Stop dreaming of a white Christmas and sip on a White Christmas Margarita instead! These white cranberry juice and tequila cocktails are festive and fun for the holiday season.
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Easy White Christmas Margarita recipe
Ready for another out-of-the-ordinary Christmas cocktail to transform your holiday festivities? Homemade eggnog is great, but you’re going to love this White Christmas Margarita.
This merry combination merges traditional margaritas with the seasonal charm of white cranberry juice, creating a drink that mirrors a winter wonderland in your glass, complete with fresh cranberries and sprigs of rosemary.
This recipe is a spin on my cranberry Christmas Margaritas. These ruby, tart sippers are always a hit, but white cranberry juice is so much sweeter which makes for even more crushable cocktails.
Other White Christmas margs are basically a coconut margarita that gets its coconut flavor via coconut rum or cream of coconut, but this one doesn’t; instead it features cranberry, making it a festive drink.
Get ready to shake, pour and nestle up by the fireplace, surrounded by twinkling lights, with a frosty glass of this snowy elixir in your hand. Let’s get started!
More white cranberry recipes: White Cranberry Mule • Jingle Juice • Christmas Mimosas
Why you’ll love this recipe
This recipe is a spin on the classic margarita. It’s such a great canvas to play with flavor. You’ll love this white cranberry version — I just know it will be your new favorite holiday cocktail.
- The inherent citrusy and tangy nature of margaritas makes them incredibly refreshing.
- Margaritas offer a versatile flavor profile that can be tailored. White cranberry juice is a great pairing on top of the flavors of your standard margarita.
- Finished off with a red-and-green rosemary and a cranberry garnish, these margs are the perfect holiday cocktail.
- These cranberry cocktails are ideal for a wintry Taco Tuesday, happy hour or any festive gathering.
Tools & glassware
To make a White Christmas Margarita, you’ll need a jigger, a cocktail shaker and a Hawthorne strainer. You can also use a pitcher if you want to make more for a party.
To get fresh lime juice from real limes, you’ll want to use a citrus squeezer or other kind of juicer.
Margaritas can be served in rocks glasses, like I used, or stemless martini glasses, which are easy to hold and don’t tip easily. You could also go for something with a stem, such as a coupe glass or a margarita glass.
favorite margarita glasses
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Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this holiday margarita recipe. Here’s what to grab at the grocery store:
- White cranberry juice
- Lime juice
- Blanco tequila (silver tequila)
- Triple sec
- Cranberries, for garnish
- Lime slices, for garnish
- Rosemary sprigs, for garnish
- Maple syrup, agave nectar or simple syrup, for the rim
- Coarse sugar, for the rim
Variations and substitutions
Mix things up with one of these variations:
Salt on the rim: If you like salt on the rim instead of a sugar rim, by all means do that. I love making my own margarita salt (which makes a great gift too, just saying).
Regular cranberry juice: Use regular cranberry juice in this drink if you like!
White grape juice: This is similar to white cranberry juice, so it makes a fine substitute.
Non-alcoholic White Christmas Margarita: Use a zero-proof spirit such as Ritual tequila alternative. My friend Elizabeth has a great cranberry margarita mocktail you can try with white cranberry juice, too!
How to make White Christmas Margaritas
Here’s how to make this gorgeous white cranberry Margarita recipe:
Rim glasses before you shake up the drink. Place maple syrup or agave syrup on a plate and coarse sugar on another. Roll around the edge of the glass in the syrup, then roll the rim of the glasses in the sugar to coat the rim.
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add white cranberry juice, lime juice, tequila and triple sec.
Shake vigorously, then strain into the prepared margarita glass.
Garnish with fresh cranberries, a slice of lime and a fresh rosemary sprig. Then say cheers and drink up this festive cocktail!
Tips & tricks
Here are some tips and tricks for making this recipe:
- Use the best ingredients you can afford. Make them as top-shelf as you can.
- Roll the outer rim of the glass in the sugar, rather than dipping the top in straight down. This keeps salt from getting in your beautiful margarita. I have a whole tutorial on how to rim a glass that’s worth checking out.
- When juicing fresh limes, use room-temperature citrus to get the most juice out of them.
What to serve with White Christmas Margarita
With their festive twist, these white cranberry margaritas are perfect to serve with appetizers at a holiday party. Try them with cranberry brie bites, bacon-wrapped dates or sausage balls.
They’d also be great with your favorite Mexican foods, like chips and guacamole or queso fundido.
FAQ
White cranberry juice is a clear version of cranberry juice. It is made with cranberries that are harvested before ripening, which have a light, white and pink color. They provide a milder, subtler and more delicate flavor than ripe cranberries.
You can use white grape juice or white cran-peach juice instead of white cranberry juice.
Triple sec is an orange liqueur. It can be replaced with any orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier. Keep in mind that Grand Marnier has an amber color, so if the drink is clear, it’s best to use triple sec or Cointreau. A non-alcoholic option is a splash of orange juice.
More holiday cocktail recipes
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White Christmas Margarita
ingredients
- 4 ounces white cranberry juice
- 2 ounces lime juice
- 3 ounces blanco tequila
- 1 ounce triple sec
- 3 cranberries for garnish
- 1 lime slice for garnish
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary for garnish
instructions
- Place maple syrup on a plate and coarse sugar on another. Rub a lime wedge around the edge of the glass. Roll the rim of the glasses in the sugar to coat the rim.
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add white cranberry juice, lime juice, tequila and triple sec.
- Shake vigorously, then strain into the prepared margarita glass.
notes
- Use the best ingredients you can afford. Make them as top-shelf as you can.
- Roll the outer rim of the glass in the sugar, rather than dipping the top in straight down. This keeps it from getting in your beautiful margarita and altering the taste of the drink.
- When juicing fresh limes, use room-temperature citrus to get the most juice out of them.
- For a non-alcoholic version, use a zero-proof spirit.
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