February 1, 2019

Blood Orange Margarita

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?

When Is Blood Orange Season?

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.

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.

Blood oranges cut up in halves and pieces with white flowers.

Ingredients

Let’s gather our ingredients. For this stunning, tasty cocktail, we need tequila, orange liqueur, limes, blood oranges and a little sea salt to garnish our glasses. I love a reposado tequila with my margaritas. Reposado tequila is aged in oak barrels from anywhere from a couple months to a year, which gives it more of a nuanced flavor with a smoother finished than blanco tequila. But if you prefer blanco tequila, pour what you like.

When it comes to orange liqueur, I’m a sucker for Grand Marnier. Cointreau is another great option. Your typical triple sec works as well, but for a top-shelf blood orange margarita, I definitely recommend springing for one of the aforementioned higher-quality orange liqueurs.

An aerial view of two blood orange margaritas with lime slices and straws.

How to Make

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 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.

A front view of a blood orange margarita with white flowers.

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!

Two blood orange margaritas with cut-up blood oranges and lime slices.

Love Your Margaritas?