Blood Orange Margaritas

in Beverages, Cinco de Mayo, Citrus, Fruit, Lime, Margaritas, Mexican & TexMex

Blood Orange Margaritas

With grapefruit season dwindling, the area of my kitchen that was previously devoted to 18 pound bags of ruby citrus from south Texas now sits empty. We do our part to support the local industry, averaging a bag every week/week and a half. That’s a lot of grapefruit for breakfast. And lunch. And dessert. But most importantly, margaritas.

Our love for flavored margaritas shifts with the season. With the sudden influx of blood oranges in the grocery store, the house favorite Grapefruit Margarita takes a backseat.

Blood oranges make a really good margarita. I guess most citrus does… but few are as pretty as the blood orange. The juice is a deep, dark red and tastes a lot like your standard orange although I think it’s less acidic and has a… more concentrated “orange” flavor if that makes sense. (It probably doesn’t. And it’s probably not just because I’m drinking one now.)

Blood oranges don’t seem to stick around for long so this year I hoarded planned ahead. I actually bought quite a few for the purpose of freezing the juice (ice trays I bought for the Foodie Baby’s purees worked great) for a treat during the first couple of weeks after the last blood orange disappears from the produce shelves and we’re not ready to switch gears to the next seasonal fruit.

Our recipe for flavored margarita varies slightly with the headlining fruit. We always start 1:1:1:1 tequila, orange liqueur, lime, and [fill-in-the-blank]. Standing around the kitchen island, sipping, and adjusting the lime and [fill-in-the-blank] is the fun part πŸ™‚ I love tart citrus so I usually rarely sweeten my drink. The Foodie Groom? Not so much a fan of sour lemon face so he typically takes 1/2-1 oz of simple syrup to knock off the edge.

Blood Orange Margarita

A seasonal twist on the classic margarita recipe made with blood oranges.

Ingredients

  • 3 oz tequila
  • 2 oz orange liqueur
  • 2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 4 oz fresh-squeezed blood orange juice (~3-4 oranges)
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • Blood orange slices, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Mix tequila, orange liqueur, lime, and orange juices well.
  2. Taste for sweetness and add simple syrup if desired.
  3. Pour over two small glasses of ice.

Notes

Yields: 2 servings

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 10 minutes

46 comments… add one
  • 5:50 AM… and I am thinking “how refreshing!”

  • Lisa

    Wow, those look fantastic, I am going to have to make those this weekend! By “orange liqueur” do you mean Grand Marnier or Triple Sec?

    Lisa

    • @Lisa, Yes! We use Paula’s Texas Orange. We’ve decided we like that *much* more for margaritas than Grand Marnier.

      • Lisa

        Thank you!! I’ll have to see if they carry that in the state liquor stores here in Seattle, WA. We have a darn poor selection of anything that isn’t a product that sells in large volumes.

        Lisa

  • That looks delicious and perfect for this little heat wave we’re having in PA.

  • God, I could use one of those right about now. And yes, it’s only noon where I am. BTW, if that is a folded napkin under that delicious beverage, may I ask from where you got it? It’s as beautiful as the cocktail!

    • @Lindsey – I think 80% of the pictures I’ve taken recently have had that fabric in it. I had to tell myself “Step away from the purple paisley.” πŸ™‚ It’s actually just a piece of fabric. My husband found it in the remnant bin at Joann Fabric. I’m going back this weekend to see if they have anymore… and then I’m going to sew an entire set of napkins!

  • Blood Orange Margarita’s are my absolute favorite! My hubby makes them all the time! πŸ™‚

  • That’s beautiful! I can’t wait to try it!

  • I do really love grapefruit more than any other citrus, but blood oranges seem to me to be, by far, the most romantic! These margaritas look fabulous!

  • Carissa

    What is the flavor of a blood orange? Is it tart like a grapefruit, or sweeter like an orange or somewhere in the middle? Looks delicious!

    • Carissa – It’s a lot like a regular orange but smoother, not as acidic. And the juice is beet red. The HEB near me still has them!

  • Shawnda, I really can’t afford another fancy margarita habit. I already can’t believe how fast we’re going through the tequila and orange liqueur. But, also…I’m not ready to move on from grapefruit margaritas! They’re just too perfect.

    • We go through a lot of tequila and orange! We’ve downgraded a bit. I found a less expensive (and even better for ritas than Grand Marnier, I think) orange liqueur. Saves $10 for 750ml bottle πŸ™‚

  • These drinks look refreshing … now would you please share a little warm weather with those of us in way up North so we can have an opportunity to sip a Margarita out on the deck?

  • Those are so pretty! I had a blood orange margarita at a Mexican restaurant once and absolutely fell in love. Now I just wish blood oranges were easier to find around here.

  • Yum!

  • Brandi

    You have no idea how bad I could use one of those right now!

  • Such a gorgeous looking drink and I love grape fruit ! Have to try this over the weekend πŸ˜‰

  • Allison C

    This is my FAVORITE flavored margarita. Messy to make, but so worth it.

  • Oh, how much do I need one of these right now.

  • Your grapefruit margaritas have been a staple around my house. Thanks for the awesome recipe. What type of juicer do you use? Can’t wait to try these margaritas!

    • @Natalie, Glad you like them! We have a Breville. It’s the citrus-only juicer, not the kind you can dump a whole apple into and get apple juice.

  • Blood oranges are so wonderful – I find they have an almost floral note to them. I like eating them just plain (and also love the WTF looks my coworkers give me when my ‘orange’ turns out to be almost burgundy, hehe), but this sounds like a brilliant way to eat more of them drink more tequila….

  • You have no idea WHAT I would do for a glass of that right now!

    Looks FAB!!!!

    New to your blog; happy I found you!

    Mary
    Delightful Bitefuls

  • I work at a place that does blood orange margaritas, but we use a house-made jalapeΓ±o infused tequila in the mix. It’s one of my favorite drinks.

    • @Sarah, Jalapeno-infused tequila? That sounds awesome! I have jalapeno margaritas on my “make at home” list and that sounds like a great way to get the flavor across.

  • I can only IMAGINE how delicious these are! And just stunning!

  • Michelle

    Might be a crazy question, but I love margaritas and I’m trying your margarita cupcake recipe for Cinco de Mayo. I’d like to also try a variation to make it taste like the blood orange margarita. How would you substitute your ingredients to make it “Blood Orange” Margarita cupcakes?

    Thanks!!

    • Michelle – That sounds like a fab idea! I’d pick one part (cake or cupcake) for the lime aspect and then the other for the blood orange aspect. I haven’t baked a cake with blood orange juice so I don’t know how the color would translate in the cooked cake (if it would be a pretty color or a weird brown-ish color). With that, I’d probably use the From-Scratch Margarita cupcake recipe and go with a lime cupcake base and substitute the lime juice/zests in the Buttercream recipe with the blood orange counterparts. I’d also still include a little lime juice in the frosting to make sure it pops and would probably brush the cupcake tops with half tequila, half orange liqueur to make sure the orange flavor comes through enough. I hope that helps! And if you make it, please let me know how it comes out!

  • This looks sooo good, I love margaritas! The blood orange makes for a beautiful (and no doubt delicious) twist.

  • This blood orange margarita recipe looks absolutely delicious–cant wait to make it! I am going to be posting this recipe to my blog today, which features destination weddings in Mexico. Please check it out! http://www.WedinMexico.org. And follow me on Twitter @wedinmexico. Thanks!

  • For the record, they go down VERY easy. Will put you on your ass! Love them!

  • I made these this weekend and they were wonderful! Very much a crowd pleaser.

  • Toasted with my husband and a pitcher of these last night… Delicious way to end the day! Thanks for the great recipe.

  • marla

    Blood Orange Margaritas!!!!! I think I love you πŸ™‚

  • Lauren

    Question – we are throwing a big Cinco de Mayo party and plan to serve 3-4 different types of margaritas (most of them are your recipes!). I want to try to do as much prep ahead of time as possible so I’m not squeezing citrus at the party! You mentioned freezing the blood orange juice, but I was curious if you’ve ever done this with freshly squeezed lime juice or other citrus for make-ahead margarita purposes? Just want to make sure the ‘ritas still taste fresh and flavorful!

    • You can freeze most of the juices straight – the sugar level will make the cubes feel sticky, not a big deal for short term storage before a party. For long-term lime juice storage, I make homemade margarita mix (2 parts lime, 2 parts water, 1 part sugar) and freeze that. That mix will last quite a while in the fridge. If you have canning jars or plastic ice cream freezer containers, you can also freeze the juice straight in those and not worry about sticky ice cubes πŸ™‚ Good luck!

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