Spiced Cranberry Margarita

By
Tom Macy
Photo of Tom Macy
Tom Macy
Tom wears many cocktail hats. He is a professional bartender, bar owner, recipe creator, and drink writer, though he prefers the title "obsessive cocktail nerd."
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Updated on 12/4/21
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Cooling Time: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

This holiday twist on a classic margarita is from mixologist Tom Macy, head bartender at the inventive Brooklyn cocktail bar, Clover Club. It takes the classic tequila cocktail and adds a cinnamon sugar syrup and some cranberry juice, giving it a festive red tint and hint of warm spice. The recipe calls for making the cinnamon simple syrup from scratch, which is an easy process and leftovers can be stored for a month in the refrigerator. The 1-cup batch of simple syrup is enough to create 16 of these drinks.

Feel free to use your favorite brand of tequila, along with an orange liqueur such as Cointreau; lime juice, cranberry juice, and the simple syrup round out this colorful cocktail. You will need a cocktail shaker and it is helpful to have a jigger for measuring the ingredients. Shake up the spiced cranberry margarita like a pro at your next holiday party and prepare to look very cool while doing it. Or make a batch to have ready for a larger gathering.

Spiced Cranberry Margarita

 The Spruce / Todd Coleman

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup:

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 cup water

  • 10 sticks cinnamon

For the Margarita:

  • 2 ounces tequila

  • 1/2 ounce orange liqueur, such as Cointreau

  • 1/2 ounce lime juice

  • 1/2 ounce cranberry juice

  • 1/2 ounce cinnamon simple syrup

  • Cinnamon stick, for garnish

  • Orange slice, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Prepare the Cinnamon Simple Syrup

  1. Place the sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until the sugar dissolves completely, about 2 minutes.

  2. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature, for about 15 minutes.

Make the Margarita

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Pour the tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, cranberry juice, and 1/2 ounce of the cinnamon simple syrup into a cocktail shaker.

  3. Add ice to the cocktail shaker until full. Seal the shaker and shake until it is cold to the touch.

  4. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange slice, if desired.

  5. Enjoy.

Tip

To store any leftover cinnamon simple syrup, pour into an airtight container with the cinnamon sticks (it will continue to infuse). The simple syrup will last one month when refrigerated.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
230 Calories
0g Fat
19g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 230
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 19mg 97%
Calcium 26mg 2%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 65mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)