Easy Sparkling Blood Orange Mocktail
Bright and effervescent, with enough nuanced flavor to feel (almost) like a cocktail, this Sparkling Blood Orange Mocktail is a fun and easy drink. Serve for Game Day, holidays, brunches and more!
Have you heard the news that more people are starting to go alcohol free–or to reduce their consumption? That’s right, it’s one of the latest trends, dubbed alcohol-free lifestyle or sober-curious. It’s even celebrated in “events” like Dry January.
Now let me state for the record that I’m not giving up my Cosmo or my Christmas Candy Cane Martini.
But I am starting to watch my consumption more. And this means that I’m on the lookout for alternative beverages that are flavorful, low in sugar–and that won’t break the bank.
And I’m pretty happy with the results. I can now enjoy drinking tasty mocktails (like today’s Blood Orange Mocktail or my Virgin Cosmopolitan) late into the night. And I don’t even need a designated driver!
What is a (Sparkling Blood Orange) Mocktail
Wikipedia defines a mocktail as “a cocktail-style beverage made without alcohol.” And according to Grand View Research, the “global ready to drink mocktails market size was valued at USD 8.26 billion in 2023.”
Expected to continue to increase, this is motivated by everything from a concern about drug interactions in Boomers to a health and wellness focus in Millennials and Gen Zers.
And as far as the rest of the name goes, this is a mocktail made with fizzy water and blood orange juice. ‘Cause how do you resist the effervesce of sparkling water mixed with the vibrant color and nuanced flavor of the blood orange!
Why You’ll Love This!
All Natural! This has just a few simple ingredients that you can make all natural if you want.
Flavorful and truly cocktail-like. The unique flavor of the blood orange and the accent provided by the bitters, give this drink a cocktail flair rather than a fizzy juice vibe.
Low sugar. Many alternative beverages are high in sugar which you may also want to reduce in your life. This uses just a small amount of simple syrup and a sugar free syrup (such as stevia or allulose syrup) can be used to go even lighter.
What You’ll Need (details below)
Ingredient Notes
- Blood Orange Juice. This provides nuanced flavor and a vibrant rosy color. You can use up to half regular orange juice.
- Simple syrup. This sweetens the beverage and counters some of the bitterness in the blood orange juice. You can use a liquid sweetener such as allulose syrup or stevia (just a few drops if you use stevia) instead. See Tips section below for how to make your own simple syrup.
- Bitters. This adds flavor and cocktail-ness! I have used both citrus bitters and the classic Angostura.
- Fizzy water. I use plain fizzy water. Tonic will add even more cocktail vibes but be aware that it’s sweetened and higher calorie unless you buy diet.
Special Tools
- No special tools required!
When is Blood Orange Season?
While you might not always have blood oranges in your supermarket, the US blood orange crop is harvested from December to April and will provide best availability. And per Fresh Plaza, Australian blood oranges can often be found in the US and Canada from September through November, stretching the season.
Step by Step Overview
Juice your blood orange.
I like to strain, but if you prefer keeping the pulp, skip this step.
Add simple syrup (or sweetener) and a few drops of bitters.
Top with ice and fizzy water.
Enjoy!
How to Serve
Your Blood Orange Mocktail will look lovely in a double rocks glass–or just go with something convenient. No cocktail glass police here.
This beverage will be lovely for events all through the Blood Orange season. Think Game Day parties, holiday parties and brunches (consider making up a pitcher). And it will go seamlessly from fall into spring.
Of course I like to garnish for the season—sage and dried orange for fall, rosemary for winter, fresh orange for spring. You can see example of each of these throughout the post.
Variations and Special Diets
If you’re looking for some other nice mocktails, I think I have your back! Consider trying my Virgin Strawberry Margarita, or Virgin Cosmopolitan. Or go with a special “souped up” lemonade like exotic Hibiscus Lemonade or Fun Rhubarb Lemonade.
And many of my alcoholic beverage recipes have instructions for converting to a mocktail including my Refreshing Watermelon Martini or Blood Orange Mimosa!
Yum!
Tips & FAQs
What is simple syrup? Simple syrup is a sugar syrup used to sweeten food where grainy sugar could be a problem. It can be made by mixing equal parts sugar and water together until the sugar dissolves. I usually use the blender to combine them (but many people will heat to dissolve, then cool).
Can I use honey or maple syrup as the sweetener? You can if you like it that way—I try not to be the flavor police! However, since I haven’t tried it, I can’t say whether either or both of these would overpower the flavor–or possibly compliment it.
But here’s an expert tip from someone who ate local for a year–so couldn’t use any sugar. I learned then that, counterintuitively, honey and maple syrup were often NOT interchangeable in a recipe—and one would be a lot better for a particular dish. So, if you’re trying to use more natural sweeteners, a little experimentation goes a long way.
Can I use regular orange juice? Blood orange flavor tends to have a slight bitter edge that makes it shine in a cocktail. Not to mention outstanding color. So going with just orange juice is going to make this feel closer to a juice beverage. But when I’ve needed to stretch my blood orange juice I’ve gone half and half with plain orange juice and the results are delicious!
Sparkling Blood Orange Mocktail
Ingredients
- ¼ cup blood orange juice about 1 orange (see note)
- ½ Tablespoon Simple syrup or to taste, sweetener can be substituted, if stevia, start with a few drops
- 4 drops bitters or to taste
- 4 ounces fizzy water or a bit more
- Ice
Instructions
- Juice your blood orange. Strain to remove pulp (optional—but I do this)
- Add simple syrup (or sweetener) and a few drops of bitters.
- Top with ice and fizzy water.
That sounds so nice, and nice to see blood orange included. The presentation in the photos really make it look like a real high quality cocktail.
Thanks so much Simon. Glad to hear I’m hitting the feel of a real cocktail, which was my goal!
Hey! This Sparkling Blood Orange Mocktail sounds like such a refreshing twist on non-alcoholic drinks. I love how you’ve crafted it to feel like a cocktail without the booze, perfect for when I’m in the mood for something a bit special but still want to keep it light.