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This refreshing Blood Orange Margarita recipe can be made with fresh blood oranges or store-bought blood orange juice. It comes together in a snap and has the most gorgeous ruby-red color!
I love making festive drinks around the holidays and this blood orange margarita is the newest addition to my favorite cocktails.
With a ruby-red hue and refreshing flavor, this easy margarita might just be your new fav too. You can make it with fresh blood oranges or storebought blood orange juice. Serve it on the rocks with a salt rim and an optional blood orange slice for garnish.
If you enjoy festive cocktails with fall/winter themes, I also recommend this apple cider martini or this apple cider margarita.
Why You’ll Love this Blood Orange Margarita
There are many things to recommend this margarita recipe, but here are the top ones. This blood orange margarita is:
- Easy. All you need is blood orange juice, a cocktail shaker, and a few basic cocktail ingredients to make this recipe. Everything is shaken together and then poured over ice.
- Festive. This cocktail has gorgeous color and since blood oranges are only in season during the winter, it’s the perfect drink to serve at holiday gatherings.
- Flavorful. I love the tangy sweetness of blood orange, especially when mixed with regular orange juice and served with a salt rim. That salty-sweet sip is fantastic.
You can serve this margarita with appetizers like these brie bites, or with a Mexican-themed dinner featuring satisfying foods like tortas ahogadas, quesabirra tacos, or mole con pollo.
What is a Blood Orange?
Blood oranges are a kind of ruby-hued orange popular in Italy and Spain. They are sweeter than other types of oranges with a pleasantly bitter edge to their flavor. Some people say they can taste a hint of raspberry in these oranges.
This type of orange is high in anthocyanins, which is the antioxidant compound that gives them their color. They are also high in Vitamin C.
When Are Blood Oranges in Season?
Blood Oranges are a winter fruit. In the United States, they are grown in Texas and California and are in season from December thru May. They can still be difficult to find, however. I usually find some at the specialty food markets. If you can’t find any, you can also use bottled blood orange juice. That is usually easiest to find at natural foods/specialty markets as well.
What You’ll Need
Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need to make a blood orange margarita. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- Tequila: You can use tequila blanco, which has not been aged, or tequila reposado, which has been aged in oak barrels.
- Blood orange juice: Freshly squeeze from blood oranges, or bottled.
- Cointreau: You could also use triple sec. I prefer Cointreau because the flavor is more complex than and it has a smoother finish. Both are orange-flavored liqueurs.
- Orange juice: Freshly squeezed if possible, or you can use high-quality orange juice. You can also substitute freshly squeezed lime juice if you want to add some sourness to your margarita. Don’t use bottled lime juice though, as it won’t have the same flavor.
- Lime: You will need one lime to wet the rim of your glass, which will help the salt stick. You can also use a slice of orange or blood orange, the import thing is just to wet the rim of your glass with a slice of citrus.
- Kosher salt: Margarita salt also works if you have some handy.
- Ice: Crushed or cubes.
- Blood orange slice: For an optional garnish. You can also use a slice of lime or regular orange.
How to Make a Blood Orange Margarita
Here’s how to make a blood orange margarita in 4 simple steps:
- Rim your glass. Add some salt to a small plate. Cut the lime into wedges and run one wedge along the rim of your glass. Invert the glass into the salt to add a salt rim.
- Add ice. Add some ice to your glass.
- Mix your margarita. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the tequila, blood orange juice, Cointreau and fresh orange juice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
- Serve. Strain the margarita into your prepared glass. Garnish with a slice of blood orange if desired.
This cocktail recipe is so simple you can easily make more than one. Usually, if my husband is having a margarita I just make mine, then shake his up as I sip on my cocktail. It takes like 2 minutes per drink.
More Festive Cocktail Drinks
Blood Orange Margarita
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces tequila
- 3 ounces blood orange juice
- ¾ ounce Cointreau
- ¾ ounce fresh orange juice
- 1 lime, for the rim
- Kosher salt, for the rim (optional)
- Ice, for serving
- 1 blood orange, a slice for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Rim your glass. Add some salt to a small plate. Cut the lime into wedges and run one wedge along the rim of your glass. Invert the glass into the salt to add a salt rim.
- Add ice. Add some ice to your glass.
- Mix your margarita. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice. Add the tequila, blood orange juice, Cointreau and fresh orange juice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
- Serve. Strain the margarita into your prepared glass. Garnish with a slice of blood orange if desired.
This drink really hit the spot.
So happy you liked it!
Easy, tasty and pretty. What more can a girl want?
I agree! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I agree with the other comments, this is a really good margarita recipe. Never had a blood orange margarita before but now I make sure I grab some blood orange juice anytime I see it at the market.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and letting me know you liked it!
Love this recipe! Easy and tasty, my new favorite.
Glad you like it! This is currently my fav way to make a margarita too. 🙂
Yum! This was really easy and good. Thanks.
Happy you enjoyed it!