Blood Orange Margarita
Tequila, fresh blood orange juice and lime. A deep red-orange Margarita for winter, sweet-tart and berry-like.
- Time
- 6 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- 2.5 UK units
How to make a Blood Orange Margarita
- Squeeze the juice. Halve one or two blood oranges and squeeze them until you have 40 ml of juice. Squeeze the lime too.
- Prepare the glass. If you want salt, run a lime wedge around half the rim of a rocks glass and dip it in flaky salt. Fill the glass with ice.
- Shake. Pour the tequila, orange juice, triple sec, lime juice and agave syrup into a shaker. Fill it with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds, until the tin is frosted.
- Strain and garnish. Strain over the fresh ice. It should be a deep, cloudy red-orange. Add the orange wheel and serve.
- Glass
- Rocks glassNo rocks glass? A coupe, served without ice.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- A blood orange wheel, with an optional half salt rimOr: An orange twist.
What you need to make a Blood Orange Margarita
Kit
Cocktail shakerA two-piece Boston tin is the easiest to use and clean.
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
StrainerA Hawthorne strainer fits over the tin or glass.
Bottles we'd use
- A 100% agave blanco tequilaEspolon Blanco or Olmeca Altos Plata: clean and peppery, a good match for sweet citrus.Find it on Amazon
- CointreauIts clean orange flavour backs up the fresh juice.Find it on Amazon
Links to Amazon are affiliate links: if you buy through them, Bar Bandol may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Blood Orange Margarita variations and swaps
Swap half the tequila for mezcal for a smoky edge that suits the berry notes in the fruit. Use Tommy's style instead of orange liqueur: leave out the triple sec and use 10 ml of agave syrup. A pinch of chilli salt on the rim gives a spicy version. A splash of soda water in the glass makes a longer, lighter drink. If you cannot find blood oranges, use ordinary orange juice and add 5 ml of cranberry juice for colour.
The Blood Orange Margarita story
The Blood Orange Margarita is a seasonal twist with no recorded origin. Blood oranges are in season in winter, and their juice is sweeter and more berry-like than ordinary orange, with a deep red-orange colour that fills the glass.
Squeeze the oranges yourself, because a carton will not give you the same flavour. One orange usually gives enough juice for a drink. The fruit does most of the sweetening, so there is only a small amount of agave, and a full measure of lime keeps it sharp. If you cannot find blood oranges, ordinary orange juice works, though the colour is paler.
Blood Orange Margarita: your questions answered
What is in a Blood Orange Margarita?
A Blood Orange Margarita is made with 50 ml tequila blanco, 40 ml fresh blood orange juice, 15 ml triple sec and 20 ml fresh lime juice. Garnish: a blood orange wheel, with an optional half salt rim.
Is a Blood Orange Margarita shaken or stirred?
A Blood Orange Margarita is shaken, not stirred. Shaking hard with ice chills it quickly and helps mix the juice in properly, which stirring cannot do. Shake until the outside of the shaker feels very cold.
How strong is a Blood Orange Margarita?
Made to this recipe, a Blood Orange Margarita contains about 2.5 UK units of alcohol per drink. That is worked out from typical bottle strengths, so it changes with the bottles you use. UK guidelines advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
What glass do you serve a Blood Orange Margarita in?
Serve a Blood Orange Margarita in a rocks glass over ice. No rocks glass? A coupe, served without ice.
