Made with freshly squeezed blood orange and lime juices and a healthy dose of your favorite tequila, this vibrant blood orange margarita is perfectly zesty with a touch of natural citrus sweetness.
Why You Need to Make This Recipe
Blood orange season is here in all its glory, and margaritas never go out of season in my worldview. So let’s be sensible and bring the two together in this lovely, delicious blood orange margarita recipe. Who’s with me?
I don’t know about you, but when blood orange season hits, I can’t stop picking these beauties off the shelf. That vibrant red hue gets me every time, and I love the touch of sweetness that comes with the citrusy kick. Obviously, I love blood oranges in my cocktails, but they're also great in cooking and make a tasty snack. Seriously, I can't get enough blood oranges.
When Is Blood Orange Season?
The only thing I don’t love about blood oranges is their short season. Whomp, whomp. Blood oranges are only in season from December to May, so I'm trying to consume as many blood oranges as possible these days. And if that means I have to drink a few more blood orange margaritas between now and May, so be it.
Fortunately, blood orange juice freezes well. I suggest buying a few extra, so you can enjoy this blood orange margarita recipe all year long. And trust me. Once you taste this cocktail, you’ll want to treat yourself to a blood orange margarita any time of year, so clear some freezer space. I promise you’ll be happy you did.
Ingredients
Let’s gather our ingredients. Here’s everything we need for this stunning, tasty cocktail.
- Tequila: love a reposado tequila with my margaritas. Reposado tequila is aged in oak barrels from anywhere from a couple months to a year for a more nuanced flavor with a smoother finished than blanco tequila. But if you prefer blanco tequila, pour what you like.
- Blood orange juice: The star of the show that adds the perfect sweet and tart combination.
- Lime juice: Skip the bottle. Fresh is best.
- Orange liqueur: I prefer Grand Marnier or Cointreau to make this a top-shelf margarita, but triple sec also makes a tasty cocktail.
- Ice: Because no one wants room-temperature margaritas.
- Sea salt: This is optional, but I love a salty rum.
- Bar tools: Cocktail shaker, margarita glasses
Step-by-Step Instructions
Now let's add some ice to our salt-rimmed margarita glass and strain in that blood
OK, with our ingredients in hand, let’s get to it. We grab a cocktail shaker and add the tequila and orange liqueur of choice along with freshly squeezed lime juice and blood orange juice. Now throw in a handful of ice and pop on the top. I like to vigorously shake for about 15-30 seconds, which gives it enough time to develop condensation on the outside and perfectly chill the margarita.
Feeling fancy? In those cases, I’m a fan of rimming my serving glass with sea salt.
To do this, we run a small slice of blood orange, lime or both around the rim of the glass. Sprinkle some sea salt on a small plate and turn the glass upside-down in the salt. Give it a few twists to really cling on that salt. Go ahead and garnish with a slice of blood orange and some additional lime to jazz up that salted rim if you’re inclined.
Now let’s add some ice to our salt-rimmed margarita glass and strain in that blood orange-tequila goodness. Sip, smile and repeat.
Cocktail Variations
While this blood orange margarita is plenty delicious, sometimes it’s fun to put a unique spin on cocktails. Here are a few ideas to make this blood orange margarita with a twist.
- Muddle with jalapeños for a spicy kick.
- Make an herb-infused simple syrup. If you’ve made my blood orange-rosemary gin and tonic, you already know how great that combination is.
- Mix in fresh strawberry purée.
- Add a splash of fresh cucumber juice for a refreshing twist.
- Top with club soda or ginger ale to make a sparkling blood orange margarita.
And these are just a few ideas. Margaritas are endlessly customizable, so feel free to get creative.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Pick limes that have some give when lightly squeeze them. That means they’re nice and juicy. If you find one hard as a rock, keep looking.
- Before squeezing the lime juice, roll it firmly under the palm of your hand a few times. This releases the juices.
- Use a handheld juicer. You’ll maximize the juice output this way.
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, a mason jar with a lid can take care of the job.
- Blood orange juice freezes well. I suggest buying a few extra, so you can enjoy this blood orange margarita recipe all year long.
Perfect Pairing
I love halibut with blood oranges. The citrus cuts through the rich, buttery texture of the halibut perfectly, and considering that we're dealing with margaritas here, let's go with halibut tacos. Fish tacos and margaritas are never a bad idea, but the pairing is even better when halibut and blood oranges are involved.
I hope you welcome citrus season with a batch of these blood orange margaritas. And don't forget to freeze some blood orange juice, so you can enjoy these margaritas all year long.
Please let me know how you enjoyed this blood orange margarita 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!
Love Your Margaritas?
- Coconut margarita
- Raspberry-peach margarita
- Roasted strawberry margarita
- Cara Cara margarita
- Fresh cherry margarita
- Strawberry-kiwi margarita
Blood Orange Margarita
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Citrus juicer
- Jigger or small measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 blood orange juiced, about 2 ½ ounces
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 ounces tequila preferably reposado
- 1 ounce orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau or triple sec
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt optional
- 1 blood orange slice optional
Instructions
- Pour blood orange juice, lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Put the top on the shaker and shake for about 15 seconds until the cocktail shaker is frosty.
- Spread sea salt on a plate. Run the blood orange slice around the rim of a margarita glass and dip the glass in the salt. Add more ice to the margarita glass and strain the shaken margarita into the glass. Garnish with a blood orange slice if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the tequila, reposado is my favorite type for a smoother finish with more nuanced flavor, but a blanco tequila also works well.
- If you prefer a more tart margarita, you can leave out the simple syrup. I like the touch of sweetness and think it rounds out the flavors.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Blood Orange Margaritas are one of my favorite flavored margaritas. They will always remind me of an amazing evening in Newport, RI. 🙂 Thank you for sharing and bringing back some great memories.
Wow! This looks fabulous and I love blood oranges! I think this will be going on our valentine's menu!
Yay! That'll be such a fun way to celebrate. ❤️
The blood orange Margarita looks so gorgeous..what a lovely color it have..I love to try a non alcoholic version this..
I'm sure it'd also be great with some sparkling water!
Hands down, this is one of the most tasteful margaritas! That flavor is so vivid that you want to come back to it over and over again. Delicious recipe!
Glad to hear you love it! ❤️
Well, you don't have to ask - I am with you! I enjoy blood oranges in all kinds of ways and blood orange margarita is just one of them!
Yes! It's the best. ?
I love blood oranges. The best ones here in Italy come from Sicily! Never thought to use blood oranges in a margarita! Fabulous idea!
I bet you'll love it! I didn't realize Sicily grew blood oranges. I always learn so much from you. ?
This is my favorite type of margarita. I currently have some blood oranges and am planning to make margaritas with them. I love the sweet tart flavor from the orange- and the color too!
Hope you love it!
This drink looks so pretty! I love all the bright preppy colors!!
Thank you! I'm a sucker for a pretty cocktail. ?
I've been wanting to try something with blood orange. As you mentioned, it tastes so good, refreshing, and that color looks so entertaining.
Thank you! They really do have the prettiest color.
Oh my gosh I was so excited when I saw this recipe that I almost hadn't time to read the full blog post! How DELICIOUS! I love love LOVE margaritas and I love love LOVE blood oranges! I am totally going to make this the second I find blood oranges!
I hope you do! It's such a great way to enjoy that pure blood orange flavor. ?
Blood oranges are the BEST! I wish they were available all year round. This looks beautiful and I know would taste fantastic too.
Thank you! Same here.
These blood orange margaritas are so pretty. I really like your suggestion of fish tacos with this margarita and would make the perfect date night at home.
For sure! I love a good at-home date night with margaritas and tacos. ?❤️
I am a huge sucker for blood oranges. Not only are they beautiful, but they are so GOOD! I'm not a drinker, but I sure would drink a virgin version of this!
I'm sure it would! I think some sparkling water as a substitute for the alcohol would be great. Dasani also makes a blood orange-flavored sparkling water that's super delicious and would be worth trying with it.