Thanksgiving Margarita Recipe with Apple Cider

Thanksgiving Margarita Recipe

Apple cider gives these margaritas their fall flavor, while cranberry juice cocktail adds a tart-sweet edge and a clear rosy color. Tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime keep the drink bright rather than heavy. Each cocktail is served over large ice in a rocks glass with a cinnamon-sugar rim, fanned apple slices, and whole cranberries.

Shake the drinks until cold, then strain them over fresh ice. This chills and lightly dilutes the cocktail without leaving it on the smaller ice from the shaker. The recipe makes two cocktails in about 10 minutes.

Ingredients for 2 Thanksgiving Margaritas

• 4 ounces blanco tequila
• 3 ounces chilled apple cider
• 3 ounces chilled cranberry juice cocktail
• 1 1/2 ounces orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or triple sec
• 1 ounce fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for the rims
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25g)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 small pinch fine sea salt
• Large ice cubes, as needed
• 6 to 8 thin red-skinned apple slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh cranberries

Apple cider and cranberry juice cocktail vary in sweetness. If the mixed liquids taste too sweet, add a small extra squeeze of lime. Reposado tequila can replace blanco for a rounder flavor, though blanco keeps the fruit color brighter.

How to Make Thanksgiving Margaritas

1. Rim the glasses: Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt on a shallow plate. Run a lime wedge around only the outside edge of two clear 10- to 12-ounce rocks glasses. Gently roll each moistened edge in the mixture until evenly coated. Let the rims sit for about 1 minute.
2. Prepare the apples: Thinly slice the apple, leaving the red peel attached. Arrange 3 to 4 slices in a fan for each drink.
3. Add serving ice: Fill the glasses about three-quarters full with large ice cubes.
4. Shake: Add the tequila, apple cider, cranberry juice cocktail, orange liqueur, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker. Taste the mixture and add a little more lime if needed. Add a generous handful of ice and shake vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds, until the shaker feels very cold and frosty. If the shaker is small, make the drinks in two batches.
5. Pour and garnish: Strain evenly over the fresh ice, leaving room for the fruit. Tuck an apple fan against the inside rim of each glass and scatter the whole cranberries among the ice. Serve immediately.

Make-Ahead and Pitcher Tips

Mix the cinnamon-sugar rim mixture ahead and store it airtight at room temperature. If slicing the apples more than a few minutes before serving, lightly brush or toss them with lime juice, then cover and refrigerate to slow browning.

For a pitcher, multiply the liquid ingredients by the number of two-drink batches needed. Cover and refrigerate without ice; the mixture is best used within 1 to 2 days. Stir before serving, then pour over fresh ice in individual rimmed glasses. A stirred batch will be less diluted than the shaken version, so shake portions with ice before straining if you want the same result. Add the fruit just before serving.

Serving and Variations

Serve before a holiday meal with Best Herb Butter Roast Turkey or Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe.

• For a sparkling finish: Add 1 to 2 ounces of club soda or sparkling water to each poured drink before garnishing. Do not shake it or add it to a make-ahead pitcher.
• For a smoky variation: Replace half or all of the tequila with mezcal; keep the cider, cranberry juice, lime, and garnishes the same.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per cocktail, including a share of the rim mixture and fruit garnish: 320 calories, 0g protein, 0g fat, and 35g carbohydrates. Approximate values per 100g, excluding ice: 135 calories, 0g protein, 0g fat, and 15g carbohydrates. Values vary with the brands of cider, cranberry juice cocktail, and orange liqueur, the dilution from shaking, and how much rim mixture is consumed.