Blood Orange Gin Fizz

With blood orange season here, let’s embrace this winter treat the best way we know how — a stunning blood orange gin fizz! Featuring a creamy, frothy topping, freshly squeezed blood orange juice and the perfect bubbly kick, this seasonal gin fizz makes for one cocktail you’ll want to sip on all night long.

Why You Need to Make This Recipe

When blood orange season hits, our first order of business is to make cocktails. Blood oranges, which are in season from December to May, come with the perfect touch of sweetness with a slightly tart tang. As you can imagine, this makes for one delicious cocktail everyone is sure to enjoy. Consider me obsessed.

In fact, I love this winter citrus fruit so much that I make sure to share at least one blood orange cocktail a season. My blood orange-rosemary gin and tonic, blood orange margarita and blood orange mojito are all popular options, and now we're adding this fizz cocktail to the list.

And how pretty is this little number? A dainty, beautiful cocktail always elevates any occasion. While you certainly don’t need a special event to whip up this blood orange gin fizz, it adds a lovely touch to so many celebrations — think Valentine’s Day, bridal showers, Mother’s Day or bachelorette parties. It also makes a beautiful signature cocktail for a wedding.

Ingredients

Let's get ready to start mixing. Here are the blood orange gin fizz ingredients.

• Gin: Any dry London variety works well.
• Freshly squeezed blood orange juice: For our signature flavor and color.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice: This adds a nice brightness and brings out all the flavors.
• Egg white: This may sound weird, but this is what gives us that frothy topping.
• Heavy cream: We just use a touch, but it adds a velvety texture.
• Simple syrup: To give us that perfect hint of sweetness.
• Orange blossom water: This adds a lovely floral note that’s delightful with gin. Make sure you use a food-grade variety.
• Ice: After all, we don't want a room-temperature cocktail.
• Club soda: Because it's not a fizz without a bubbly kick.
• Bar tools: We need a cocktail shaker, jigger or small measuring cup, and a citrus juicer.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Let’s get to mixing. We first grab a cocktail shaker and add the gin, blood orange juice, lemon juice, egg white, heavy cream, orange blossom water and simple syrup. Now we put on the top and give it a good shake for 30 seconds.

You’ll notice this shake has no ice. This step is called a dry shake. By shaking first without ice, we get an even frothier topping.

From here, we add some ice and shake for a second time for to ensure our egg white keeps developing that perfect froth. Some bartenders even shake egg white cocktails for up to five minutes. I don't find it's necessary to shake for that long, but if you want to add an arm workout to your cocktail-making session, have at it.

That said, it's traditional to shake a gin fizz until you no longer hear ice clink against the cocktail shaker. For me, that generally takes about two minutes.

Now we pour this winter gin fizz into a Collins glass and gently stir in a splash of club soda. And just like that, we're ready to sip the night away while enjoying the season’s best flavor.

Are Egg Whites Safe in Cocktails?

While raw egg whites come with risk, it’s minimal. To ensure you safely consume eggs, make sure your eggs have been inspected and are stored in the original container in the back of your refrigerator where it stays the coldest. If you want to be extra safe, pasteurized eggs are a good option. And, of course, do not use the egg if it has any cracks.

That said, you can leave out the egg white if you're not comfortable. You won't get the frothy topping, but you'll still have a tasty cocktail on your hands.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Blood orange juice is beautiful, but it stains. To minimize splatter, don’t rush the juicing process. If you have to use a wooden cutting board, wipe off any stains right away, though you may want to opt for a plastic one if that’s an option. You’ll also want to immediately wipe off any splatters on your countertop.
• When doing the dry shake, the cocktail shaker won’t seal like it does when it’s cold, so you might want to put a kitchen towel around it when shaking.
• If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, a mason jar with a solid lid works. In fact, it may be even easier with the dry shake.
• Orange blossom water can be hard to find in your average grocery store, but you can generally find it at specialty grocery and liquor stores as well as Amazon. If you don’t have any, you can skip it, but I love the flavor it adds if you can swing it.

Perfect Pairing

Salmon and gin are a classic pairing, and I happen to have one salmon recipe that’s especially perfect with this cocktail: my slow-roasted blood orange salmon. The citrusy glaze with honey and ginger makes a wonderful match with the floral gin notes. Another great salmon option is my salmon-avocado pizza with pesto.

To fully enjoy winter citrus season, I hope you mix up this blood orange gin fizz. Please let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!

Looking for More Winter Citrus Cocktails?

• Grapefruit gin mule
• Cara Cara margarita
• Rosemary-grapefruit vodka spritzer
• Triple citrus tequila smash