Perk up this winter with a seasonal citrus cocktail. Featuring the winter's most-beloved citrus, this freshly squeezed blood orange mojito is the perfect refresher when you’re over the chilly months. With just one sip, this vibrant, effervescent mojito will transport you to warm patio days.

Two blood orange mojitos with fresh mint and fruit around it with a copper jigger.

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Why You Need to Make This Recipe
Ingredients
How to Make Blood Orange Simple Syrup
Step-by-Step Instructions
Perfect Pairing
Looking for More Citrusy Cocktails?
📖 Recipe

Why You Need to Make This Recipe

I can admit it: I always get into a bit of a funk during the winter. What is this time? The cheery holidays have left us, it's too cold for patios, and the lack of sunshine is unacceptable.

This will not do. I need something a little brighter to get me through these cold months until the warm spring days return. Fortunately, winter citrus in cocktail form is just the ticket.

Just like my blood orange gin fizz and Cara Cara margarita, this blood orange mojito gives us the perfect winter refresher.

Bonus: If you love this mojito, make sure you try my strawberry mojito, mango mojito, raspberry mojito and coconut-watermelon mojito.

Ingredients

Before we start mixing, let's gather our ingredients. Here's everything we need to make this citrusy mojito.

White rum: This is the classic mojito liquor.
Fresh blood orange juice: After all, this is a blood orange cocktail.
Lime wedges: For that classic mojito citrus kick.
Fresh mint: It's not a mojito without fresh mint.
Blood orange simple syrup: I like the extra boost of flavor the blood orange syrup adds, but you're welcome to use an unflavored simple syrup if you want to keep it as low key as possible.
Club soda: To give us the perfect bubbly kick.

A blood orange rum cocktail with cut fruit in the background.

How to Make Blood Orange Simple Syrup

To get the most citrusy mojito, I like to make a blood orange simple syrup using fresh zest. If you've frequented my cocktail recipes, you know how much I love a flavored simple syrup, like one you find in my sage-fig cocktail, strawberry-basil Tom Collins and plum-thyme margarita, so this should come as no surprise. I just adore the flavor boost and unique twist a customized simple syrup gives a cocktail.

We make our fancy simple syrup by bringing water, sugar and fresh blood orange zest to a low boil, giving it a stir every so often. Once the sugar dissolves, we turn off the heat, allow the mixture to steep and strain. Just like that, we have our simple syrup.

Looking straight at a blood orange mojito with a slice of blood orange next to it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

And now to make our mojito. Grab a cocktail shaker, add some lime wedges with a handful of mint and the simple syrup and start muddling. This ensures we get that sweet minty flavor.

From here, we add our freshly squeezed blood orange juice, white rum and ice. We pop on the top, give it a good shake and strain into ice-filled glasses. After topping with club soda, we give it a gentle stir.

At this point, you might think we're ready to sip, but we have one more step. We take a large sprig of mint, place it in our palm and then quickly clap our other hand on top. That mint is now our garnish. By clapping our mint, we release its fragrance to make for the most delightful drinking experience.

And now you may sip away and pretend you're on a warm, sun-filled patio. Sigh.

A closeup of a single mojito with fruit on a wooden board.

Perfect Pairing

I have no doubt you'll love my slow-roasted blood orange salmon with this mojito. Of course, we have the mimicking blood orange flavor, but the fresh mint with the cilantro and ginger from the salmon also match beautifully. Blood oranges only last for a limited time, so we might as well take advantage of this favorite winter citrus while we can.

When you need a bright cocktail to get you through those dark winter months, I hope you try this blood orange mojito. After one sip, those winter blues are sure to wash away.

Cheers!

Looking down at a blood orange mojito with fruit and barware around it.

Looking for More Citrusy Cocktails?

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