Cranberry Margarita: a weeknight method

A cranberry margarita in a sugar rimmed glass with garnishes of fresh berries, lime and mint.

This cranberry margarita recipe is cranberry, orange and lime flavors mixed with tequila, triple sec and grenadine to make a colorful and refreshing cocktail. The reliable drink for a holiday party!

When I’m entertaining in the fall and winter, I like to offer seasonal drink recipes such as a Christmas margarita, cranberry moscow mule, poinsettia cocktail, Kinderpunsch, Thanksgiving punch and this tasty cranberry margarita.

You simply can’t go wrong with a mixed drink, and these cranberry margaritas are a fun twist on the classic margarita recipe.

Cranberry Margarita Ingredients

Ingredients including tequila, triple sec, cranberry juice and grenadine.

To make this recipe, you will need unsweetened cranberry juice, tequila blanco (silver tequila), triple sec (such as Cointreau), lime juice, grenadine, lime wedges, fresh cranberries, mint sprigs, sanding sugar and salt.

How Do You Make A Cranberry Margarita?

Place the salt and sugar on a plate and mix them together. Dip the rim of a glass in water, then place the rim of the cup onto the salt and sugar mixture. Turn the glass upright, and add some ice cubes. Pour in the cranberry juice, tequila and triple sec. Next, add fresh lime juice and grenadine. Gently stir everything together, then serve with garnishes such as fresh cranberries, lime slices and fresh mint.

A glass being dipped in sugar and salt, then filled with ice and juice.

Tips For The Reliable Drink

I prefer to use unsweetened cranberry juice in this recipe as it has a more intense flavor. You can use cranberry juice cocktail if you prefer a sweeter drink.
This recipe makes one drink. You can easily scale up the ingredient measurements to fit the size of your group by changing the number of servings in the recipe card.
Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the finest results.
Grenadine is a pomegranate syrup that adds a lot of color and flavor to mixed drinks. You can find it in the drinks aisle, or with the mixers in the alcohol section of your grocery store. If you can’t find grenadine, you could use unfussy syrup instead to sweeten the drink.
This recipe does not use a cocktail shaker because many home cooks do not have them on hand. If you do prefer to shake your margarita, place the liquids in a cocktail shaker or sealed mason jar and shake to combine. Pour over the ice and serve with garnishes.

Quick Tip

I recommend purchasing a measuring shot glass to get the exact quantities of liquor and juices with minimal work involved.

Liquor and grenadine being poured into a cocktail.

Recipe FAQs

What is a cranberry margarita made of?

A cranberry margarita contains cranberry juice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and some type of sweetener.

What alcohol goes with cranberry juice?

There are many types of alcohol that pair well with cranberry juice, including tequila, rum, vodka, triple sec and champagne.

FOLLOW ME

Flavor Variations

This recipe is great as-is, but you can customize some of the ingredients to suit your tastes.

Juices: Feel free to add other flavors with an ounce of orange juice, pomegranate juice or cherry juice.
Liquor: You can use Mezcal instead of tequila blanco, and an orange liqueur like Grand Marnier in lieu of Cointreau.
Garnishes: Try using some different garnishes such as orange peel, a sprig of rosemary, sugared cranberries or orange slices.
Frozen: You can blend all the ingredients up in a blender to make a frozen drink.

This cranberry cocktail is a must-have for any Christmas party or fall gathering!

More Cranberry Recipes

Cranberry Salsa

1 hr 10 mins

Cranberry Chicken

55 mins

Raspberry gelatin is combined with cranberry sauce, pineapple and orange zest for a delicious side dish or dessert that's perfect for the holidays.

Cranberry Jello Salad

6 hrs 10 mins

Baked cranberry muffins topped with streusel.

Cranberry Muffins with Orange Glaze

27 mins

A crock pot full of cranberry meatballs.

Cranberry Meatballs (Slow Cooker)

3 hrs 5 mins

Love This Recipe?

Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

Add as Google preferred source Authorthe Makdob kitchen A cranberry margarita in a sugar rimmed glass with garnishes of fresh berries, lime and mint.

This cranberry margarita recipe is cranberry, orange and lime flavors mixed with tequila, triple sec and grenadine to make a colorful and refreshing cocktail. The reliable drink for a holiday party! Time Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes

Course Drink
Cuisine American
Serves 1

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sanding sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces cranberry juice unsweetened
1½ ounces tequila blanco
1 ounce triple sec
1 ounce lime juice
2 ounces grenadine
lime slices, mint sprigs and cranberries for garnish

Instructions

Place the sanding sugar and salt on a small plate and stir to combine.
Dip the rim of the glass in a bowl of water. Place the wet rim in the salt and sugar mixture.
Turn the glass upright and add a few cubes of ice.
Pour in the cranberry juice, tequila and triple sec.
Next, add the lime juice and grenadine.
Stir gently. Garnish with cranberries, lime and mint, then serve.

Notes

This recipe makes one drink. You can easily scale the quantities up by changing the number of of servings on the recipe card.
I like to use unsweetened cranberry juice for a more intense flavor. You can use cranberry juice cocktail if you prefer a sweeter drink.
This recipe does not use a cocktail shaker because many home cooks do not have them on hand. If you do prefer to shake your margarita, place the liquids in a cocktail shaker or sealed mason jar and shake to combine. Pour over the ice and serve with garnishes.