This festive Pomegranate Margarita from scratch is a fantastic celebratory cocktail! Made with just 5 ingredients and perfect for the holidays.
We moved into a place with a lime tree right in front of the house. All the little limes are ripening like crazy, right on the tree. And guess what? Tree-ripened limes turn yellow just like lemons!
So with this massive load of limes to deal with, we started experimenting with homemade margaritas. Fitting for the holidays, I made a vibrant pomegranate version, including a frosty rim (salt & sugar) and garland stir sticks.
Jump to:
Ingredients (& Substitutions)
- lime juice - freshly squeezed
- pomegranate juice - store bought or freshly juiced
- water - or more pomegranate juice for a fruitier margarita
- tequila blanco - or tequila reposado
- orange liquor - like triple sec or Cointreau; optional
- agave nectar - or honey or simply syrup
- ice
- lime wedge
- salt
- cane sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Place some salt and sugar on a plate and rub a lime wedge around the rim of your serving glasses. Dip the rim of the glasses into the salt and sugar mixture to coat.
Measure the lime juice, pomegranate juice, water, tequila, orange liquor, and agave nectar into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until combined.
Pour the margarita mixture into your glasses.
Serve garnished with a lime wedge or decorated stir stick if desired.
Video
Serving Suggestions
If you like, you can simply serve your margarita with a slice of lime adorning the rim. However, I like to use Bamboo Appetizer Sticks instead of cocktail stir sticks to make a beautiful garnish with pomegranate arils and lime.
To make the garnish, I carefully thread two pomegranate arils onto the stick and wipe off the juice with a paper towel.
Next, I fold a lime slice and thread it onto the skewer. Then, I follow it with another two pomegranate arils. Be sure to wipe off the juice again.
Top Tips
- If you don't have a cocktail shaker, you can use a glass fitted on another glass as an alternative.
- To make homemade pomegranate juice, you can squeeze halved pomegranates with a citrus juicer just like an orange. Another method is to blend the pomegranate arils in the food processor until crushed, about 15 to 20 seconds, and strain them through a fine mesh strainer to separate the juice from the pulp and seeds.
Variations
If you can't find pomegranate juice or purchasing pomegranates isn't within your budget, here are some options to vary this pomegranate margarita recipe.
- Frozen Pomegranate Margarita - instead of a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and icy for a frozen version
- Pomegranate Margarita Pitcher - Press "3x" in the recipe box below to get measurements for 6 servings. Combine everything in a pitcher with ice and stir well. Or blend in a large blender jug
- Kool-Aid - To remake Belly's pomegranate margarita from S1 E4 of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" add a scoop or small package of (cherry) Kool-Aid to the pitcher version
- Make a cranberry margarita - simply replace the pomegranate juice with some store-bought cranberry juice for an equally festive cocktail.
- Replace ice cubes with frozen pomegranate juice cubes - Sometimes, ice cubes can water down the flavours in beverages, particularly if you like to drink things slow. To prevent that, put some pomegranate juice into an ice cube tray to freeze for ice cubes instead. You could even mix in some orange juice or lime juice for extra flavour.
Storage
If you would like to make a pitcher of the margarita mixture in advance, simply mix all the ingredients together and then place it in the fridge, covered. It should stay fresh for 2 to 3 days.
You can also freeze leftovers in an ice cube tray to use in beverages later on or to blend up for frozen margaritas.
FAQ
Yes, if you have leftover margarita mixture, divide it between ice cube trays and put it in the freezer. Then, when you are ready to consume it, you can let them thaw or you can blend them in a blender for frozen margaritas.
Pomegranate is delicious in cocktails, particularly if you are a fruit lover and don't mind your cocktails on the sweeter side.
If you would prefer not to use pomegranate, you can replace it with cranberry juice instead.
Related
Looking for other cocktail recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Pomegranate Margarita
Ingredients
- 2 ounces lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 ounces pomegranate juice
- 2 ounces water replace with more pomegranate juice for a fruitier margarita
- 2-3 ounces tequila blanco or reposado
- 1 ounce orange liquor like triple sec or Cointreau; optional
- 1-2 ounces agave nectar
- ice
- for rim: lime wedge, salt & cane sugar
Instructions
- To rim the glass, add some salt and sugar to a shallow plate. Wet the rim by sliding a lime wedge all around it. Dip the wetted rim into the salt & sugar mix. Set aside.for rim: lime wedge, salt & cane sugar
- The easiest way to measure out the margarita ingredients is with a 1 or 2 ounce shot glass.
- Add lime juice, pomegranate juice, water, tequila, orange liquor, and agave nectar to a cocktail shaker (a glass fitted with another glass on top works as replacement). Add a few ice cubes, close and shake until combined and chilled through.2 ounces lime juice, 2 ounces pomegranate juice, 2 ounces water, 2-3 ounces tequila, 1 ounce orange liquor, 1-2 ounces agave nectar, ice
- If you like your margarita 'on the rocks', add a few ice cubes to the prepared rimmed glass. Strain the mixed pomegranate margarita into the glass.
- Add a slice of lime on the side. If you made them, add a decorated stir stick.
Nutrition
Pin for later?
Leave a Reply