Blood Orange Margarita – A Classic with an Amazing, Seasonal Fruit Twist
You may be asking yourself, “why mess with a classic?” I’ll respond to that with, “why not?” The blood orange margarita is a fantastic way to elevate the taste of the classic drink. Additionally, the blood orange has a stunning color that brings so much visual appeal to the drink. It’s only in season for a short time, from mid winter to early spring, so enjoy it while you can!
The classic margarita is not a very difficult drink to make and this variation is not much more laborious. In fact, it’s only 1 additional ingredient, the juice from a blood orange. I have always loved the taste and look of blood oranges. They are just so photogenic and have a unique taste that makes them undeniably desirable.
What does a blood orange margarita taste like
Blood oranges, typically, are more tart and sweet than their more tangy and bitter cousins, the naval orange. The tartness and sweetness of the blood orange plays really well with the lime juice and other ingredients of a classic margarita. Click the link to read more in-depth about blood oranges
I will state a small caveat, as the level of tartness can vary greatly depending on when the blood orange was picked and how ripe it is. My recipe calls for a small amount of agave syrup but feel free to increase that amount depending on your taste buds and tartness of the blood orange.
Tips on making a great drink
There are a few things you can do to make the blood orange margarita as best as it can be. The first thing is to work with fresh produce. Sure, you can buy lime juice already in bottle, but it will never be the as good as fresh squeezed. When you are making something with just a few indigents, every little extra bit counts. Also, I like to get all my ingredients lined up so I can assemble the drinks as quickly as possible. Stopping to do more squeezing or running off to find the salt for the rim is annoying! Prior preparation prevents poor performance.
Lastly, after straining the drink into the the serving glass, clear ice would be a nice touch. I always have a bag ready to go in my freezer.
Blood Orange Margarita
Equipment
- Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 ounces tequila
- 1 ounce blood orange juice
- ½ ounce lime juice (fresh is best)
- ½ ounce triple sec liqueur (Cointreau)
- ¼ ounce agave syrup
- ice
Optional
- 1 whole lime for garnish
- 1 whole blood orange for garnish
- kosher salt for rim of glass
Instructions
- Fill serving glass with ice to chill glass
- Combine tequila, blood orange juice, lime juice, triple sec, and agave in shaker
- Add ice from serving glass to shaker
- If you are going to salt the rim of the glass now is the time. Spread kosher salt on small plate. Run lime wedge along rim of glass. Dip rim into kosher salt to coat.
- Shaker for 5-10 seconds or until shaker cold this very cold to touch
- Strain into serving glass with fresh ice
- Optional, garnish with blood orange wedge and/or lime wedge
Notes
