Thanksgiving Margarita

This Thanksgiving Margarita is the perfect drink to celebrate the season. It is cozy, flavorful and so easy to make.

Why you should try this recipe

This margarita recipes uses pumpkin butter, a deliciously sweet and spiced puree that gives it the perfect fall flavor.

If you bought a jar of Trader Joe's pumpkin butter and you are trying to figure out what to do with it, this drink is it!

If you are looking for a more classic margarita flavor, you can try my basic margarita recipe.

Don't worry, pumpkin butter doesn't actually contain dairy in the form of butter, the name comes from the soft, butter-like texture of this pumpkin puree.

Ingredients

Margaritas are my favorite tequila cocktail. In the recipe you can use silver tequila for a more punchy flavor or a reposed tequila for a more deep, caramel-like flavor.

• Tequila: Use silver (white tequila) or a reposed.
• Pumpkin butter: This is a Trader Joe's product that comes in the fall. If you don't have a store nearby I will suggest a way to make a homemade pumpkin puree down below.
• Lime juice: Fresh lime juice is a must in a margarita. I never use bottled juice for any of my drinks. I like to use the lime zest to rim the glass.
• Soda water: I like to give my margarita a little fizz so I top it off with soda water. If you don't want a fizzy drink just add plenty of ice to the glass.
• Maple syrup: I like to use a little bit of maple syrup to brush around the glass rim so the salt/sugar/lime zest sticks to the glass.
• Salt: Coarse sea salt is best for this drink, you can also use coarse brown sugar or a mix of both.
• Soda water: Optional to top off the glass, I like to add a little fizz to my drinks but you can leave it out if you wish.
• Ice: For shaking the cocktail and for serving.
• Star anise: Use a star anise as garnish. A cinnamon stick will also work.

What to serve with this margarita

This margarita recipe is a great way to welcome your guests on Thanksgiving day while they graze on appetizers.

These pumpkin butter and brie bites are a great appetizer to serve with this margarita.

This baked feta cheese is also a delightful appetizer that features lemon honey infused with time and it is baked to a creamy, spreadable consistency.

Step by step instructions

Start by zesting the lime in a shallow dish, add the salt and sugar and combine. This is going to be used in our glass rim.

Prepare the glass by brushing about ½ teaspoon of maple syrup. You could also use a half lime wedge to wet the glass before dunking it into the salt rim mix.

In a cocktail shaker add the tequila, pumpkin butter, lime juice and ice.

Shake vigorously until all the ingredients are fully combined.

Serve in the prepared glass with ice and top off with some soda water if desired.

Ingredient substitutions

Pumpkin butter is a seasonal item that many stores carry these days.

Pumpkin butter is a combination of pumpkin puree, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

You can try to replicate the flavors by making this cocktail by making a homemade pumpkin butter recipe that can easily be found online.