This holiday punch is unlike any I’ve ever had, and I think you’re going to love it. It’s not too sweet. It tastes like pear, vanilla, spice and everything nice. It’s a smooth, easy sipper, even with tequila inside. Yep, tequila!
This pitcher of cocktails was inspired by an oldie but goodie, my Pear Nectar Cocktails with Reposado Tequila. That cocktail is proof that simple ingredients can yield a delightfully complex cocktail. If you’re just making one or two drinks, follow that recipe instead.
You won’t need any fancy liqueurs for this holiday punch recipe, just some pear juice, reposado tequila, plus a few basic ingredients—lemon juice, club soda, cinnamon and vanilla extract.
I know we’re skipping the holiday parties this year, but I just couldn’t keep this recipe to myself until next December. If you’d like to batch some cocktails for your family, this punch is just the ticket.
Or you could drop off a jar of cocktails with friends or neighbors to share some holiday cheer. I wrote the recipe to yield eight drinks and you can divide or multiply as you’d like.
We teamed up with Tequila Don Julio to share the recipe for a classic old fashioned, with a little tequila twist. Starring Don Julio Reposado Tequila, this cocktail’s simple to stir up yet filled with cozy-warm flavors. The best part? Have all the ingr…
We teamed up with Tequila Don Julio to share the recipe for a classic old fashioned, with a little tequila twist. Starring Don Julio Reposado Tequila, this cocktail’s simple to stir up yet filled with cozy-warm flavors. The best part? Have all the ingredients you need, including a full-size bottle of Don Julio, delivered straight to your door with this Cocktail Courier kit.
Here, Food52 Resident Rick Martinez shares his family’s annual holiday tradition—and how it’ll look a little different this year.
The Christmas margarita is the best holiday drink! This brilliant cranberry spin is irresistible and perfect for festivities. Looking for a Christmas cocktail that’s fun and a little…unexpected? It’s not often that tequila features in holiday cocktails. But this one is absolutely stellar: try the Christmas Margarita! Why not bring everyone’s favorite drink to your holiday festivities? This one keeps all the character of a classic margarita and adds cranberry juice for a vibrant color and sweet tart nuance. With a garnish of fresh cranberries and rosemary, it’s holiday perfection. We created this drink especially for a virtual holiday party with our friend Sierra: it could not be more festive! What’s in a Christmas margarita? Who doesn’t love a good margarita? (No one.) This classic cocktail is one of the most iconic in the world: it was invented in the 1930’s and is even more popular today. In fact, the classic margarita is on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. This means there’s an “official” definition of how its made: it’s just three ingredients: lime juice, Cointreau, and tequila. The Christmas margarita is a spin-off on the classic. We’ve kept all the classic ingredients and added 100% cranberry juice. […]
The Christmas margarita is the best holiday drink! This brilliant cranberry spin is irresistible and perfect for festivities.
Looking for a Christmas cocktail that’s fun and a little…unexpected? It’s not often that tequila features in holiday cocktails. But this one is absolutely stellar: try the Christmas Margarita! Why not bring everyone’s favorite drink to your holiday festivities? This one keeps all the character of a classic margarita and adds cranberry juice for a vibrant color and sweet tart nuance. With a garnish of fresh cranberries and rosemary, it’s holiday perfection. We created this drink especially for a virtual holiday party with our friend Sierra: it could not be more festive!
What’s in a Christmas margarita?
Who doesn’t love a good margarita? (No one.) This classic cocktail is one of the most iconic in the world: it was invented in the 1930’s and is even more popular today. In fact, the classic margarita is on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. This means there’s an “official” definition of how its made: it’s just three ingredients: lime juice, Cointreau, and tequila.
The Christmas margarita is a spin-off on the classic. We’ve kept all the classic ingredients and added 100% cranberry juice. Because it’s unsweetened and very tart, we added a splash of simple syrup to balance things out. Here’s what you’ll need to make a Christmas margarita:
When you’re shopping for the cranberry juice for your Christmas margarita, make sure to find 100% cranberry juice, which is unsweetened. You can easily find it at most grocery stores, but it’s right next to the sweetened cranberry juice. Here’s what to know for when you’re shopping:
Sweetened cranberry juiceaka cranberry juice cocktail has added sugars and sometimes high-fructose corn syrup as sweetener. This type of cranberry juice has been available since the 1940’s for making classic cranberry cocktails like the Vodka Cranberry. However, we like using the modern 100% juice.
100% cranberry juice is unsweetened and made only with cranberries: no added sugar! The benefit? The color is brighter, and you can sweeten your drink to taste.
Did you buy unsweetened? That’s ok, just don’t sweeten your drink as much. Use half of the simple syrup in the recipe below — or even add it to taste.
How to make a salt rim
Of course, a perfect Christmas margarita needs a salt rim! Why is salt used in margaritas? Salt brings out the sweet and sour flavors in the drink. Plus, it’s ultra classic. For the Christmas margarita you could also make a sugar rim if you’d like! Just use superfine or granulated sugar and follow the instructions below. Here’s how to make a salt rim:
Use kosher salt or flaky sea salt (not table salt!). These types of salt are chunky and make for just the right texture on the rim. Or, you can make festive Margarita Salt!
Take a lime wedge and cut a notch in the middle. Then slide it around the rim of the glass. This moistens the rim without having to use your fingers.
Rim the outside edge only. Spread the salt on a plate in an even layer. Tilt the glass into the salt so that the sugar sticks to the outside edge. Shake off any loose salt into the sink.
How to make a Christmas margarita!
Once you’ve rimmed the glasses, making a Christmas margarita is very simple: all you have to do is shake the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker! Here’s what to do:
Rim the glass with salt. See above!
Shake in a cocktail shaker. Shake the cranberry juice, tequila, lime juice, Cointreau and simple syrup together with ice in a cocktail shaker (or use a mason jar with a lid).
Strain into a glass and add ice. Strain it into a glass and serve with ice! You can also add fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary as a beautiful garnish. Speaking of ice…
Step it up with clear ice
Want to have the most beautiful look for this Christmas margarita? Look in the photos: see that beautiful crystal clear ice block that looks like it’s cut off a glacier? It’s called Clear Ice. Clear ice is artisan style ice that’s crystal clear, unlike normal ice that’s cloudy. It’s very easy to make at home: Alex created a method that we do with all of our cocktail recipes! Go to How to make clear ice.
What to serve with a Christmas margarita
This Christmas margarita is ideal for holiday gatherings: especially a holiday cocktail party! We made this cocktail and our Christmas martini for a special virtual cocktail party with our friend Sierra from Eclectic Kurves. These drinks pair perfectly with nibbles and appetizers! You can make up a holiday platter with some of the ideas below:
Cut a notch in a lime wedge, then run the lime around the rim of a glass. Dip the edge of the rim into a plate of salt (or for a festive look, use Margarita Salt).
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it with ice. Shake until cold. Strain the margarita into the glass with the salted rim. Fill the glass with ice, garnish with cranberries and a rosemary sprig, and serve.
Notes
*If all you can find is sweetened cranberry juice, use half the simple syrup quantity (or add to taste).
**To make a pitcher of 8 servings, mix together in a pitcher: 1 1/2 cups tequila, 2 cups 100% unsweetened cranberry juice, 3/4 cup Cointreau, 3/4 cup lime juice, 3 tablespoons simple syrup. Add three handfuls of ice and stir until cold. Pour into individual glasses.
Category:Drink
Method:Shaken
Cuisine:Cocktails
Keywords: Christmas margarita
More Christmas drinks
There are so many great cocktails to serve in the holiday season! Here are a few ideas:
Mix up a Christmas Martini — it uses many of the same ingredients as the margarita!
I have another recipe on the site for Strawberry Margaritas that uses fresh strawberries, but this recipe uses strawberry-infused vermouth, which I had on hand after making a Strawberry Spritz. I like it so much, I decided to give it a go in a Margarita. It worked so well, even better than expected, that I just had to share. I think you’ll like it, too….
I have another recipe on the site for Strawberry Margaritas that uses fresh strawberries, but this recipe uses strawberry-infused vermouth, which I had on hand after making a Strawberry Spritz. I like it so much, I decided to give it a go in a Margarita. It worked so well, even better than expected, that I just had to share. I think you’ll like it, too.
We’ve teamed up with Tequila Don Julio, makers of top-shelf tequilas since 1942, to highlight creative (yet totally doable!) ways to shake up your cocktail game. Here, food writer and recipe developer Irene Yoo shares three summer-ready drinks all made…
We've teamed up with Tequila Don Julio, makers of top-shelf tequilas since 1942, to highlight creative (yet totally doable!) ways to shake up your cocktail game. Here, food writer and recipe developer Irene Yoo shares three summer-ready drinks all made with—wait for it—pantry ingredients.
I’ve always been a saver. The “What if I could use this in the future?” possibility applies to all aspects of my life: a denim skirt from high school, some outdated aux cords, scrap pieces of paper (they could be used for origami one day!), you get the idea. This mentality finds its way into the kitchen, too.
Ranch water is a Texas-style tequila highball drink made with lime, tequila and Topo Chico! This bubbly cocktail is all about cooling off on hot days. Move over, Aperol spritz. There’s a new bubbly cocktail that’s ready to take over the summer. Meet Ranch Water! Yes, Ranch Water is the unofficial drink of West Texas, essentially a tequila highball made with lime juice and Topo Chico. One of our dearest friends, a Texan, suggested we try this drink…and after one sip it blew us away! It’s like a bubbly, lighter version of the classic margarita, with all the tangy lime but less sweetness and booze. Could there be anything more refreshing? (We think not.) What’s Ranch Water? Why is it called that? Ranch Water is a tequila highball cocktail that hails from West Texas. No one knows exactly how it came to be, or even how it got the name. Some people say a Texas rancher invented it in the 1960’s. Whatever the case, Ranch Water was a word-of-mouth drink until around 2010, when bartenders in Texas started adding it to their menus. The ingredients in Ranch Water are: Tequila Lime juice Topo Chico mineral water Die hards of this […]
Ranch water is a Texas-style tequila highball drink made with lime, tequila and Topo Chico! This bubbly cocktail is all about cooling off on hot days.
Move over, Aperol spritz. There’s a new bubbly cocktail that’s ready to take over the summer. Meet Ranch Water! Yes, Ranch Water is the unofficial drink of West Texas, essentially a tequila highball made with lime juice and Topo Chico. One of our dearest friends, a Texan, suggested we try this drink…and after one sip it blew us away! It’s like a bubbly, lighter version of the classic margarita, with all the tangy lime but less sweetness and booze. Could there be anything more refreshing? (We think not.)
What’s Ranch Water? Why is it called that?
Ranch Water is a tequila highball cocktail that hails from West Texas. No one knows exactly how it came to be, or even how it got the name. Some people say a Texas rancher invented it in the 1960’s. Whatever the case, Ranch Water was a word-of-mouth drink until around 2010, when bartenders in Texas started adding it to their menus. The ingredients in Ranch Water are:
Tequila
Lime juice
Topo Chico mineral water
Die hards of this drink claim it’s not Ranch Water unless it’s made with Topo Chico, that Mexican mineral water brand sold in the distinctive bottles. Of course you could make it with another brand: but Topo Chico seals the deal for us.
How to make Ranch Water
There’s really no science to Ranch Water! Because it was a word-of-mouth cocktail for so long, it’s more about vibe than anything. Really, you can use as much lime, tequila, and soda water as you’d like. Keep those bubbles on hand to refresh your drink, when you need it. Here’s the art to making Ranch Water:
Place 2 shots of tequila in a glass (3 ounces).
Mix in the juice of 1 lime (that’s about 1 1/2 ounces).
Fill the glass with ice and top it off with Topo Chico (about 1/2 cup).
What tequila to use
The better the tequila, the better the drink! Ranch Water isn’t the most sophisticated of cocktails, so we wouldn’t require pulling out the top shelf stuff. Try finding a mid-price range tequila: typically this correlates to the quality of the alcohol. You can use either tequila blanco (“new” or un-aged tequila) or tequila reposado (aged) here. The aged tequila has more nuance in flavor, and makes for a more interesting drink.
More great highball cocktails to beat the heat!
What’s a highball? A highball cocktail is a family of mixed drinks that combine alcohol with a larger percentage of non-alcoholic mixer. There are lots of famous highballs like the good old gin and tonic or vodka cranberry. Here are a few more highballs that are perfect for hot weather:
Vodka Tonic One of the easiest mixed drinks of all time! This two-ingredient cocktail is bubbly, citrusy, and refreshing.
Whiskey Highball Tall, bubbly, and all about the spirit! A refreshing way to enjoy your favorite whiskey.
Sea Breeze A classic highball that’s easy to make! Starring vodka, cranberry, and grapefruit on lots of ice, it’s ultra refreshing.
When to serve Ranch Water
Ranch Water is a carefree highball drink that’s perfect for sipping as a:
We’ve teamed up with Don Julio, makers of top-shelf tequilas since 1942, to highlight creative (yet totally doable!) ways to shake up your cocktail game. Here, Chef Claudette Zepeda shares two spring-ready tequila drinks with a smoky twist—plus, a vege…
We've teamed up with Don Julio, makers of top-shelf tequilas since 1942, to highlight creative (yet totally doable!) ways to shake up your cocktail game. Here, Chef Claudette Zepeda shares two spring-ready tequila drinks with a smoky twist—plus, a vegetarian-friendly riff on al pastor tacos to serve them with.
In my mind, you can never go wrong with a margarita.
We very much need jam margaritas right now. I’m temporarily bringing back cocktail Thursdays so you can make the ultimate pantry drink this weekend: bubbly jam margaritas! Oh yes. You can use any flavor of jam that you love – throw it in a shaker with some tequila and lime juice and here we are. […]
I’m temporarily bringing back cocktail Thursdays so you can make the ultimate pantry drink this weekend: bubbly jam margaritas!
Oh yes. You can use any flavor of jam that you love – throw it in a shaker with some tequila and lime juice and here we are.
In a very good place.
A very good, salted rim, frothy icy beverage type of place.
P.S. if you’re in need of other quarantine cocktail ideas, I’ve done thirsty Thursdays here on the blog for yearsss… you have tons of options right here!
I’m also gearing up for cinco de mayo at home. I want to make tacos, maybe nachos and definitely a margarita next Tuesday. If you’re in the market for a fantastic margarita at home, aside from my favorite classic, here are my top five:
Don’t they all sound incredible? They are. I promise.
Aside from that, I’ve only been having a cocktail on Friday night! Okay, maaaaybe Saturday. But I’ve made it a little tradition right now to have one on Friday evenings and it’s really nice. This is by far my newest favorite!
So!
The best part about this? You don’t have to make a simple syrup. Simple syrup is ridiculously easy to make, and you can easily make a batch in advance and store it in the fridge, but it’s also just another step, you know?
However, instead of syrup, we’re doing the jam!
This isn’t the first time I’ve made a jam cocktail. Sixish years ago I made a cider jam bourbon cocktail and it inspired a ton of ideas using the jam. It’s the easiest way to make any fruity drink in an effortless manner.
The varieties I’ve tried so far for margaritas: strawberry, blackberry with jalapeños, apricot, peach and fig. It helps that I have a serious obsession with american spoon and buy at least 12 jams every summer when we are in Michigan. I should be making pitchers of margaritas with all of the jam I have!
Once you shake everything up with ice, pour it into your salted rim glass, you add a liitttttle top off. I suggest going with a lime seltzer, but I won’t lie: I’ve tried prosecco too! It was delish. Because this entire cup is just wonderful.
These bubbly jam margaritas are easy and delicious! Use your favorite jam instead of simple syrup to create a fruity flavor everyone will love.
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15minutes
Total Time 15minutes
Servings 1cocktail, is easily multiplied
Author How Sweet Eats
Ingredients
coarse salt or tajin for the rim
2ounceslime juice
2ouncesyour favorite jam
1 1/2ouncestequila
1ounceorange liqueur,optional (like Grand Mariner or Triple Sec)
1ouncelime seltzer
lime wedges for garnish
optional add: sliced jalapeno peppers
Instructions
Rim a glass with a lime wedge and dip it in the salt. Fill the glass with ice.
Fill a shaker cup with ice. Add the lime juice, tequila, jam and orange liqueur (if you’re using it!). Shake for 30 seconds, until the drink is frothy. Pour it in the glass over ice. Top with the lime seltzer and garnish with lime wedges!
Jam ideas: strawberry, blackberry, apricot, orange, peach, fig, etc!
Annnnd the rest of quarantine will look like this.
More people are drinking premium tequila and mezcal than ever before—particularly, in America and Japan. Over 170,000 liters of tequila and mezcal were exported to the U.S. alone in 2017, amounting to over half of Mexico’s total exported mezcal. It’s s…
More people are drinking premium tequila and mezcal than ever before—particularly, in America and Japan. Over 170,000 liters of tequila and mezcal were exported to the U.S. alone in 2017, amounting to over half of Mexico's total exported mezcal. It's safe to assume that number's only grown since. In fact, it's projected that the agave spirit category will continue to grow 14 percent every year in North America.
All of this begs the question: How long can Mexican agave crops sustain the demands of this upward trend?
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