Classic margaritas transformed for the holidays with a festive touch of candied ginger, cranberries, and a fresh rosemary sprig! This is the perfect Christmas cocktail for your holiday party!
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My husband and I love to make fresh margaritas at home, whether it's for Cinco de Mayo or for Christmas Eve! This is our favorite fresh homemade margarita recipe, it's so delicious. We don't like mixers that taste artificial or that have a lot of added sugar, so we prefer to make margaritas from scratch. It's really easy!
These margaritas taste so fresh and you can easily turn them into a Christmas cocktail by adding festive cranberries, candied ginger, a red and white paper straw, and a rosemary sprig because it looks like a mini Christmas tree!
Related Post: Ultimate Vegan Christmas Dinner Menu
Just in case you're not a fan of tequila or margaritas, I included a list of delicious Christmas cocktails for a crowd at the end of this post for you to enjoy this Christmas season!
What is a Traditional Christmas Drink?
Traditional Christmas drinks include festive drinks like spiked eggnog, hot toddy's, mulled wine, and non-alcoholic hot chocolate. Think of drinks that are really rich, contain warm seasonings, or drinks that will warm you up. Of course, you can really turn any drink into a Christmas cocktail with a little decoration and holiday garnish!
What is the Best Drink for Christmas?
These festive margaritas are the best drink for Christmas because they're easy to make, the colors are spot on (red and green!), and they taste delicious! Plus, most people like margaritas, so there's a good chance that your guests will like the cranberry ginger margarita too!
How to Make Christmas Margaritas - Step by Step Instructions
Step #1 - Salt or sugar the rim of your glass and add 2 ginger chews and a few cranberries to the cup.
Step #2 - Add lime juice, tequila, triple sec, orange juice, agave and ice to shaker and shake it vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Remove the lid and pour the mixture into the cup.
Step #3 - Garnish the margarita with a few more cranberries, a small rosemary sprig and put the last ginger chew on the rim. The red and white striped paper straw is optional but I think it's a festive touch!
Should You Use Fresh Ginger or Candied Ginger?
Ginger is very spicy, even if it's candied! However, I would still use candied ginger in this Christmas cocktail because candied ginger looks like sparkly golden sugar cubes and then have a little sweetness to them to balance the intense flavor.
The candied ginger adds a little kick to the drink and it makes a pretty garnish!
If you want your margarita to really pack a punch, you could grate a little bit of fresh ginger into the shaker before you shake it up. If you love the flavor of ginger, you might really enjoy this!
Notes & Substitutions
- If you're not a fan of ginger, you can omit it. The margarita will still be delicious without it.
- You can use maple syrup instead of agave.
- You could substitute candied orange peel for the candied ginger if you prefer.
- Do not use dried rosemary instead of the fresh rosemary sprig. The fresh rosemary sprig doesn't add a lot of flavor, it's just a festive garnish.
- Don't use dried cranberries instead of fresh because they dried cranberries will absorb the liquid in the drink and become very mushy and squishy.
- If you want to make a big pitcher, don't add the ice to the mixture. Put the fresh ice in the cups and pour the margarita mix over the ice.
- These are the red and white swirl paper straws that I used in the pictures. If you don't want to use a straw, you could garnish the glass with small red and white peppermint candy cane instead.
12 Vegan Classic Christmas Cocktails You'll Love!
If you're not a fan of this cranberry ginger Christmas margarita, I think you'll find this list of spiked holiday drinks to be helpful!
Whether you prefer creamy Christmas cocktails or stronger cocktails made with vodka, bourbon, or gin (if you like gin based drinks, I highly recommend this pomegranate gin Christmas cocktail (get the recipe!), it's my favorite!) there is something for everyone on this list!
- Craberry 75 - A twist on the classic French 75 recipe. This French 75 cocktail is infused with cranberry to bring the holiday season together. Gin, sparkling wine, with bright cranberry and lemon flavours. Get the recipe!
- Caribbean Sorrel - A traditional rum-based cocktail drink served during Christmas in the Caribbeans. Get the recipe!
- Christmas Cosmopolitan - Made with fresh lime juice, cranberry juice, Cointreau, and cranberry infused vodka, this classic cocktail is simple, but delicious! The festive color makes is the perfect drink to enjoy during the holidays! Get the recipe!
- Mulled Wine Spritzer - This mulled wine spritzer is a fun twist on the Christmas classic drink. Rather than a hot drink, this Christmas cocktail is on ice and has a bit of fizz! It's perfect for a party! Get the recipe!
- Spiced Orange Vegan Coquito - A dairy free and egg free way to enjoy Puerto Rican coconut eggnog. Make this your new holiday cocktail! Get the recipe!
- Mrs. Claus Cranberry Whiskey Cocktail - This easy Christmas cocktail is a blend of cranberry juice, whiskey, cinnamon sticks and more! It’s the perfect holiday cocktail to enjoy on those nights that are spent watching Christmas movies on the couch in front of the Christmas tree. Get the recipe!
- Christmas Mimosas - Celebrate Christmas morning with this festive mimosa that's made with a combination of orange juice and pomegranate juice! Get the recipe!
- Christmas Sangria - This Christmas Sangria is made with red wine, fruit juices, brandy, soda, and fruit for a delicious big-batch cocktail that’s perfect for parties. Get the recipe!
- Winter Spiced Mulled Wine - This delicious Brandy Mulled Wine Recipe is a must during the holidays. It's easy to make, perfectly spiced, and tastes like Christmas. Get the recipe!
- Poinsettia Cocktail - A Poinsettia Cocktail is simply cranberry juice, orange liquor and champagne or prosecco – garnished with a twist of orange peel. Get the recipe!
- Santa's Secret Cocktail - Santa’s Secret Cocktail is all of the classic holiday flavors combined into one drink! Rosemary infused simple syrup, orange liquor and cranberry juice are shaken together and topped with prosecco and a cranberry rosemary skewer to make the perfect Christmas cocktail! Get the recipe!
- White Christmas Cocktail - A vegan wintery white cocktail perfect for a holiday party! Get the recipe!
Cranberry Ginger Christmas Margaritas
Equipment
- Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz orange juice
- ½ oz agave or maple syrup
- ¾ oz triple sec
- 1 ½ oz tequila I used Reposado
- 3 ginger chews
- 5-6 fresh cranberries
- 1 small rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Salt or sugar the rim of your glass and add 2 ginger chews and a few cranberries to the cup.
- Add lime juice, tequila, triple sec, orange juice, agave and ice to shaker and shake it vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Remove the lid and pour the mixture into the cup.
- Garnish the margarita with a few more cranberries, a small rosemary sprig and put the last ginger chew on the rim.
Notes
- If you're not a fan of ginger, you can omit it. The margarita will still be delicious without it.
- You can use maple syrup instead of agave.
- You could substitute candied orange peel for the candied ginger if you prefer.
- Do not use dried rosemary instead of the fresh rosemary sprig. The fresh rosemary sprig doesn't add a lot of flavor, it's just a festive garnish.
- Don't use dried cranberries instead of fresh because they dried cranberries will absorb the liquid in the drink and become very mushy and squishy.
- If you want to make a big pitcher, don't add the ice to the mixture. Put the fresh ice in the cups and pour the margarita mix over the ice.
- These are the red and white swirl paper straws that I used in the pictures.
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