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Smooth, fizzy, and filled with festive flavors, this Thanksgiving Margarita is the fall cocktail to make!
What is a Thanksgiving Margarita?
A Thanksgiving Margarita takes the base ingredients of a classic Margarita you love and gives it a makeover by infusing it with cinnamon, maple syrup, and apple cider. It's sweet, boozy, and it goes down easy.
I used to make my fall margarita nonstop over the holidays, so I made this recipe pitcher-sized. It is perfect for entertaining, just like my fall sangria margarita.
Ingredients
This Thanksgiving margarita blends tequila and Cointreau or triple sec as the liquors, and apple cider and maple syrup (or simple syrup) as the warm seasonal flavors. I add sliced apples to the pitcher for a boozy garnish later, a little sparkling water or club soda (is totally optional) for fizz at the end, and a cinnamon-sugar rim.
How to Make a Thanksgiving Margarita Pitcher
There's a short video in the recipe showing you how I make and serve this margarita. Here is an overview:
- Fill the Pitcher with all the ingredients and mix. I add apple slices in my pitcher so they taste nice and boozy. Save the sparkling water or club soda for serving.
- Chill it for at least an hour or make it a day or two ahead.
- Serve it in cinnamon-sugar rimmed glasses topped with a little bit of sparkling water or club soda for a bubbly finish.
Making the Cinnamon Sugar Rim
Instead of margarita salt, I like cinnamon sugar for this margarita. You simply mix sugar and cinnamon in a small dish, spread it on a plate, and use it to coat the wet rim of your glass.
Can I Make a Single Thanksgiving Margarita?
Absolutely! You'll find the measurements for the single-serve in the recipe card: 1 ½ ounces of tequila, 1 ounce of Cointreau or Triple Sec, 1 ½ ounces of apple cider, and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Then top it with some club soda.
More Thanksgiving Cocktails
If fall-inspired drinks are your jam, try my apple cider margarita or this apple pie margarita.
Thanksgiving Margarita (Pitcher Sized)
Watch How It's Made
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tequila
- ⅓ cup Cointreau or triple sec
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or simple syrup
- Club soda or sparkling water, for serving
- Cinnamon sugar, for rimming
- Apple slices and cinnamon sticks , for garnish
Instructions
Make the margs:
- One batch makes 6 margs. I often double the amounts listed so I don't have to come back and make a second batch.
- Pour the tequila, Cointreau or triple sec, apple cider, and maple syrup into a pitcher. Add a handful of ice cubes, stir with a spoon, and refrigerate for one hour. Want boozy apple slices? Add them now and let them soak up the booze.
Serve & Garnish:
- Prep the rim of your glass by wetting it with a moist paper towel or rubbing a lime wedge along the rim. Spread the cinnamon sugar on a plate and set the glass on it, upside down, and move it around to let the cinnamon sugar stick to the rim.
- Fill each prepared glass with a few ice cubes, some of the margarita mixture (a little more than ¼ cup), and top with 1 to 2 ounces of club soda or sparkling water for a little fizz.
- Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks.
Notes
- Make this a single cocktail with 1 ½ ounces tequila, 1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec, 2 ounces apple cider or apple juice, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Mix them in a shaker, pour with the ice, and top the glass with a little club soda or sparkling water to top the glass.
- Use store-bought cinnamon sugar or make your own at home by combining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon on a small dish. Mix it, then use it to rim the glass with a touch of sweetness.
MomofBoyz says
This sounds delicious! Is there an alternative to using alcohol in this recipe?
Laura Fuentes says
I would simply add more club soda or sparkling water for a light, non-alcoholic festive cocktail!