Your new favorite recipe using leftover cranberry sauce… Cranberry Sauce Margaritas! This holiday margarita recipe is a must have for any and all cranberry lovers, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
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Cranberry Margarita Recipe Using Leftovers!
I joked when I was first making this cocktail that if I was personified by a drink it would be this one… because that is what food bloggers think about what food would play them in a movie… ANYWAYS
MARGARITAS
I love a margarita, anyone who knows me knows this. I also LOVE cranberries, based on my gazzilion cranberry recipes my readers know this.
So I put my two loves together into a beautiful margarita.
It is beautiful because it is so easy and lazy… we aren’t even making your own special simple syrup or anything we are simply borrowing taking a scoop of cranberry sauce off of the holiday table!
So let’s see what we need.

Supplies
You will want:
- Cocktail Shaker
- Jigger/Measuring Tool for Alcohol
- Glass
Easy right! AND if you don’t have a cocktail shaker no sweat you could even make this in a clean jar with a lid to shake it together, we don’t need anything too fancy here!
But if you happen to enjoy making cocktails from time to time and you don’t have a bar set with a shaker, jigger, and accessories. It might be a solid investment, they aren’t that much on Amazon and there are a ton of choices!

Ingredients
This recipe doesn’t stray too far from a classic margarita, so if you make those often all you really will need in addition is some cranberry sauce:
- Lime Juice – Best if fresh from the lime, 1 ounce is usually equivalent to 1 medium lime
- Cointreau (or Triple Sec) – I have been making these with cointreau but triple sec should work just as well, they are both orange liquors the biggest difference is price and alcohol percentage. Cointreau is going to be a little bit more money but the alcohol percentage will be over double that of triple sec, so if you like a strong drink this is your choice. Triple Sec on the other hand has a very familiar flavor but is less money and with a much lower alcohol percentage, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing, I like to use triple sec when I plan on having a couple of drinks
- Tequila (Blanco) – The tequila industry is changing fast, with the introduction of many more options of resporados (aged tequilas) there are so many options, this drink though is great with your favorite classic blanco, which my favorite right now is still George Clooney’s Casamigos
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce – Here is my Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
How to make a Cranberry Sauce Margarita
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a handful ice. Shake until ice cold.
- Pour into a glass, add additional ice if needed, garnish with fresh cranberries. (If preferred strain the margarita if you don’t want clumps from the sauce.)

Tips, Tricks, and Questions
- Cranberry sauce has to be homemade, any homemade kind will do whether you’ve flavored it or not. The store bought canned stuff will not work for this recipe, sorry!
- If you want to make some cranberry sauce specifically for this drink you may follow my recipe here
- If you are looking for a little added sweetness I suggest adding a dash of orange juice

Love cranberries and/or drinks? You might like these recipes:
- Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail
- Rice Pilaf with Cranberries
- Hibiscus Margaritas
- Crockpot Christmas Wassail
- Orange Zest Sugared Cranberries
- Cranberry Orange Relish
Need to make Cranberry Sauce? Get my Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe Here!!
Cranberry Sauce Margarita

A fun twist on the classic margarita, grab some of that leftover cranberry sauce because it goes so perfectly in a margarita! This fun bright red maragrita is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce cointreau (or triple sec)
- 2 ounces tequila (blanco)
- 1 tablespoon homemade cranberry sauce
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a handful ice. Shake until ice cold.
- Pour into a glass, add additional ice if needed, garnish with fresh cranberries. (If preferred strain the drink for a margarita without clumps from the sauce.)
Notes
Cranberry sauce has to be homemade, any homemade kind will do whether you've flavored it or not. The store bought canned stuff will not work for this recipe, sorry!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Serving Size:
1 drinkAmount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 0g
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
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