn’t be improved on, along comes this fun twist on my favorite Mexican cocktail! Yummy
My favorite margarita! Will have to find the flowers because they are so cute with it