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Overhead view of cranberry jalapeño margaritas

Cranberry Jalapeño Margarita

Homemade cranberry juice, jalapeño simple syrup, and tequila are the main ingredients in this festive and flavorful Cranberry Jalapeño Margarita. Cheers to the holiday season!
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Christmas Cocktails, Cranberry Cocktails, Holiday Cocktails, Margarita Recipes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time (for cranberry juice + simple syrup): 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Makes: 1 cocktail
Author: Sues

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cranberry juice (recipe below)
  • 3 oz. tequila
  • 1 oz. jalapeño simple syrup
  • ½ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

Homemade Cranberry Juice

  • 5 cups water
  • 12 oz. (1 bag) fresh cranberries
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ¼ tsp anise seed (or 2 star anise)
  • 5 whole cloves
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Instructions

  • Brush rim of glass with lime juice (you can brush with simple syrup if you want, but note it may be a bit spicy so only use if you love spiciness!) and place upside-down on a small plate of coarse salt or sugar to coat rim. Fill glass with ice.
  • In an ice-filled shaker, combine cranberry juice, tequila, simple syrup, and lime juice. Shake well and pour into prepared glass.
  • Garnish glass with cranberries and jalapeño slices.

Homemade Cranberry Juice

  • Put water and cranberries in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, add in spices, cover saucepan, and let cook for 20-25 minutes.
  • Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to extract liquid (Dispose of cranberry mash or save for another use).
  • Pour liquid back in saucepan over low heat and stir in sugar and lime juice.
  • Pour into heat-proof bowl or pitcher and place in fridge to let cool completely before using.

Notes

  • You should be able to make about 8 cocktails with cranberry juice )and single batch of jalapeño simple syrup).
  • For a big batch cocktail, you can mix this margarita in a pitcher: to serve 8, I recommend mixing: 4 cups cranberry juice (full batch), 3 cups tequila, 1 cup jalapeño simple syrup, and ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice.
  • If making this cranberry juice to drink as is, you may want to increase the sugar a bit. I purposely leave it a little tart since the margarita also has simple syrup in it.
Share a Photo of Your Finished Recipe!Mention @wearenotmartha and share a photo if you've made the recipe!