Pomegranate Margaritas
Make your margaritas with pomegranate juice! These Pomegranate Margaritas are a perfect winter and holiday-theme cocktail that’s perfect for cold-weather happy hours. Cheers!
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UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in December 2018 and was updated with new photos and recipe instructions in January 2021.
When the earth begins to hibernate and we’re missing summer’s fresh fruits, pomegranates are a bright (red) spot on the winter harvest horizon. And do you know what makes winter even brighter? Pomegranate margaritas!
Here are 3 reasons why you should be making pomegranate margaritas this winter:
- They’re easy. With only 6 ingredients, your next happy hour is ready in under 5 minutes.
- They’re tasty. The tart taste of pomegranate and lime mixes well with a splash of orange.
- They’re a fun twist on winter’s favorite fruit. Put pomegranate season to work during happy hour!
Ready to learn how to make this winter-themed margaritas with pomegranate juice? Let’s do it!
🍹How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Make sugar and salt rimmed glasses
The first step to making pomegranate margaritas is to prepare glasses with a sugar and salt rim.
First, grab two cocktail glasses and run a sliced lime wedge around the rim of each glass.
Pour 1 tablespoon salt and one tablespoon of sugar onto a small plate and mix well until they’re combined. Then press the glass rims down into the sugar and salt mixture. Set the glasses aside while making the cocktails.
The wet glass rims will keep the sugar and salt on the rim of the glass, which will add a nice taste and texture when drinking the finished margarita.
2️⃣ Step Two: Mix margarita ingredients
In a cocktail shaker combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, pomegranate juice, agave nectar, and a splash of orange juice with 1 cup of ice.
Cover the cocktail shaker and shake well to mix together the margarita ingredients.
3️⃣ Step Three: Pour, garnish, and serve
Add ice to the reserved rimmed cocktail glasses. Pour the shaken margaritas into the glasses, filling until just below the sugar salt rim.
Garnish the cocktails with a lime slice and a few pomegranate arils (or seeds), and enjoy!
❄️ How to make a pomegranate margarita pitcher
To make a pitcher of pomegranate margaritas:
- Follow the same steps as above to rim glasses with the sugar and salt (step one of recipe).
- Then, instead of shaking up 1-2 cocktails at a time in a cocktail shaker, pour the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and agave nectar into a large margarita pitcher.
- Fill the pitcher up with ice and then use a long spoon to stir the ingredients to mix well. After the margaritas are mixed in the pitcher, add ice to the glasses and pour the margaritas as needed.
Making a pomegranate margarita pitcher is a great way to keep the drinks flowing for parties and get togethers when you don’t want to shake each margaritas individually.
❓ Recipe + ingredient questions
Tequila blanco, or a silver unaged white tequila, is the standard tequila used in margaritas. While other tequilas like reposado add great flavor to traditional margaritas, for this pomegranate margaritas we recommend using tequila blanco.
Bottle lime juice can be used instead of fresh lime juice in margaritas, if you don’t want to hand squeeze limes.
Triple sec is a liqueur made from orange peels that is used to soften the tart tastes of both lime juice and tequila in margaritas. Cointreau is an orange liqueur that is higher in alcohol content than a typical triple sec, though it has a smoother and richer taste. Either are good choices for margaritas.
While not necessary for delicious margaritas, a splash of orange juice helps to cut the tart taste of lime juice and tequila. Adding more sugar like agave nectar can help, but adding a splash of orange juice provides a smoother taste without adding more unnecessary sugars like agave or simple syrup.
You do not need to salt the rims of margaritas, if you do not like. In fact, this recipe uses a sugar and salt combination rim, however you could skip the salt altogether and go for a sweet sugar rim — or no rim at all.
👉 Margarita-making tips + tools
This Perfect Pomegranate Margarita is a great recipe to bring to holiday parties because it’s so simple to make, but there are a few kitchen tools, ingredients, and easy recipe variations I recommend (some items may be affiliate links):
- A cocktail set: It’s possible to make this margarita recipe without a cocktail shaker, strainer, and spoon, but having a full mixology set make serving much easier (plus it make mixing margs feel fancier)
- A glass pitcher and cocktail glasses: Having a holiday party? Serving up margaritas one-by-one is time consuming. Instead, make a big batch and serving inside a glass pitcher to let guests serve themselves with highball cocktail glasses
- Prep ahead of time: Mix the margaritas up to three days ahead of your party to save time. Just add ice when ready to serve.
- Get creative with garnishes: Pomegranate arils and lime are a must, but get creative by adding fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, and sage.
🍋 More seasonal margarita recipes
Try our other seasonally-inspired margarita recipes!
Pomegranate Margaritas Recipe
Ingredients
For two cocktails
- 3 ounces tequila
- 2 ounces triple sec
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 2 ounces pomegranate juice
- 1 ounce orange juice optional, but adds smoother flavor
- 2 teaspoons agave syrup
- 2 cups ice divided
- 1 lime, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoons pomegranate arils, lime slices
For 10 cocktails (pitcher)
- 15 ounces tequila
- 10 ounces triple sec
- 5 ounces fresh lime juice
- 10 ounces pomegranate juice
- 5 ounces orange juice
- 1.5 tablespoons agave syrup
- 5 cups of ice
- Salted Sugar Rim: 5 lime wedges, 1 whole lime, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar
- Garnish: ½ cup pomegranate arils, 3 whole limes cut into wedges
Instructions
For Individual Cocktail
- Make sugar and salt rimmed glasses: Combine salt and sugar on a small plate. Wet rims of glasses with lime wedge and then place glass rim down into salt and sugar mixture.
- Mix margaritas: Combine triple sec, lime juice, pomegranate juice, orange juice, tequila, and agave in a cocktail shaker with 1 cup ice. Shake well to combine.
- Pour, garnish, and serve: Fill rimmed cocktail glasses with remaining ice and strain pomegranate margarita from cocktail shaker into glass. Top with lime slice and pomegranate arils and enjoy!
For 10 Cocktails (1 Pitcher)
- Make sugar and salt rimmed glasses: Combine salt and sugar on a small plate. Wet rims of glasses with a lime wedge and then place glass rim down into salt and sugar mixture.
- Mix pitcher of margaritas: Combine triple sec, lime juice, pomegranate juice, orange juice, tequila, and agave nectar in a large pitcher. Stir well to combine with a wooden spoon, then fill pitcher with ice.
- Pour, garnish, and serve: Fill cocktail glasses with remaining ice and pour pomegranate margarita from pitcher into glass. Top with lime slice and pomegranate arils and enjoy!
For Frozen Pomegranate Margaritas
- For 2 servings: Combine all ingredients into a blender with 2 cups of ice and blend, adding in more pomegranate or lime juice for until desired consistency.
Notes
- Recipe notes: Use bottled or fresh lime juice. Agave nectar is optional; omit if you like a tart margarita or want a ‘skinny’ margarita. Orange juice is optional, but provides a smoother taste (especially if you’re not using a sweetener). Sugar and salt rim is optional, but highly recommended.
- Tools needed: cocktail shaker, cocktail glasses, margarita pitcher
- Prep ahead: Mix margaritas in a pitcher up to two days ahead of serving, but don’t add ice to the pitcher until ready to enjoy.
- Nutrition notes: Nutrition information is calculated for margarita without agave syrup and salted sugar rim. A margarita is a treat, it is not supposed to be a health food (so my professional recommendation is not to concern yourself with the nutrition in a margarita). However, this homemade margarita is low in added sugar compared to many pre-made mixes.
OMG, amazing! making these for the 4th of July!
Yes, they’re perfect for summer parties now that you can get pomegranate juice all year. Enjoy!
Just tried the 2 cocktails version without the orange juice and it was great!
Great! I love that this recipe is so customizable. Cheers!