Easy Cranberry Margaritas Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Chef Savvy (2024)

FAQs

Easy Cranberry Margaritas Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Chef Savvy? ›

We'll just tell you upfront: The secret to a tasty margarita is freshly squeezed lime juice (not the bottled stuff) and—here's the real secret—a splash of fresh OJ. That's right. Fresh-squeezed juice from an actual orange (not an orange-flavored liqueur) will produce a cleaner-tasting, more refreshing margarita.

We'll just tell you upfront: The secret to a tasty margarita is freshly squeezed lime juice (not the bottled stuff) and—here's the real secret—a splash of fresh OJ. That's right. Fresh-squeezed juice from an actual orange (not an orange-flavored liqueur) will produce a cleaner-tasting, more refreshing margarita.

For the co*cktail:

Fill a co*cktail shaker halfway with ice and add 3 ounces cranberry juice, 1 1/2 ounces tequila blanco, 3/4 ounce lime juice, and 1/2 ounces orange liqueur. Seal the shaker and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty, about 20 seconds.

Cut the lime in half and squeeze both halves into a Boston shaker, jam jar or jug (you want about 25ml in total). Pour in the Cointreau and tequila, then add the jam and stir to loosen. Fill with ice, then shake hard for 30 seconds. Strain into your glass and enjoy!

Margaritas are incredibly simple to make with just a few ingredients: Tequila: Chef John recommends a good quality 100% agave white tequila. Triple Sec: Use a high-quality triple sec for the best results. Lime: You'll need freshly squeezed lime juice, plus lime slices for garnishing.

A splash of fruit juice can also add some more flavor to your margaritas. Grapefruit juice will give a tart, slightly sour flavor, while pineapple juice creates a more tropical-tasting drink. "Citrus-based juices are essential for balancing out the sweetness of a margarita," David Alan told Insider.

You'll notice that this particular margarita recipe is missing one ingredient that's crucial to a classic margarita. Orange liqueur (often Cointreau or another triple sec) typically brings sweetness to this drink, balancing the tart lime and tequila.

Recreate the red and orange painting in the sky by learning how to make a tequila sunrise. Fiery-tasting Sauza^® tequila is given a sweet citrusy kick from oranges and limes. Tart cranberry juice gives the drink a pop of red that makes this drink perfect for a staycation.

Cranberry juice is usually labeled "100% juice." Other fruits are sometimes added to balance the tart cranberry taste, but that label indicates that the product is made with 100% fruit juices. Cranberry juice co*cktail, meanwhile, has added sugars or high-fructose corn syrup for extra sweetness.

In a recent interview with InStyle, the First Ladies star revealed that her secret to making margaritas is sticking to the basics. She said, “It's basically silver tequila with lime juice shaken and over rocks. And some people like a little Cointreau, some don't.”

What is a Clooney margarita? ›

This co*cktail starts with a pour of Casamigos Blanco Tequila, a premium spirit co-created by George Clooney and known for its crisp, clean agave notes. We then add Fresh Lime Juice, which imparts a zesty tang that perfectly complements the tequila.

His original recipe for the Margarita (recorded on a stack of old bar tabs with the preprinted date of “_____, 194__”) goes: juice of one lime, 4/5 tequila, 1/5 cointreau, salt outside rim of three-ounce glass.

I use a 3:2:2 formula here, which is helpful to know for some future date when we resume having parties: this is so much fun to batch up. A 750-ml bottle of tequila holds just over 3 cups; add 2 cups each of lime juice and orange liqueur and ice for a pitcher.

If you don't have triple sec handy, you can substitute with another good-quality orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Cointreau. For a non-alcoholic substitute you can add fresh orange juice, or agave nectar/simple syrup, to add a touch of sweetness.

Lime. Lime is the typical go-to when it comes to masking the bad taste of cheap tequila or adding acidity to counterbalance the overly sweet mixers in a tequila co*cktail but it could be so much more.

The "Original Margarita" recipe, as given by Cointreau on their website, has slightly more of their own sweet liqueur: 1 part white tequila, 1⁄2 part Cointreau, and 1⁄2 part fresh squeezed lime juice.

Cointreau is a type of triple sec with a significantly higher alcohol content.

The dirty margarita takes its inspiration from the dirty martini, a classic libation made with strong liquor and a splash of a little something not-so-clear. We swap olive juice for jalapeno brine, making this a drink that packs the heat–and a punch.

However, early Margaritas probably didn't look like the ones we drink today. In fact, the drink believed to be Margarita's predecessor didn't use tequila at all. A late 19th-century invention, the Brandy Daisy was typically mixed with lemon juice, Chartreuse, and—you guessed it—brandy.