Dishing Up the Dirt

cranberry margaritas

margs2

These margaritas are hands down the best cocktail I’ve ever made. I’m not sure if they tasted so damn good because we had just spent a chilly night sleeping in the car followed by 9 hours of driving or if they just tasted good because they are amazing on their own.

camping

Taylor, Henry and I spent a beautiful but chilly night sleeping in the Wallowa Mountains. We woke up bright and early and continued our journey north to Montana.

roadtrip!

We arrived at my brothers house just in time for a few beers while we sat in the back of his truck watching the sun go down before heading in for dinner.

beerstruck

deer

Once we were all settled in Rebekah and I got to work making margaritas. Did I mention I love being on vacation?

cranberrymargs

cranberrymargs2

Snow was falling from the sky, a fire was burning in the wood stove, long johns and scarves were worn, and despite all of that we felt like we were on a tropical vacation. These margaritas are the best! The original recipe is from Bon Appetite.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Margaritas

Prep Time: 5 mins.    Cook Time: 30 mins.    Serves: makes 8 drinks

Cranberry Jam
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp finely grated orange zest
  • 4 TBS fresh orange juice
Assembly
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 TBS sugar
  • 3 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
  • 2 lime wedges, plus 4 oz fresh lime juice
  • 8 ounces fresh orange juice
  • 12 oz tequila

Preparation

For the Cranberry Jam:
  1. In a medium saucepan bring cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and 1/2 cup water to a boil; Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until thick and jammy. About 30-40 minutes. Mix in orange zest and let cool.
  2. To assemble mix salt, sugar, and five-spice powder on a small plate. Rub rims of serving glasses with lime wedges; dip each glass in mixture and fill glasses with ice.
  3. For each cocktail combine 1/2 oz lime juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1 1/2 oz tequila, and 2 TBS cranberry jam in a cocktail shaker; fill with ice and shake until outside is frosty. Strain into prepared glass.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.


Leave a Reply

21 thoughts on “cranberry margaritas

  1. Kier says:

    YUM! What a great seasonal drink!

    Looks like a beautiful vacation – have fun and enjoy it!

    1. Andrea says:

      Thank you!

  2. breighl says:

    This is the best blog ever! Elated every time I check a post. Keep on livin’ <3

    1. Andrea says:

      Thank you for such a lovely comment! Have a great weekend.

  3. look so yummy!!
    your vacation looks like a blast, what a beautiful cabin your brother has.
    safe travels!!
    peace & raw health,
    e

    1. Andrea says:

      Thank you. We are enjoying every second of being away!

  4. Susan says:

    Looks Yummy….have a great vacation you deserve it. We love your smoothie recipes.

    1. Andrea says:

      So happy you love the smoothie recipes!

  5. Oh wow this looks like a Thanksgiving must have recipe! enjoy your vacation!

    1. Andrea says:

      This is the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail! Let me know how you like it!

  6. Lauren says:

    Road trips & car camping with a dog in an Outback – the best! Gorgeous photos. Glad you are taking a well deserved break & looking forward to more updates from your trip!

    1. Andrea says:

      Car camping with the dog and an outback realign are the best! Glad you can related 🙂

  7. Vacation is always sweeter with a marg, especially these cranberry ones!

    1. Andrea says:

      Exactly! No vacation is complete without a delicious cocktail!

  8. Aaaaamazing. I am a frozen cranberry hoarder, and often find bags of them in my freezer mid-summer. This looks like the perfect use! I am ALWAYS up for a good marg. Hope you guys are enjoying every second of your vacation!

    1. Andrea says:

      Girl, you have to make these!

  9. I am going Queensland in 2 weeks which is super tropical and I’m going to make these for my family. Perhaps even on Christmas day! Your holiday sounds pretty stunning to me 🙂

  10. These drinks and your vacation sound awesome so far! I absolutely love that picture of the mountains!

    1. Andrea says:

      Aren’t the mountains beautiful?! We love being away!

  11. Laura says:

    Quick question about these margaritas: First, they are very tasty- I mixed them up today for happy hour at my office and they were a hit. Second, there is only a total of 3 oz of liquid per cocktail. Is that right, or am I just used to the fishbowl size margarita at the local Mexican restaurant?! I’m thinking I’ll need to double this recipe 🙂

    1. Andrea says:

      Laura, I’m so happy you enjoyed these margaritas! We love them! I estimate all of my ingredients for my recipes (it’s in the disclosure) So yes, sometimes the “serving size” is a little off. I would recommend doubling/tripling the recipe for a crowd!

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