Mistletoe Margarita

Create a gorgeous holiday cocktail with this mistletoe margarita recipe that combines classic margarita ingredients with a little something special. Decorated with rosemary and cranberries, it looks delicious and very seasonal.

What’s your cocktail of choice? And by that I mean, one you will get either at a restaurant or make at home? I have two: margaritas and martinis or as I like to say, the two “M’s.”

What I adore about the martini is the taste. My go-to is the dirty vodka martini. The brine added with the vodka and touch of vermouth is just exquisite.

And what I like about the margarita is not only the lip smacking taste but the melding of all the ingredients. It makes for a refreshing and delicious drink.

The basics of a margarita

Margaritas are usually made with the same base ingredients: tequila, lime juice, sweetener like simple syrup or agave syrup, and an orange flavored liqueur.

What makes each margarita unique is what you ADD to the above ingredients, for instance, fruits like peaches, cherries, and pineapple. These margaritas are usually served frozen. Or by adding juices like red cranberry, apple cider, blood orange, pomegranate, and this margarita which adds white cranberry juice.

These delightful mistletoe margaritas are refreshing, pretty, delicious, and guaranteed to be a huge hit when you serve them at your holiday party.

This is the perfect holiday margarita recipe, and I can’t wait for you to try it.

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Want to learn more about tequila? Read my complete guide here.

Helpful tips

• You may be tempted to switch out the white cranberry juice with the red variety. It won’t be the same cocktail though, because red and white cranberries taste different from each other. White cranberries are smoother and less tart tasting than the more popular red cranberries.
• I use mostly mid-level brands in my cocktails, but I understand that people are budget conscious. My advice is to buy the best you can afford. I also say to stay away from really cheap alcohol. Try Cuervo Gold as it is a good budget-friendly tequila.
• I use the orange liqueur, Cointreau. It’s an upper mid-level liqueur but you can substitute it with another orange curacao like triple sec.
• Another premium orange-flavored liqueur is Grand Marnier. It is made with cognac, bitter oranges, and sugar. And even though some say you can substitute Cointreau with Grand Marnier, it really isn’t true. They taste different even though they are both orange-based. And since Cointreau is in this cocktail already, if you don’t want to buy Grand Marnier liqueur, just omit it.
• Always make your own sweet and sour mix. I prefer a 2:1 ratio, so two parts sour to one part sweet. Start there and if you decide you want it sweeter, add a bit more simple syrup. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t subtract it.
• Make your own simple syrup because it is so easy to make. Here’s how: Add equal parts (1 cup each) of water and white sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat the ingredients on medium and bring them to a boil. Lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves.
• This is a good margarita to garnish with salt on the rim of your glass. Here’s how: Get a small shallow plate and add just enough chunky salt like kosher or Maldon salt to cover the bottom. Dip your finger in some simple syrup and wet the rim of each glass. Dip the rims of the glasses in the salt making sure the rims are covered as much as you want them to be. Make sure to keep the glass upside down and shake the loose salt off the rims. Place the glass right side up. If you see salt in the bottom of the glass, then tip it upside down again and shake it out.
• Some people add a lime wedge as garnish, but I prefer the rosemary and cranberries for that mistletoe look.

How to make a mistletoe margarita

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice. Also get a measuring glass and margarita glasses. Here, I’m choosing a classic margarita glass and a double old fashioned glass that I bought at Crate and Barrel.

Place a few cranberries on a martini pick and get two rosemary sprigs ready for the garnish. For these photos, I chose to use only one martini pick, but you can use one for each glass.

You will also put a handful of cranberries in each glass, 6 – 7 per glass.

If you want salt on the rim, do so now. See Helpful Tips.

After measuring out the ingredients, add them to the cocktail shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – tequila, orange liqueur, limes, Grand Marnier, simple syrup, and white cranberry juice.

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of tequila. (A)

Step three

Measure 1 ounce of orange liqueur. (B)

Step four

Measure 1 ounce Grand Marnier. (C)

Step five

Measure 4 ounces white cranberry juice. (D)

Step six

Measure 2 ounces of fresh lime juice. (E)

Step seven

Measure 1 ounce of simple syrup. (F)

Step eight

Add fresh ice to the glasses. I like using large cubes. Here’s the tray I use.

Cap the cocktail shaker and shake the mixture for 15 seconds. Strain and divide the margarita between the glasses. If you like, pour the ice from the shaker to the two glasses.

Step nine

Add to each glass a sprig of rosemary and a martini pick with cranberries on it. For fun, I also put a bunch of loose cranberries in the glasses because I love the colors!

Doesn’t that look festive and delicious?

Let’s look at a closer view.

And the vertical view.

It’s a gorgeous and delicious drink!

I hope you enjoyed this mistletoe margarita recipe!

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!