The Pomegranate Margarita is like the little black dress of cocktail hour. I have made these delicious cocktails for more dinner parties and get togethers than any other drink for three reasons:
- They are super easy to make with ingredients that are always easy to find
- The recipe can be scaled up or down - make margaritas by the pitcher or by the glass
- It's the type of margarita that's a true crowd pleasing cocktail - the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter that will please everyone

Jump to:
- My Favorite Pomegranate Margarita Recipe
- Add the Salt to the Drink, Not the Rim
- Yes. This Recipe Uses Rose's Lime Juice Cordial Instead of Simple Syrup.
- Substitutions for Rose's Lime Juice
- Candied Orange Slices are a Delicious Garnish
- For the BEST Margaritas, use Pure Pomegranate Juice and Pure Tequila
- More Delicious Cocktail Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
My Favorite Pomegranate Margarita Recipe
These margaritas are my go-to cocktail. They are the thing I am most likely to mix up as quickly as I can the instant I realize the sunset is going to be the kind of thing worthy of our full attention.
I holler at my husband while pouring pomegranate juice and tequila into glasses to stop what he's doing and come get his cocktail so we can sit on our deck and toast the sunset with a libation the same color as the sky.
There are three cocktails I'm most likely to mix up by the pitcher for a party: , Passion Fruit Margaritas, The Dirty Shirley, and these Pomegranate Margaritas.
It doesn't really matter if the party includes 2 guests or 20. It doesn't even matter if I know that the guests like margaritas. Everyone always agrees to "just a taste" and then ends up drinking the whole glass and asking for another.
That's just the kind of cocktail this is: simple, easy, delicious, and exactly right for pretty much any situation. Pomegranate Margaritas are the Little Black Dress of cocktail hour.
Warning! The recipe for these cocktails includes a bit of margarita heresy. Read on and I'll (hopefully) explain myself and convince you to come with me to the dark side.
Cheers!
Add the Salt to the Drink, Not the Rim
Just like in every kind of food under the sun, sweet and savory, a little bit of salt is incredible at enhancing the flavor of a cocktail. Salt intensifies flavors, and brings balance to cocktails, brightening sweet and sour notes while reducing bitterness.
I'm a fan. Just don't put mine on the rim.
Seriously. I don't get the whole salted rim thing. I don't want to use my cocktail to wash down a mouthful of salt. I want the salt to make my cocktail taste better.
To achieve this, you have to mix it directly into the cocktail, where it can do the most good. Feeling as strongly about this as I do, that's what you'll see in this recipe.
But, it's your cocktail. By all means, if you'd rather salt the rim, salt the rim. I won't judge you. Much.
Yes. This Recipe Uses Rose's Lime Juice Cordial Instead of Simple Syrup.
Holy moly, there are some Rose's Lime Juice haters out there and they like to make themselves known. I mean... whole articles have been dedicated to telling the world how much they hate the stuff. And, since this isn't the first cocktail recipe I've published that contains Rose's Lime Juice, I've fielded my share of hater comments.
Rose's Lime Juice is simply Lime Cordial - sweetened lime juice and water. The main complaint about Rose's Lime Juice is that it includes high fructose corn syrup. This I get.
High fructose corn syrup is not good for you at all in high doses. But, neither is tequila. We are talking about cocktails here, which I genuinely hope you are enjoying with reasonable moderation.
Unless you're drinking pomegranate margaritas by the gallon, the amount of high fructose corn syrup you will consume in a margarita or two is hardly anything to get worked up about. (Also, if you are drinking pomegranate margaritas by the gallon, is corn syrup really your biggest concern?)
ALSO, I feel it's important to say that not ALL Rose's Lime Juice contains high fructose corn syrup. Rose's Lime Juice Cordial was originally made with sugar. Cadburry's manufactures and distributes it in the US, and they use corn syrup. But the UK and Canadian versions have stayed true to the original recipe.
Thanks to the wonders of online shopping, you can easily get your hands on the sugar-made version by ordering it online: Rose's Lime Juice Cordial.
Order it by the case so you can make Pomegranate Margaritas any time your little heart desires as well as all of these delicious cocktails:
Substitutions for Rose's Lime Juice
If you don't really want to bother with Rose's Lime Juice at all, no worries. Whipping up a batch of homemade lime cordial is super easy:
- Add 1 cup (250g) sugar, 8oz water, 2oz lime juice, 2oz lime peel, and 1oz citric acid in a blender.
- Blend for about 30 seconds, strain, bottle and refrigerate.
You can also just increase the amount of fresh lime juice and add a few ounces of simple syrup.
Candied Orange Slices are a Delicious Garnish
I know. You'd think that I'd want to garnish a pomegranate margarita with pomegranate seeds, but I rarely do. It's simply a matter of laziness and convince. I often want to make these margaritas quickly, spur of the moment, or when hosting a party. In both cases, I don't want to spend the time it takes to seed a pomegranate.
Also, I make these year round and pomegranates are only in season for part of the year.
What I do LOVE to use is candied orange slices, which I keep in my pantry at all times because they are delicious. It's a nice little extra to be able to sip on a margarita while taking nibbles from a sweet and sour candied orange.
You can often find candied orange slices at stores like Trader Joe's. I almost always just order mine online: Trader Joe's Candied Orange Slices.
They'll keep in your pantry for months, just hanging out and waiting patiently for your next margarita.
For the BEST Margaritas, use Pure Pomegranate Juice and Pure Tequila
When selecting pomegranate juice, look for a brand that is 100% unsweetened pomegranate juice. This is another ingredient that I often order - the R.W. Knudsen and Lakewood Organic Pomegranate Juice are good brands.
In addition to having some pomegranate juice on hand for these margaritas, I use it to make Pomegranate Molasses. Pomegranate Molasses is one of those ingredients that can quite literally transform your cooking in the best possible way. I use it ALL the time and making it couldn't be easier: Recipe for Pomegranate Molasses.
When buying tequila, it's important to look for a bottle labeled as 100% agave tequila. This means that the tequila is pure agave and nothing else.
Tequilla that's not labled as pure agave is called "mixto" and it can contain up to 49% non-agave ingredients. These other ingredients are not listed on the bottle so it's anyone's guess what they are. Best to stay away and just choose a pure agave variety.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me, or take a picture and tag it @alittleandalot on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Pomegranate Margaritas
Pomegranate Margaritas are the Little Black Dress of cocktail hour: simple, easy, dangerously delicious, and exactly right for nearly any situation.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me!
Ingredients
- 10 oz pomegranate juice (100% unsweetened juice)
- 8 oz pure agave tequila
- 4 oz Cointreau
- 8 oz Rose's Lime Juice (*see note)
- 2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 8 oz club soda
- Fresh or candied orange slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add the pomegranate juice, tequilla, Cointreau, Rose's lime juice, fresh lime juice and ¼ teaspoon salt to a pitcher or large measuring cup and stir to mix. Taste and add more salt if you like.
- Pour in the club soda and stir once or twice just to blend.
- Fill four glasses with ice. Pour the margartias into the glasses over the ice, garnish with an orange slice, and serve.
Notes
Wait. You add salt to the drink instead of the rim of the glass?
Yeppers. Scroll up for my whole soap box explanation about why I like my salt IN my drink rather than ON my glass. But the bottom line is this: Salt enhances and balances all the other flavors in the cocoktail, so add it to the drink where it can do it's job.
In defense of Rose's Lime Juice Cordial:
Scroll up for my diatribe defending Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. Suffice to say that the haters don't like the stuff because it contains high fructose corn syrup. Good news! The Canadian and UK versions use sugar and you can easily order it: Rose's Lime Juice Cordial.
You can also make it yourself: Add 1 cup (250g) sugar, 8oz water, 2oz lime juice, 2oz lime peel, and 1oz citric acid in a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds, strain, bottle and refrigerate.
You can also just increase the amount of fresh lime juice and add a few ounces of simple syrup.
100% Pure Agave Tequila
100% agave tequila is pure agave and nothing else. Tequilla that's not labled as pure agave is called "mixto" and it can contain up to 49% non-agave ingredients. These other ingredients are not listed on the bottle so it's anyone's guess what they are. Best to stay away and just choose a pure agave variety.
Candied orange slices
I love serving these margaritas with a candied orange slice on the side. It's a delcious little treat to be able to nibble on the sweet and sour orange slice while sipping on the margarita. You can find candied orange slices in supermarkets like Trader Joes. I almost always order mine - Candied Orange Slices.
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Liz says
Ok pomegranate and margaritas are like my two favorite things haha. So I love having them together! this is such a great recipe for summer!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Liz, you are a kindred spirit. Love pomegranates. Love margaritas. Love them together. 🙂 I'm so glad you like this recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to write! xo