Get into the holiday spirit with a fabulously festive Christmas margarita! These delicious cranberry based margaritas incorporate the flavors of the season for a delightful treat! Actually, they’re one of our favorite margarita recipes year-round!
Christmas Margaritas aka “Mistletoe Margaritas”
When you think of Christmas cocktails, a margarita isn’t necessarily the first drink that comes to mind. Unless you are a margarita fan like me! 🙂
Our Thanksgiving margaritas were a HUGE hit, so of course we knew we needed a Christmas margarita recipe too!
If you’re looking for a festive margarita recipe, it doesn’t get any prettier than this! The cranberry juice makes this holiday margarita recipe a rich red color — it looks amazing on a party table!
I know what you might be thinking…
Just because it’s got tequila in it doesn’t make it a margarita!
Au contraire! A margarita at its core is comprised of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice — all of which are in this Christmas margarita. So yep, it is a real margarita!
And anyways, it’s super festive and beautiful! And yes, it tastes fantastic!
For your next holiday party try a batch of these gorgeous Christmas margaritas — you won’t be disappointed!
Related: For another show-stopping holiday party recipe, try our red and green Christmas Cheesecake!
What You Need to Make Cranberry Margaritas
I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience in re-creating this recipe; disclosure policy available here.
- Silver Tequila — More notes on types of tequila below
- Triple Sec — Orange liquor
- Cranberry juice — You can use sweetened or unsweetened; use unsweetened for a more tart drink (or you can balance with extra simple syrup).
- Lime juice — Can be bottle lime juice or squeezed directly from limes
- Simple syrup — Can be store-bought or homemade
- Fresh Cranberries & Lime Wedges — for garnish
- Ice
Bartender’s Tools Used
- Large Pitcher
- Wire whisk
- Cocktail glasses
What Makes a Margarita a Margarita?
A traditional margarita consists of tequila, orange liquor, and lime juice. It can be served “on the rocks” (over ice) or frozen.
From there, the possibilities are endless!
As long as you have your three main ingredients, you can add a variety of other mix-ins to create margaritas for every occasion, like these Christmas margaritas!
What Tequila Should I Use?
When it comes to margaritas, you can usually use pretty much any type of tequila. For our cranberry margaritas, I recommend silver tequila. Gold or aged tequila often has a smokier flavor that may overpower the cranberries a bit.
As for price range, I’d stick with a mid-range tequila, or even edge towards the lower end of the scale. Of course, you can use an expensive tequila, but it is almost a waste because you’re tasting more of the juices rather than the tequila itself. I save the special tequila for sipping.
In the recipe video, you may notice that we used Cuervo Silver — it’s not a brand sponsorship or anything, but it is a solid brand and the bottle is under $20. Perfect for making margaritas that taste fantastic and are of good quality so as not to give you a headache…when enjoyed responsibly of course! 😉
How to Make Christmas Margaritas
I prepared this recipe as if I was making it for a holiday party, so all of the measurements are for a pitcher, as opposed to an individual serving. A pitcher should serve 6-8, depending on the size of your pitcher and glassware.
First, measure out your ingredients. For our pitcher we used a cup and a half of tequila,
a half cup of triple sec,
and a cup and a half of cranberry juice.
a half cup of lime juice,
and a half cup of simple syrup.
Your pitcher may be different in size from ours, so the important things to keep in mind are the ratios:
- Equal parts tequila and cranberry juice
- Equal parts triple sec, lime juice, and simple syrup
- Tequila and cranberry juice are 3:1 compared to the other ingredients — so if you’re using 1 cup of tequila, you’d use 1 cup cranberry, and 1/3 cup each of the other ingredients
Once everything is measured, pour into your pitcher. You can also pour each ingredient immediately as you measure.
Once everything is in the pitcher, whisk to combine. Pour over ice and garnish with fresh cranberries and lime wheels.
Make your cranberry margarita special!
This drink is delicious with a sugar rim on the glass!
You can also blend with ice to make frozen cranberry margaritas. This is so refreshing in the summer!
What type of glass should I use for margaritas?
Traditionally, you may see margaritas served in a margarita glass or champagne coupe (pictured here).
However, the tall stemware is a little easier to spill. If you want something that’s easier to carry around without worrying about spills or sloshing, it’s perfectly acceptable to serve your margaritas in a cocktail glass.
In fact, a cocktail glass is how I serve mine at home, unless I’m having a fancy event (which is pretty much never!)
Can you make margaritas in advance?
Absolutely! You can mix everything together — minus the ice — and keep the pitcher in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
When you’re ready to serve, stir well and pour over ice.
You can make this cranberry margarita recipe in advance – simply keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
More of Our Favorite Christmas Cocktail Recipes
- Jack Frost Cocktail
- Grinch Christmas Jello Shots
- Tipsy Peppermint Mocha Cocktail
- Sparkling Black Cherry Martini
Christmas Margarita Recipe (Printable Copy)
If you liked this recipe, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
"Mistletoe Margaritas" - Christmas Cranberry Margarita Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups silver tequila
- 1/2 cup triple sec
- 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup simple syrup
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- Lime wedges for garnish
- Ice
Instructions
- Add all liquid ingredients to large pitcher.
- Stir well.
- Pour into individual glasses with ice.
- Pour Christmas margaritas over ice and garnish with a lime wedge and cranberries.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Save Our Cranberry Margarita Recipe on Pinterest:
More of our favorite holiday margaritas:
- Jack Frost Drink - October 23, 2021
- Homemade Basil Pesto - October 20, 2021
- West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls - October 18, 2021
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