In our opinion, the happiest happy hours start with a Blood Orange Margarita cocktail. This juicy tequila cocktail is packed with all the bittersweet flavors you could wish for, making it a perfect aperitif that everyone will love. While it has a few more ingredients to gather than your average drink, it’s easy to whip up in a matter of minutes. This beauty is one of the best cocktails for beginners, as you literally chuck all your ingredients together and give it a good shake for an icy chill.
Blood Orange Margarita
PREP TIME 10 min
QUICK TIPS
INSTRUCTIONS
01
Wet the rim of a rocks glass or tumbler with a little juice
02
Dip it in a saucer of salt to coat
03
Fill the glass with ice and set aside
04
Half fill a shaker or mason jar with ice
05
Add all the ingredients and shake until icy cold
06
Strain into the glass
07
Garnish with a blood orange slice tucked onto the rim and enjoy super chilled
What is a blood orange?
The crimson-streaked flesh of blood orange is sweeter than a regular navel orange and a little less acidic with hints of berry flavor. These bold flavored oranges are generally much juicer than their navel relatives and made up of a softer structure, so when you’re making drinks with blood orange, you’ll see they easily collapse when juicing. Blood oranges are in season in the cold winter months and start fruiting a month earlier than the navels, usually in December.
Best Blood Orange Margarita recipe ingredients
Our Blood Orange Juice cocktail is built with the same blocks as the OG Margarita, which is one of those classic Mexican cocktails most people know. Made with tequila, orange liqueur and lime juice, the blood orange version also adds a dash of Campari (yum), freshly squeezed blood orange juice, and a little simple syrup for sweetness to the mix. Make sure you grab a good quality tequila like Cabo Wabo or Espolòn since this recipe calls for a smooth unaged blanco to create a good balance. For the orange liqueur, choose one that offers serious bitter orange notes like Grand Marnier for adding an extra depth of flavor to drinks with blood orange.
How to salt the rim of a Margarita glass
The finishing touch of a Blood Orange Margarita cocktail is a salt rim. Do this first before pouring your drink. Simply tip some kosher salt or sea salt onto a saucer, and rub a wedge of orange or lime around the edge of a rocks glass or tumbler to wet it before twisting the rim in the salt. A salt rim elevates the flavor and brings that extra Insta-appeal to your drink. We all tend to feast with our eyes first, right?
Fresh blood orange juice alternatives
If fresh oranges aren’t at your fingertips to juice for blood orange drink recipes, a 100% pure carton of juice will still be divine. Store-bought juices can be sweeter, so you may need to reduce the amount of simple syrup in the cocktail. You can always substitute the blood orange with regular OJ – just remember you’ll lose a little sweetness along the way so add a little more simple syrup.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This Blood Orange Margarita is a tangy drink that’s perfect for sipping on a cold winter’s night when you’re dining on comfort food that is slightly on the heavier side. The bold mix of the tangy juice and the Campari cuts through heavy foods so well.
