Blood Orange Margarita
Rosy and cheerful with a sweet-tart flavor, a Blood Orange Margarita is an easy cocktail that can brighten your day. Any time of the year!
It’s hard to beat a good blood orange. While any type of orange gives you a beautiful, sweet-tart flavor, the blood orange also lends a rich red color. Which can turn an ordinary food into something stunning.
And since I never met a Margarita I didn’t like, having a bag of blood oranges seemed like a call to action!
In truth, right now, this cheery Blood Orange Margarita is helping me survive, hmm, is it Fool’s Spring, or Second Winter?
Yes Cinco de Mayo may be a while off, but a Margarita is always welcome. Even in Second Winter!
What is a Margarita?
Wikipedia tells us that the popular Mexican drink “is a cocktail consisting of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up).”
And while lime is the classic flavor, the drink is well suited to lots of different fruits. I have recipe for a few more listed in Variations below.
Why You’ll Love This!
Refreshing. Icy and loaded with citrus flavor, this is a refreshing cocktail on a hot summer afternoon or after a hectic day.
Colorful and Festive. Any Margarita is fun and festive but the beautiful color of the Blood Orange Margarita puts it over the top.
Natural. Margarita mixes are easy, but have you ever read the ingredient list? The one I checked has water and high fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients!
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Tequila. The signature alcohol of the Margarita.
- Cointreau. Adds orange flavor and additional alcohol. You can use another orange liqueur like Triple Sec if that’s what you have.
- Blood Orange Juice. Gives it distinctive orange flavor and beautiful color. You can use up to half regular orange juice (which is what I did for the color you see)
- Lime juice. This provides more classic Margarita flavor and balances the orange.
- Simple syrup (optional). Since the lime is still pretty tart I recommend a little bit of extra sweetening, but you can do you. Feel free to go with some stevia to taste or a zero sugar syrup if you’d like. And note that this will ever be low carb.
- Optional salt for glass rim
Special Tools
- A cocktail shaker is nice but you can do this stirred in a glass if you don’t have one.
Step by Step Directions
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, top with ice then shake.
Rim your glass with salt if desired (I usually skip this), fill the glass with ice then pour your shaken margarita over the top.
Garnish.
How to Serve
Your Blood Orange Margarita will look lovely in a double rocks glass or a traditional margarita glass. Or just go with something convenient. No cocktail glass police here.
Many people like to rim a margarita glass with salt–or sugar for very sweet variations like Strawberry Margaritas. This one is usually done with salt. But since I’m always watching my salt intake, it’s something I usually skip.
Consider garnishing your drink with a fresh blood orange slice or go with a dried orange slice which is also super pretty. Mint sprigs and lime slices are also nice.
Looking to add some appetizers to the mix? How about a side of Mango Pineapple Salsa or some amazing Steak Nachos. Or why not for dinner with this Chorizo Chili Recipe.
Variations and Special Diets
Prefer a frozen Blood Orange Margarita? Instead of putting the ingredients in a shaker with ice, put into a blender with ice and process until frozen and smooth.
Want to explore other Margarita flavors? My Frozen Strawberry Margarita, Mango Margaritas, and Peach Margaritas are also fruity and delicious!
Need some more citrus to get you through until summer? Check these out:
- Blood Orange Marmalade from Magical Ingredients
- Gin Gimlet from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Lemon Chicken from Jen Around the World
- Meyer Lemon Poppyseed Cake from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Mixed Citrus Squash (Drink) from That Recipe
- Tangerine Julius from Palatable Pastime
Tips & FAQs
I cut my blood oranges in quarters, then used a lemon press to squeeze. I don’t strain the juice.
If you’re serving a crowd, the fact that this isn’t a frozen drink is in your favor. So go ahead, make a pitcher and enjoy.
Blood Orange Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 ounce tequila
- ½ ounce Cointreau or other orange liqueur
- 3 ounces blood orange juice or half plain OJ
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup optional but recommended
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, top with ice then shake.
- Rim you glass if desired, fill the glass with ice then pour your margarita over the top.
- Garnish as desired.
Beautiful. And I imagine very tasty — I love the floral notes in blood oranges, and I think it would make a great cocktail !
I think you need a blood orange tree David!
Your Blood Orange Margarita recipe is a real game-changer! The vibrant color and sweet-tart flavor of blood oranges take the classic Margarita to a whole new level of deliciousness. Plus, I love how you emphasize using natural ingredients over store-bought mixes. Thanks for sharing this refreshing cocktail idea, perfect for any occasion, whether it’s Cinco de Mayo or just a cozy night in.
Thanks Raymund!
That margarita is gorgeous! Don’t you wish blood oranges were available year round? That garnish!
All of the beautiful blood orange recipes have really given me a new appreciation!
The color of this margarita is gorgeous! Sounds very refreshing.
Thanks, it is!