Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
Cranberry Margarita
This delicious and gorgeous Cranberry Margarita is the perfect cocktail to make this holiday season. Garnished with a skewer of sugared cranberries and an orange twist, this festive drink is sure to get your guests in the spirit of the season and spread some cheer!
Why You’ll Love This Festive Cocktail
Move over cranberry sauce, and say H-E-L-L-O to this refreshing cranberry margarita! Cranberries always remind me that the holidays are right around the corner. One day, while making some cranberry sauce, I decided to blend the berries, add some tequila, and a splash of Grand Marnier as a reward for my hard work. One sip of this festive potion, and I was sold — pure heaven! (Or close to it.)
If you love cranberries like I do (and let’s not forget tequila), then you’ll love this spunky blend. One look at this gorgeous red cocktail dressed up with a crystallized cranberry swizzle stick and you’ll say, “H-O-L-A Margarita!”
Salud, and happy holidays from my kitchen to yours!
Key Ingredients
This cranberry margarita recipe is twofold — the cocktail and the swizzle sticks.
For the cranberry margaritas, you’ll need:
- Freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 4 oranges)
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh cranberries (one package; found in the produce section of the grocery store)
- Your favorite tequila
- Orange Liqueur (I recommend: Grand Marnier)
- Cranberry puree
And for the swizzle sticks, all you’ll need is bamboo skewers, more fresh cranberries, light corn syrup, and granulated sugar. That’s it!
Festive Garnish
First, make the cranberry swizzle sticks, skewer several cranberries onto 10 skewer sticks, leaving enough skewer exposed on one end. Lightly brush each cranberry skewer with the light corn syrup, and then sprinkle granulated sugar over the cranberry skewers. Place the cranberry swizzle sticks on wax paper and place in the freezer to set.
How To Make Cranberry Puree
Melt the sugar in the orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cranberries, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside, and let it cool.
Blend the cranberry mixture in a blender, and then strain to make the puree.
Shortcut: Want a quick cranberry margarita? Replace cranberry puree with bottled cranberry juice!
In a shaker, add crushed ice, 1 1/2 ounces of tequila, 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier, and 1 1/2 ounces of cranberry puree or cranberry juice. Shake well to mix.
Pour drink into a sugar-rimmed glass. Add a cranberry swizzle stick for garnish, and enjoy!
Make a Cranberry Margarita Pitcher
Want to whip up a batch of cranberry margaritas for a crowd? Make a pitcher that serves eight!
- 1 ½ cups cranberry puree or cranberry juice
- 1 ½ cups tequila blanco
- 1 cup Grand Marnier
- ½ cup orange juice (omit if using puree)
Serving Suggestions
This cranberry margarita is the perfect cocktail to serve around the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas! It pairs well with classic Mexican dishes served during these holidays like Chicken Pozole Verde and Capirotada.
Additionally, this festive cocktail is a fun drink to make for a tamalada, weeknight dinners, or get-togethers with friends and family!
I like serving this cocktail straight, but can be served on the rocks, or made into a frozen cranberry margarita. You could also serve it with some fresh mint leaves to create a gorgeous red and green theme perfect for this Christmas cocktail!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can make this a virgin cranberry cider by replacing the tequila and Grand Marnier with 2 ounces of sparkling cider.
Orange really is the best citrus to pair with cranberries, but you could use any type of orange you like! Blood oranges, navel oranges, and even clementines produce a delicious juice that works beautifully with the cranberry puree, tequila, and Grand Marnier.
Go for it! It just won’t be a margarita. But it would still be delicious! Gin or vodka would be great substitutions for this Christmas cocktail recipe.
You could keep it simple and just blend it in a high-speed blender with some ice cubes, or you could freeze the orange juice and cranberry puree ahead of time, and then blend them with the remaining ingredients before serving. Serve with a sugared rim, and you’re set!
Yes, it’s safe to eat raw cranberries, but I would not recommend eating them. Their tangy taste can be off-putting to some people, and they tend to be very bitter on their own.
More Cocktail Recipes To Try
- Cantaloupe Melon Margarita
- Reposado Paloma
- Spicy Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita
- Frozen Sunrise Margaritas
- Sandia Burro
Have you made this easy cranberry margarita recipe as your signature Christmas cocktail? Please be sure to rate and review it below!
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Cranberry Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 4 oranges
- 1 cup sugar
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 ½ ounces tequila blanco
- ½ ounce Grand Marnier
- 1 ½ ounces cranberry puree
Cranberry Swizzle Sticks:
- 10 skewer sticks
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 cup light Karo corn syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the sugar in the orange juice. Add the cranberries and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Set aside and let it cool. Blend cranberries in a blender, then strain to make the puree
- In a shaker add crushed ice, 1 1/2 ounces of tequila, 1/2 ounce of Grand Marnier, 1 1/2 ounces of cranberry puree and shake to mix.
- Pour drink into a sugar-rimmed glass. Add a cranberry swizzle stick for garnish.
Cranberry Swizzle Sticks:
- Skewer several cranberries onto 10 skewer sticks but leave enough skewer exposed on one end. Lightly brush each cranberry skewer with Karo syrup and then sprinkle granulated sugar over the cranberry skewers. Place the cranberry swizzle sticks on wax paper and place in the freezer to set.
Virgin Cranberry Cider:
- Replace the tequila and Grand Marnier with 2 ounces of sparkling cider.
Notes
- Shortcut: Want a quick cranberry margarita? Replace cranberry puree with bottled cranberry juice.
- Mocktail/Virgin option: replace the tequila and Grand Marnier with 2 ounces of sparkling cider.
- No cocktail shaker? Use a spill-proof, to-go coffee mug or mason jar.
- Cranberry Margarita Pitcher: To make 8 servings, mix together in a pitcher: 1 ½ cups cranberry juice or cranberry puree, 1 ½ cups tequila, 1 cup Grand Marnier, and ½ cup orange juice. Serve over ice.
Photography by Jenna Sparks
Originally published: November 2010. This recipe is also published in the Muy Bueno cookbook.
14 Comments on “Cranberry Margarita”
two of my favorite things in the world!! will have to test this before I make for friends…..are the swizzle sticks supposed to be edible? I know raw berries are usually bitter
I would not recommend eating them. They are more of a decorative stir stick.
I just made these for a photography project I’m doing… photogenic AND delicious! Will definitely be making these again. Thanks so much for sharing!
That’s great Jeni! We’d LOVE to see your pics! Feel free to post a photo on our FB wall!
This is such a festive, fresh, and delicious-looking holiday cocktail! I’m typically more of a beer and wine girl, but this cranberry margarita sounds absolutely fantastic.
Great drink suggestion, love it, can’t wait to try. And those swizzle sticks, awesome, they are so pretty.
I love the cranberry swizzle sticks! What a creative garnish for the holidays. I’m having a holiday kick-off cocktail party tonight and I just might have to whip these up. Thanks for the idea!