Thanksgiving Margarita (Paleo & Gluten Free)
Tequila meets apple cider, fresh lime juice, & cinnamon honey simple syrup in this festive Thanksgiving cocktail. Topped with fresh apple slices, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks, this is a perfect, Fall-inspired margarita recipe that everyone will love! Gluten Free, Paleo, & Refined Sugar Free.
Thanksgiving is all about the food right? We spend hours, days, even weeks browsing our favorite sites for tasty recipes. But have you ever wondered about drinks for Thanksgiving? I’m talking festive, delicious Thanksgiving drinks that pair perfectly with this delightful Fall holiday. I’ve created the ultimate spiced apple cider cocktail for Thanksgiving, and I know you are going to love it!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Makes This Recipe Work
Nothing says holiday gathering like good food, good company, and a great cocktail recipe. Enter, apple cider margaritas! This delicious Thanksgiving cocktail has all the flavors of a classic margarita with a yummy, spiced apple cinnamon fall twist! It’s topped with fresh apple slices, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks which means it’s yummy and pretty!
Thanksgiving cocktails are best served by the pitcher, right? Fear not, I’ve scaled this recipe to accommodate large groups below! Thanksgiving margarita for the win!
Ingredient Notes
Oftentimes, cocktails, margaritas, and pre-made mixes can contain gluten, tons of sugar, additives, and other stuff to leave you with a nasty headache the next morning. My thanksgiving margarite recipe has none of that! Only fresh ingredients: citrus juice, 100% agave tequila, homemade honey cinnamon simple syrup, and apple cider are thrown into a cocktail shaker over ice and blended to cocktail perfection. Poured over a sea salt-rimmed glass and topped with fresh apple slices, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks, this is the thanksgiving cocktail you’ve been waiting for.
- Tequila: I prefer to use tequila that says “100% agave” on the bottle – this means that no additives, fillers, sugar, or other junk have been added! My favorites are 1800 and Patron. I prefer Blanco tequila over darker colored ones because it has a lighter taste and goes well with margaritas. Darker tequilas have typically been aged longer and are better for sipping on the rocks!
- Apple cider: Look for fresh apple cider where the only ingredients are apples!
- Orange juice: fresh squeezed is preferred
- Honey: Look for pure, raw organic honey with no additives.
How to Make this Thanksgiving Cocktail Step-By-Step
- First, make the cinnamon honey simple syrup. If you prefer margaritas that aren’t too sweet, use less syrup
- Combine 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup honey, and 2 cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes and stir until the honey is completely dissolved. Let it cool. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks to make with other cocktails!
- Next, use a lime wedge to wet the rim of your glass. Dip your glass into the salt on a plate to coat the rim. Fill the glass with ice.
- Add the tequila, apple cider, orange juice, squeeze of lime, and cinnamon honey syrup into a shaker with some ice and shake well.
- Pour the mixture over the ice in your glass. Finally, garnish with apple slices, cranberries, and a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
*see FAQs below for how to make a pitcher of this recipe!
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
Cocktail Shaker: If you’re going to be a bartender at home, you’ve got to have the right cocktail-making tools! This is the shaker that I have, and I love it!
Mocktail: You can also totally omit the tequila for a delicious mocktail. Serve it in a fancy glass with a cinnamon sugar rim for added delight!
FAQs
Can I make a pitcher of this Thanksgiving margarita?
Yes! Here’s the recipe scaled to make enough of this delicious Thanksgiving cocktail for 8 people. Serve it in your favorite pitcher and enjoy!
Cocktail
- 16 oz 100% agave tequila
- 16 oz apple cider
- 8 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 8 oz fresh lime juice
- apple slices, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks for garnish- optional
- 4 oz cinnamon honey simple syrup, more if you like it sweeter!
Cinnamon Honey Simple Syrup
- 2 cup honey
- 2.67 cup water
- 16 cinnamon sticks
More Thanksgiving Cocktails
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Thanksgiving Margarita (Paleo & Gluten Free)
Ingredients
- 2 oz 100% agave tequila
- 2 oz apple cider
- 1 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 squeeze lime juice
- 2 tbsp coarse sea salt, for rim
- apple slices, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks, for garnish - optional
- ½ oz cinnamon honey simple syrup, more if you like it sweeter!
Cinnamon Honey Simple Syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Make the simple syrup: Combine the honey, water, and cinnamon sticks in a small sauce pan and heat over medium high heat. Stir for 2-3 minutes until the honey is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Pour the salt on a plate. Use a lime wedge to wet the rim of your glass. Dip the rim into the salt to coat. Fill the glass with ice.
- Add the tequila, apple cider, orange juice, lime juice, honey simple syrup, and ice to a shaker. Shake well, then pour into the glass. Garnish with an apple slice, cranberries, and a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!
10 Comments on “Thanksgiving Margarita (Paleo & Gluten Free)”
This is so delicious. I love the citrus with the apple and cinnamon. Such great fall flavors.
Hi. I want to make this recipe for tomorrow but I don’t have the cinnamon sticks. Should I just leave that out or should I add a tad of ground cinnamon to the honey syrup? What do you think? Thanks so much!
Katie
You can leave it out completely or add a little powdered cinnnamon! Either way will be delish:)
I was skeptical at the idea of a warm spices Marg but GUYS MAKE THIS even if it’s not thanksgiving, it’s worth it. Living in Florida where it’s always hot, I especially appreciated the fact that though it’s a cold drink, it still feels nice and cozy.
So so good!
Thank you so much Hannah!
Looks amazing! Any chance you’ve made these in a batch or pitcher and can share recipe? Would like to make this weekend for a Friendsgiving brunch!!!
Hi Claudia! Just change the # on the recipe card to 8! instead of 1 serving 🙂
I am trying to do the same, but don’t see a way to change the quantity on the recipe card. Am I missing something?! (Totally possible since I’m not tech savvy, but I have done this with other recipes before.)
Nevermind! I found it once I clicked on “print recipe”! Can’t wait to try these!