December 12, 2022

Holiday Spice Margarita

holiday spice margarita cocktail recipe

Cheers to the holiday season, y’all! Every holiday needs a good cocktail, and Christmas cocktails are some of my favorite seasonal drinks. This year, I’ve loved sipping this Holiday Spice Margarita, flavored with cranberry, spice, and more tastes of the season.

Now, y’all know I’m not the biggest margarita gal out there. But I enjoy a well-made marg every now and then. This year, I’m branching out from my usual Old Fashioned riffs and whiskey cocktails and enjoying this holiday margarita. It’s got everything a good holiday cocktail should have: tart, sweet, with a hint of spice, and a good salted rim.

First, let’s make a holiday spice syrup.

What makes this holiday margarita recipe so special is the syrup. Honestly the syrup I made was inspired by a “holiday simple syrup” I saw on TikTok by @servedbysammy. As soon as I saw his video, I immediately wanted to make my own syrup and use it in a cocktail or two. My version didn’t exactly follow the one Sam made, but it’s close enough. Really, you can use whatever seasonal fruit and spices you’ve got in your fridge or pantry that need to be used up.

I made my holiday spice syrup with:

Orange slices
Lemon juice
Cranberries
Cinnamon stick
Mulling spices

Like with any simple syrup, I added those ingredients to a saucepan with equal parts sugar and water, stirred to combine, and let it simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Once it was cool, I strained the solids out and poured the syrup into a mason jar to keep in the fridge.

Although I had a margarita in mind when I made this syrup, of course I had to try it in an Old Fashioned. And it’s also delicious in one of those, too.

Now that we’ve got the syrup made, let’s make a drink!

How to make a Holiday Spice Margarita

To make it, you will need:

2 oz tequila (I use Espolon reposado)
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz orange liqueur (triple sec, Cointreau, etc.)
0.75 oz holiday spice syrup

If you prefer your margarita on the sweeter side, you can use a full ounce of the syrup. If you prefer it more tart, you can use less syrup, or use a full ounce of lime juice. Or both.

Rimming your glass with salt is totally optional, and I admit I don’t always do this when I make margaritas at home. It’s just an extra, usually unnecessary step. But this holiday margarita is really nice with a lime-salt rim. I mixed some lime zest with coarse salt, rubbed the side of the glass with a lime wedge, and dipped the glass in the lime salt.

To make your holiday margarita, add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker or mason jar. Add ice, cover, and shake for 8-10 seconds until the cocktail is properly chilled and diluted. Double-strain your drink into a new glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and some cranberries, or a sprig of fresh rosemary.

This holiday margarita would make a great big-batch cocktail for any holiday parties or Christmas gatherings. Just multiply each ingredient for how many servings you anticipate, and account for some dilution through ice.

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