Frozen Cranberry Margarita

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This frozen cranberry Margarita is a tequila cocktail that’s perfect for the holidays. It features tart cranberries, fresh lime and sweet agave. It’s served in glass with a sweet or salty rim. Serve this delicious drink on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and share the joy of the season.

📌 Pin Frozen Cranberry Margarita

👩🏻‍🍳 Why This Recipe’s a Keeper

• It’s a tequila cocktail with a chill frosty vibe ideal for the holiday season. The bright red color and use of seasonal berries, makes it a festive drink for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• It’s made with common ingredients you can find at any large grocery store.
• It’s an easy cocktail recipe that looks impressive, but is quick to assemble. You can make this drink in just 5 minutes, which makes it perfect for entertaining.
• These tasty cranberry Margaritas can be batched for parties. Just assemble the mixture without the ice and transfer it to a large beverage container. When the party begins, you can make one or more drinks by adding the Margarita mixture to a blender with ice.

🛒 Ingredients

For Frozen Cranberry Margarita

• Frozen Cranberries: The perfect holiday berries. They add a delicious tart flavor to the frozen Margarita, and help thicken the texture of the drink.
• Blanco Tequila (Silver Tequila): I prefer blanco tequila for this cocktail, but feel free to use reposado tequila or mezcal. Any brand is fine – use whatever you have on hand.
• Orange Liqueur: Use either Cointreau or Grand Marnier. It’s classic addition to Margaritas, and it pairs really well with the cranberry flavor of this cocktail.
• Fresh Lime Juice: For this drink, freshly-squeezed juice from Key Limes (same as Mexican limes) makes a big difference. It has so much more flavor than bottled juice. But if you must used bottled, select Nellie & Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice. It’s the best.
• Cranberry Juice Cocktail: It helps thin out the Margarita while adding even more sweet cranberry flavor and a beautiful bright red color.
• Light Agave Nectar: Adds sweetness to balance out the tartness of the cranberries. It doesn’t add any flavor to the recipe, so the cranberry taste can really shine through. For this recipe I prefer Madhava organic light agave. But feel free to use simple syrup instead.
• Ice Cubes: For our frozen cranberry Margarita, we’ll be crushing the ice in a high-speed blender. It’ll make this holiday cocktail frosty.

For Rimming and Garnishing

• Fresh Limes: Cut into wedges and lime wheels. We’ll use the wedges for moistening the rim of the glass, and the wheels for garnishing the cranberry Margarita.
• Granulated Sugar or Margarita Salt: For a sweet or salty rim.
• Fresh Cranberries: For garnishing the tequila cocktail. We string a few onto a cocktail pick. For a sweeter taste, use sugared cranberries instead. They’ll make the drinks sparkle!
• Fresh Rosemary Sprigs: A festive holiday garnish that contributes color and aroma.

📖 Recipe Steps

Recipe Prep: If desired, rim your cocktail glass. Rub a wedge of lime around the rim of the glass to moisten it. Then dip the rim into a plate of Margarita salt, coarse salt, or granulated sugar.

1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender: frozen cranberries, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, cranberry juice cocktail, agave and ice. Blend on high speed until smooth. Do a taste test. If the cranberries are too tart, add a bit more agave to balance out the flavor.

1. Pour the cranberry Margarita into the prepared glass. Garnish this tequila cocktail with a wheel of lime or a rosemary sprig, and a few fresh cranberries. Enjoy!

🧑🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips

Creating a delicious frozen cranberry Margarita involves a balance of flavors and textures. Here are some expert tips to help you make the best cocktail.

• Quality Ingredients: Use fresh or high-quality cranberries for the best flavor. Opt for 100% agave tequila for a smoother taste.
• Balanced Flavor: Some cranberries are super tart. So adjust the sweetness to your liking. Add more agave nectar as needed. For citrus, we use lime juice for this recipe, but feel free to experiment with other citrus fruits like orange or grapefruit for added complexity.
• Proper Blending: Use a high-speed blender to ensure a smooth, consistent texture. To control the thickness of your Margarita – add the ice gradually. Too much ice can make this tequila cocktail overly slushy.
• Consistency Matters: Aim for a slushy consistency that is easy to drink through a straw but not too thin. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little more liquid (cranberry juice cocktail, or even a splash of water) to reach the desired consistency.
• Chill Cocktail Glasses & Add a Frozen Garnish: Chill your glasses in the freezer before serving to keep the Margarita cold. Adding frozen cranberries as a garnish is festive, and will also help keep the drink cold.
• Serve Immediately: Frozen Margaritas tend to melt quickly, so serve them immediately after blending. If you need to prepare them in advance, store the mixture in the freezer then re-blend briefly before serving.

🎄More Festive Holiday Drinks

Add these festive drinks to your holiday menu. They’re perfect for parties and entertaining.

• Apple Cider Mule
• Christmas Sangria
• Frozen Rosé
• Roy Rogers Drink
• Sparkling Pomegranate Rum Cocktails

Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Flavor testers rated this the BEST frozen cranberry Margarita. And this says a lot. Because half the year we live in Mexico where our friends know what a fabulous Margarita tastes like. I value their expert opinions on tequila cocktails.

If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.

Frozen Cranberry Margarita 👉🏻 Join the Convo

Are you excited to make this delicious tequila cocktail? Will it be for a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday party, or for a Taco Tuesday dinner? Share your thoughts on this frozen cranberry Margarita in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.