Spiced Cranberry Margaritas (The Best Thanksgiving Cocktail!)

Spiced Cranberry Margaritas are a festive twist on a classic made with pure cranberry juice, apple cider, warming spices complete with a cinnamon sugar rim! Make one cocktail or many with my Spiced Cranberry Margarita punch recipe included.

Is a holiday even a holiday without fun drinks? Let’s not find out!

My Spiced Cranberry Margaritas start with Socorro Reposado Tequila, Jalisco 1562 Orange liquor, pure cranberry juice, apple cider, ground ginger and ground cinnamon, shaken well then topped with fizzy ginger beer.

This cozier take on a classic margarita has a gorgeous deep ruby color, which pairs perfectly with a Thanksgiving feast or a Christmas gathering!

Every drink feels extra special with a coarse sugar & cinnamon rim, garnished with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.

This Spiced Cranberry Margarita really is the most perfect drink to serve during the holidays as you can make one or many for your holiday guests – I’ve included easy directions to make a pitcher of these margarita in the recipe card as well!

How Do I Make Spiced Cranberry Margaritas?

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions!

Rim your cocktail glass. If desired, combine coarse sugar and ground cinnamon onto a plate. Take a lime wedge to your cocktail glass side or rim, then dip your glass into the sugar mix. Add ice to your glass.

Combine cocktail ingredients in cocktail shaker. Add everything except the ginger beer as you’ll use this to top your cocktail glass. Add a scoop of ice and shake well for 30 seconds.

Pour and garnish. Pour your cocktail shaker content into your cocktail glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with an apple slice and/or cinnamon sticks for a beautiful, fall harvest-inspired drink!

What Ingredients Do I Need?

With a few key ingredients, you’ll have a festive and beautiful cocktail that’s both easy to make and impressive to serve. Here’s what you need for my Spiced Cranberry Margaritas:

• Socorro Reposado Tequila or your favorite
• Jalisco 1562 Orange Liqueur or your favorite
• 100% Pure Cranberry Juice
• Apple Cider look for unsweetened
• Ground Ginger
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ginger Beer
• Coarse Sugar for rim
• Apple Slices for garnish
• Cinnamon Sticks for garnish

Top Tips for Perfect Spiced Cranberry Margaritas:

Here are a few tips to creating the perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas cocktail, every time:

• Use a jigger to measure your liquid ingredients. I used to use a shot glass and found when I upgraded to a real bar jigger for measuring, I could make my cocktails more consistently delicious! Linking the jigger we have in our bar here.
• Buy quality alcohols! Socorro Reposado Tequila is clean, additive free and made from the purest agave. Orange Liquors can be full of additives so look for high quality brands like Jalisco 1562 orange liqueur, Grand Marnier or Cointreau.
• Skip anything with added sugar. I love using the pure cranberry juice in this cocktail because the color is so beautiful and rich and the tartness gives the drink a really nice balance. Apple ciders can be *very* sweet so look for unsweetened and taste test your cider before adding to your cocktail. I love using Ginger Beer instead of a mineral water for this recipe because it adds a touch of sweetness while still allowing the cocktail to keep it’s warming, cozy vibe.

FAQs

If you’re looking for a festive fall holiday drink, look no further than my Spiced Cranberry Margaritas! They are easy to make, beautiful to serve and delicious to drink. The tart cranberry, warming spices and slightly sweet ginger beer make this Thanksgiving cocktail irresistible!

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