Snack

Spiced Christmas Margarita

ByChef Maggie December 3, 2025

If You’ve Never Tried a Spiced Christmas Margarita, You Kinda Have To Now

I’ll tell you straight up—Christmas at my house runs a little wild. There’s the usual chaos (someone always loses their shoes, I have no idea how, inside the house), and somebody’s on Spotify DJ duty playing ‘Last Christmas’ too many times. But a couple years ago, I whipped up this Spiced Christmas Margarita, and honestly, it’s kinda become an accidental tradition. One whiff of the cinnamon and you’ll know why. Plus, I usually sneak in double the lime because tart is where it’s at. If you’re needing a holiday cocktail that hits both nostalgic and, well, slightly boozy, this is your drink.

Why I’m Obsessed With This

I make this basically every time someone threatens a Secret Santa, which is, let’s be real, a bit too often in my friend group. My partner started hinting about this margarita in October this year, which says a lot—I think he’s more excited about this than the Christmas cookies (high praise, since he eats half the cookie dough straight from the bowl). Sometimes the spicing goes a little rogue (think: one time I added too much clove and it tasted like a scented candle—so go easy!) but, hey, my family still drank it. Maybe out of politeness, maybe not.

What You Actually Need

2 oz (about 60 ml) silver tequila (I usually just use whatever’s lurking in the cupboard; Patron is a splurge but, honestly, Sauza or Espolon is just fine!)
1 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau is fancy, but triple sec works if the budget’s tight. My gran swears against Grand Marnier but don’t let her boss you.)
1.5 oz fresh lime juice (bottled in a pinch – I won’t judge, but you’ll maybe taste the difference)
0.5 oz maple syrup or honey (if I’m lazy I use agave nectar—it’s Not Traditional, but whatever)
2 dashes cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg (sometimes I skip this if I’ve run out and honestly it’s still good, but don’t tell my mum)
Small pinch ground clove (SERIOUSLY, go easy—learned the hard way!)
Sugar and ground cinnamon for rimming glass (or just plain sugar, if you’re not bothered)
Optional: splash of cranberry juice for that cheery colour (or pomegranate if cranberry isn’t around… I’ve even used red sports drink in a pinch, oops!)
Lime wedges and cinnamon sticks for garnish (because it looks sharp on Instagram, let’s be honest)

Let’s Make It—Step by Step, Ish

Rim the glasses. Mix about a tablespoon of sugar and a shake of cinnamon on a small plate. Rub a lime wedge round the rim of your glass—it’s stickier than you’d think—and dip it in the sugar. Looks festive, and, honestly, if it gets everywhere, that’s half the fun.
Mix the margarita. In a cocktail shaker (or honestly any jar with a good lid; I’ve used Tupperware, no shame), add tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, the sweetener of your choice, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cranberry juice if you’re feeling fancy. Pop in a good handful of ice. (Here’s where I usually grab a sneaky sip just to see if it’s too tart. My excuse is ‘quality control.’)
Shake, shake, shake! Like a maraca at a kids party. Or, about 15-30 seconds until it’s nice and frosty and there’s condensation on the shaker / Tupperware / whatever you grabbed.
Strain it. Pour into your glass over fresh ice. If you get a few ice bits in there, I just call it ‘texture.’
Garnish (if you remember). Drop in a cinnamon stick, wedge of lime, or, on a good day, a couple fresh cranberries. Whole shebang, looks all pro, but don’t stress if you forget. Tastes the same!

Things I’ve Learned (Usually the Hard Way)

If you go wild with the ground clove, you’re basically drinking potpourri. Be gentle.
Shake it with bigger ice cubes. The little ones kinda melt too quick and you get a watery drink fast.
Maple syrup gives the best background warmth – but straight up sugar syrup will do if you’re out.

Margarita Experiments—What Worked and…What Didn’t

Once tried using spiced rum instead of tequila. It was weird. Not, like, undrinkable, but tequila’s definitely the move here.
If you want it less boozy, I sometimes go heavy on the cranberry juice (makes a gorgeous red drink!)
Skip the sugar rim entirely if you’re feeling lazy—it’s still lovely, just a bit less ‘curse-the-holidays’ festive.

What You’ll Need to Make This, Probably

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, like I said, just use a mason jar or even a big jam jar (clean-ish).
Measuring jigger is helpful, but you can eyeball it; one shot glass is about 1.5 oz.
Citrus juicer, but if you don’t, just squish lime halves with a spoon. Actually, my friend Chloe uses her hands. Up to you.

Will It Last? (Maybe, Maybe Not)

If you do somehow have leftovers, you can keep it in the fridge for about a day or so. I think the flavors meld a bit overnight, so the next morning (err, I mean evening) it’s even zingier. That said, it’s never made it past brunch on Boxing Day around here. Leftovers, ha!

How I Serve It, Usually

I like to dish these up as soon as we’ve wrangled all the family inside after dark—that first frosty sip, with the sugar rim still sticking to my fingers, it just feels right. Sometimes I’ll plop a couple pomegranate seeds on top for a little sparkle, and once we even did a round of toasts to ‘Surviving the Year.’ (That got loud quickly.)

Things I’ve Messed Up (that You Shouldn’t)

I tried to skip shaking and just stirred it once—big mistake; the spices didn’t blend in and everyone got grainy sips. So, shake it a proper bit!
One time I rimmed glasses too early and the sugar dissolved. Not too tragic, but better to do it just before pouring.

Got Questions? Let’s See

Can I make these in a big batch?
Oh, absolutely! Just multiply everything by however many people you need to serve and mix it in a pitcher. Just don’t add ice till serving, or you’ll have the world’s saddest watered-down margarita.
Which brand of tequila is best?
Not gonna lie, I’ve gone for budget options plenty and it’s still tasty. But here’s a decent guide on tequila types if you want to nerd out: Difford’s Tequila Basics.
How do you get the sugar rim to stick?
You want a good wet rim (oops, that sounds odd), so really roll that lime wedge round and press firmly into the sugar mix.
Spice level—is this spicy hot?
No, it’s warming, not literally spicy. I did once put in chili powder for a laugh—never again!
What’s a good snack to go with this?
I love nachos (see: these epic nachos), but honestly, any excuse to eat tortilla chips will do!
Can you skip the orange liqueur?
Sorta. You’ll miss some citrus pop, but you can sub in a bit of orange juice and extra tequila in a pinch.

One More Thing…

Last time I made this, my cousin started debating Christmas movies and we never actually finished the quiz, so… watch out for sidequests. If you do try this, let me know if you find a spiced combo that beats mine—I’m still looking for a reason to use that allspice that’s lurking at the back of my cupboard. Cheers!

Chef Maggie