Fresh Cranberry Margaritas
Fresh cranberry sauce is the secret to these intensely flavored tart-sweet fresh cranberry margaritas. Make them by the glass or in a pitcher for parties.
Servings 2 drinks
Calories 200kcal
Ingredients
Cranberry Syrup
- 12 oz whole cranberries, either fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp lime juice, about 1 1/2 limes
- 3/4 cup orange juice
Cocktail
- 2 oz (4 tbsp) cranberry syrup
- 3 oz (6 tbsp) tequila
- 1 oz (2 tbsp) lime juice
- 1 oz (2 tbsp) orange liqueur
- ice
- sugar - either granulated or sanding sugar to rim the glasses
Instructions
- To make the cranberry syrup: Add all the syrup ingredients to a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let the syrup simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst. Cool for 5 minutes.
- Puree the syrup in a blender and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a container. Transfer the container to the refrigerator until the syrup is cool.
- Syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead.
- To make the margaritas: Prepare two cocktail glasses. Pour a few tablespoons of sugar onto a plate. Wet the rims with a little water or lime juice (the squeezed lime halves are great for running along the edges of the glasses) and turn them upside down onto the plate into the sugar.
- Once the glasses are rimmed with sugar, fill the glasses about halfway with ice.
- Add syrup, tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur to a cocktail shaker. Fill it the rest of the way with ice.
- Shake vigorously and then pour the cocktail into the two glasses.
Notes
- Adjusting the Sweetness: The recipe makes a fairly tart margarita. If you like a sweeter margarita, add another 1/4 cup of sugar when making the syrup. If you're already made the syrup and are wishing for a sweeter drink, add either agave syrup or simple syrup (equal amounts of sugar and water heated until the sugar dissolves) to your drink by the spoonful.
- Cranberry Syrup: The cranberry syrup is very thick! You will need to give a good shake to break up the gel when you are making the cocktails.
- Chilling the Syrup: You can, of course, use the syrup as soon as you've strained it. However, it will be quite warm and will melt more of the ice so the drinks will be more diluted.
- Pitcher Directions: The syrup recipe makes 16 oz (2 cups) of syrup. To make a pitcher of margaritas, take the cocktail recipe and multiply it by 8. (Which is 2 cups syrup, 3 cups tequila, 1 cup lime juice, and 1 cup orange liqueur.)
Nutrition
Calories: 200kcal