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Festive, sweet, and spicy Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita (with mocktail). In-season pomegranate juice, orange juice, tequila, and orange liquor are all mixed together to create a wintery spicy margarita. Warm vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger are mixed together with spicy cayenne and rosemary to add unexpected flavors to this delicious drink. Rim your glasses in spicy cinnamon sugar, and top each drink off with ginger beer. You’ll create a magical holiday cocktail that everyone will love! Oh, and mocktail and punch recipes are included too. I hope you love this Christmas margarita recipe!
Ingredients
- Pomegranate juice
- Tangerine or orange juice
- Tequila
- Orange liquor
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Cayenne to taste
- Fresh rosemary
- Ginger beers for topping
- Coarse sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cayenne
What you will need in the kitchen:
- margarita glass
- shaker or mason jar
- punch bowl
- whisk
- small plate
Second to last Christmas cocktail of the season! This makes me SO SAD. Some years I feel like I’ve done all the holiday cocktails I can think up. But this year I didn’t have enough days to share new ideas.
I picked all my favorites though. And as we enter Christmas week, I’m only sharing my most special recipes. The ones I feel extra excited to share!
During the holiday season, I always keep the essentials for a few good cocktails on hand. I like to keep bourbon, vodka, and tequila stocked this time of year. These are my family’s alcohols of choice.
Then I always have cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, limes, and ginger beer in the fridge. These are my go-to mixers. You never know when you’ll need to mix up a quick drink. Best to be prepared! This recipe uses for simple, healthy ingredients for your upcoming festive gatherings.
Details
I wanted this drink to be a warming winter cocktail – spicy, sweet, and festive. My family loves a spicy tequila, so this was sounding perfect. The perfect holiday cocktail for Thanksgiving or to welcome guests in for Christmas parties.
Instead of doing any kind of simple syrup, I kept this very simple. Shake together a mix of pomegranate and orange juice. If your grocery store has them, use clementine or tangerine juice. Then add tequila, orange liquor, and if you’d like, add some honey to sweeten. You could also use maple syrup, or simply omit the sweetener altogether. I do not like an overly sweet drink, so I don’t usually add the honey. It’s up to you!
Add a splash of vanilla, a mix of cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne, and finish with a couple sprigs of rosemary. Give this a really good shake to combine the honey and spices.
When you feel like the drink is very well mixed. Add ice and shake again.
For the rim of the glass, instead of salt, I like to use sugar mixed with cinnamon and cayenne. Sounds a little different but it really adds a festive and delicious touch to each drink.
So rim the glass, then pour over the drink. Finish with ginger beer, rosemary, and pomegranate seeds.
It takes only minutes to make but always turns out to look so impressive. This drink is extra pretty with its festive red color. I’m planning to make the pitcher version next week for upcoming Christmas parties. My family has been sent photos are already looking forward to this one.
Kicking off the holiday week in the best way possible, with a festive holiday cocktail in hand!
Looking for other Christmas drinks? Here are my favorites:
Lastly, if you make this Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita (with mocktail), be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita (with mocktail)
Servings: 1 drink
Calories Per Serving: 380 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup tangerine or orange juice
- 2 ounces tequila
- 1/2 ounce orange liquor
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- ginger beer, for topping (optional)
CINNI SUGAR RIM
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- 1. On a small plate, mix the coarse sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne. Rim your glass with an orange, clementine, or tangerine. Then dip the glass into the sugar mix.2. Fill the glass with ice.3. Combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice, tequila, orange liquor, honey (if using), the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and rosemary in a cocktail shaker. Shake well to combine, then fill with ice and shake 1 minute. Pour into your prepared glass. Top with ginger beer and garnish with pomegranate seeds, cinnamon sticks, and rosemary. 4. To Make a Mocktail: omit the tequila and orange liquor. Use 2 additional tablespoons of pomegranate juice and 1 tablespoon of orange juice.
Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita Punch (with mocktail punch)
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 380 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
- 2 cups tangerine or orange juice
- 2 cups tequila
- 1 cup orange liquor
- 1/2 -1 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- cayenne to taste
- 6-8 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 ginger beers for topping (optional)
Cinni Sugar Rim
- 1/4 cup coarse sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- cayenne to taste
Instructions
- 1. In a punch bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice, tequila, orange liquor, honey (if using), vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Use a whisk to stir and incorporate the honey and spices. Add the rosemary. Chill until ready to serve. 2. On a small plate, mix the coarse sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne. Rim your glass with an orange then dip the glass into the sugar mix.3. Just before serving, stir well to mix everything. Add ice to your punch bowl. Pour over the ginger beer. Rim your glasses, then add ice. Pour over the punch. Serve and enjoy!4. To Make a Mocktail Punch: omit the tequila and orange liquor. Use 1 additional cup of pomegranate juice and 1/2 cup of orange juice.
Notes
Calories for the mocktail version are less.
This post was originally published on December 17, 2022
I made this for our Christmas party and it was delicious! A smash hit.
Thanks so much, Bonnie! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays! xx
This recipe is delicious! If you’re looking for something less sweet, I highly recommend swapping tequila for cranberry vodka (wild roots is a great one if it’s in your area) and adding a bit more cayenne. Makes for a perfect cocktail without the need for soda (but would also be refreshing with soda!). I love this recipe, thank you!!
Thanks so much, Jessica! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Cheers and happy holidays! xT
We made these last Christmas but forgot to post a review…they were a huge hit at our Christmas Eve celebration, so I served them again a few days later at a family celebration! Everyone loved them!
Hey Jennifer,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment:) I’m so glad this recipe was enjoyed! Cheers! xT
Really tasty. Subbed the cayenne powder for fresh jalapenos in the cocktail, so that everyone could spice to taste. Used tajin instead of cayenne in the cinnamon sugar on the rim. The rosemary and jalapeno, and the ginger beer, keep it from being too sweet, and it looks beautiful and so Christmas-y!
Thank you sooo much for giving this recipe a try! I hope you enjoyed it! xT
This recipe looks delicious and beautiful. Do you think Mezcal could be swapped for the tequila or that it would overpower the drink? This recipe looks amazing and I’m a sucker for mezcal. What do you think? Worth a try for New Year’s party?
Hey Nicole! Yes, that would be super yummy! xT
This was great! I loved that the ingredients were things I keep on hand and it wasn’t complex to make. Only change was a small swap for club soda for the ginger beer and we just added it to each drink. Thank you for adding to my Christmas party menu.
Hi Cindy! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! 🙂 xT
Absolutely delicious and super impressive looking while being attainable for a novice mixologist!
Hi! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas! xT
Very festive drink with all the holiday flavors! It likes some fruitcake and gingerbread had a margarita. I made the pitcher version to let the flavors meld a little while we went to look at Christmas lights. I poured a glass when I got back and definitely overdid it with my ginger beer pour. It only needs a splash. I also through in some edible glitter for some whimsy … 🥂 🎅🏼 🎄 ⛄️ Merry Christmas Tieghan! Looking forward to your talents in 2024!
Thank you so so much Ash! xT
Made these last night with one of my besties to toast the season and they were amazing. We switched to hot honey and increased the tequila from 2 ounces to 3 in the second batch. So, so good!
Hi Elisabeth! Thank you so much for trying out this recipe! Hope you enjoyed this recipe! xT
wondering if I could do salt on the rim with the cinnamon rather than sugar and wonder how that combo would be? Anyone tried that?
Hi Katie! I think that would be super yummy! xT
Just made this tonight and I have to say it is one of my favorite holiday drinks to date! I did substitute the honey for a spiced orange sugar syrup (left over from making candied oranges which was already infused with a cinnamon stick, so I left out the grnd cinn.) I also did not use the ginger beer, I forgot to buy some :/ but I know it’s probably fantastic with it. I also used Pom/Cranberry juice. So so good.
Oh, and I also added the red and green sugar crystals to the raw sugar crystals for the rim. Super cute and festive. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Have a wonderful holiday season! xT
I didn’t have any course sugar on hand but I did have candy canes that I smashed as the “course” sugar and it not only tasted good with the drink but looked so festive!
Oooh yummy! That’s such a fun way to make it even more festive! xT
Thanks for the mocktail options! Can’t wait to try it!
Hope you love this recipe Kay! xT
Hi Teighan,
What do you think of swapping out the pomegranate juice for cranberry juice?
Thanks!
Hi Maggie! I think that would be delicious! xT
I have done up a holiday themed drink every year for our annual Friendmas celebration, and I gotta say, this was A HUGE hit last night! Having the punch option for a larger crowd was a game saver, and the flavours of this appealed to everyone. I happened upon a spicy ginger beer as a topper that gave an extra zing. Thanks Teighan, definitely coming back for more cocktail options in the future!
Wow! Thank you so so much! Thanks Sara! xT