Blood Orange Margaritas

I'm a sucker for a good tequila cocktail. And while classic margaritas are great, a simple addition of freshly squeezed blood orange juice really makes them shine!

All you need: A few fresh blood oranges, your favorite tequila, fresh lime juice, and some simple syrup or orange liqueur - no margarita mix required!

The blood orange juice mellows out the tequila taste here, which makes these cocktails super smooth. It also gives them their signature bright pink color!

What are blood oranges?

Blood oranges are slightly sweeter than navel oranges, with a bright, deep red interior (hence the name!) They're in season in winter and early spring, which makes them perfect for holiday cocktails.

Our Basic Order of Operations

1. Add salt (or sugar!) to the rim of a few cocktail glasses, then fill the glasses with ice.
2. Add blood orange juice, simple syrup, lime juice, and tequila to a cocktail shaker, fill it with ice, and give it a good shake to chill the margaritas and let the flavors all meld.
3. Strain margaritas evenly into glasses and serve immediately! Garnish with an extra lime wedge or orange slice if you like.

Pro tip: Be sure to use a cocktail strainer when you pour these margaritas into glasses, as fresh citrus juice can have quite a bit of pulp in it!

How to add a salt rim to cocktail glasses

You don't need fancy tools to add a salt rim to your cocktails at home! Just grab a lime wedge and a bit of kosher salt (or granulated sugar if you prefer!) and you're good to go. Here's how to do it:

1. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a cocktail glass. You don't need much pressure: You just want to moisten the very edge of the glass so the salt will stick!
2. Dust a small plate with a thin layer of kosher salt (if you aren't a fan of salted rims, you can also use sugar for this step).
3. Dip the moistened edge of your glass into the salt on the plate. Lightly tap the glass a few times to evenly coat the entire rim.

Tips & Variations

This margarita recipe is easy to adapt - here are a few of our favorite swaps and substitutions!

• If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, shake the drinks over ice in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid, and pour them through a small mesh strainer to remove any pulp.
• Add some spice by putting a few slices of fresh jalapeño in the shaker with the other ingredients.
• Swap the blood orange juice for grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, regular orange juice, or muddled berries! (For other fruit-forward drinks, try our raspberry margaritas or strawberry thyme cocktails).
• Swap the liquor. This basic recipe is great with just about any liquor (vodka, rum, and gin are all good in this drink) if tequila isn't your thing! You can also swap the alcohol for a nonalcoholic gin, nonalcoholic tequila, or a splash of club soda.
• Make your own simple syrup by heating 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar together in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. You can also use triple sec, agave nectar/agave syrup, or orange liqueur (we love Cointreau!) here instead of simple syrup.
• Stretch these drinks farther by topping them off with a bit of sparkling water, club soda, or prosecco!

A few FAQs