Very Cranberry

Thanksgiving is only one day away so I am making my list and checking it twice...for baking ingredients not Black Friday sales, people! Since not everyone likes cranberry sauce (or they want the one from the can) I need to figure out what to do with my leftovers. Cranberry margaritas, duh! This recipe is from The Red Cat, one of my fave restaurants in NYC. Check out their delish zucchini recipe here. 

For this fabulous margarita, just make a cranberry sauce as you normally would for Thanksgiving dinner, but then instead of smearing it all over a turkey sandwich, add it to a cocktail shaker and watch your margarita turn a lovely shade of pink. Festive and delicious. Bottoms up!

Cranberry Margarita

Jam:
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Drink:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder, if desired
1 lime, cut into wedges
4 ounces Triple Sec or Cointreau
6 ounces Tequila

1. Make the jam: Bring the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and jammy, 30–40 minutes. Mix in the orange zest; let cool. DO AHEAD: Jam can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.

2. Make the drinks: Mix the salt, sugar, and five-spice powder (if using) on a small plate. Rub the rims of Old Fashioned glasses with a lime wedge; dip in the salt mixture and fill the glasses with ice.

3. For each cocktail, combine 1 ounce lime juice, 1 ounce Triple Sec, 1½ ounces tequila, and 2 tablespoons cranberry jam in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Cover and shake until the outside is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into the prepared glasses.