Pomegranate Margarita

This easy Pomegranate Margarita features the ideal balance of tequila, fresh lime juice, and sweet-tart pomegranate syrup. It mixes up in minutes and adds a beautiful seasonal twist to a classic cocktail, making it perfect for the holidays.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why this recipe works
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🍹 Recipe tips
• 🥳 How to make a big batch
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🎄 More holiday cocktails
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Pomegranates just scream "holiday season" to me. Not only are they a gorgeous and festive color of red, but they're always so readily available around the holidays.

They make a beautiful garnish to so many dishes and desserts, but are also perfection in all kinds of drinks.

While some may say margaritas aren't exactly the drink of the holidays, I'd argue that there's not much better than a Christmas margarita. Especially a pomegranate margarita.

❤️ Why this recipe works

It's made with pomegranate syrup instead of juice: using pomegranate syrup instead of bottled juice gives the drink a richer and more concentrated pomegranate flavor and a gorgeous color.

No need to open pomegranate: I love using pomegranate arils for garnish, but since the drink is made with a syrup (that's made with pomegranate juice), you don't have to do the tough job of opening a pomegranate if you don't want to.

Easy to adjust sweetness: because the syrup is the sweetener, you can easily dial the sweetness up or down depending on your syrup or personal taste.

Can be made in a big batch: the recipe scales really well for pitchers, so you can serve a crowd at a holiday party.

🗒 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make my pomegranate margaritas (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Blanco tequila
• Pomegranate syrup: you can make your own syrup with the recipe I share here or you can buy a bottle of pomegranate syrup
• Freshly squeezed lime juice
• Cointreau or triple sec
• Coarse salt or sugar: for rimming glass
• Pomegranate arils and lime wedges: for garnish

If you're making homemade pomegranate syrup, here's what you need:

• Pomegranate juice:  I always use POM Wonderful. Just make sure it's 100% juice
• Granulated sugar

🍹 Recipe tips

• Use a quality tequila. It doesn't have to be top shelf or super fancy, but it should be a decent smooth tequila. I recommend Herradura Tequila or Espolòn Blanco, but lots of options could work.

• Either make your own pomegranate syrup or buy a bottle of it. I make my own with 100% pomegranate juice (you can see my post about it here), but you can also make it with fresh pomegranate arils.

• Always use freshly squeezed lime juice. I recommend never using bottled lime juice in cocktails as it just doesn't have the same bright zing as freshly.

• If you do want a less sweet drink, I recommend adding a splash of unsweetened pomegranate juice so you don't lose any of the fruity flavor.

• Shake really well with ice. Once the margarita ingredients are combined, be sure to give the shaker a vigorous 10-15 second shake to really chill the drink and give it a little aeration.

• Salt or sugar your glass rims. I always use salt, but if you're not a fan of salted rims, coarse sugar also goes really well with this drink.

I love garnishing my pomegranate margaritas with lime wedges and pomegranate arils. But then, I actually love removing the arils from the fruit. There's something therapeutic about it for me.

And this margarita is absolutely out of this world incredible. It's perfectly sweet and fruity, while not being too much at all. It's still a good strong, tequila-forward drink.

🥳 How to make a big batch

If you're planning to make these drinks for a holiday party, I recommend turning them into a big batch cocktail, so you're not mixing individual drinks all night long.

Here's everything I'd add into a big pitcher to serve 8:

• 2 cups blanco tequila
• 1 cup pomegranate syrup
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ cup Cointreau or triple sec

Once stirred together, chill the mixture in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, prepare your glasses with coarse salt or sugar.

Add ice to the glasses, give the cocktail one more stir, and more into glasses. Top with lime wedges and pomegranate arils if you want.

🎉 Variations on recipe

There are lots of of ways you can add your own twist to this simple margarita. Here are some ideas:

• Top the drink of with sparkling water for a little fizz. You can use plain, pomegranate flavored, or lime flavored. You can use prosecco instead, if you prefer.
• Add some sliced jalapeño pepper to the shaker for a spicy pomegranate margarita!
• If you like the idea of a smoky margarita, use mezcal instead of blanco tequila.
• For more holiday flavor, add a little Domaine de Canton (or other ginger liqueur) or shake drink with some freshly peeled ginger.
• Add a sprig of fresh rosemary to the shaker for more winter vibes.
• For a frozen margarita, blend the ingredients with 1 cup of ice and ¼ cup 100% pomegranate juice. Adjust ice as needed to get the perfect slushy texture. We also like making these in our Ninja Slushie.
• For a mocktail, I recommend using 1 oz pomegranate syrup, 2 oz 100% pomegranate juice, 1 oz lime juice, and 2-3 oz sparkling water.

However you make this margarita, it's going to be a stunning color and a showstopper of a drink.

🎄 More holiday cocktails

Pomegranate is one of my favorite holiday flavors, but I have tons of cocktail recipes on my website that will make your holidays even merrier.

Here are some faves:

What flavors do you enjoy in your holiday drinks?

I highly recommend adding this pomegranate margarita to your holiday bar for the party season, but also whipping up a batch for tree decorating, movie watching, present wrapping, and more!

📖 Recipe