With blood oranges finally back in grocery stores, what better way to use them this time of the year than in a beautiful blood orange martini recipe? All parts bright, sweet, tart, and bracing, it's a perfect cocktail for date night, girls night, or any occasion.
I love blood oranges, y'all. They're absolutely stunning and they make some pretty awesome recipes, especially cocktails.
Now that blood orange season is coming our way, why not make some cocktails worthy of all your holiday parties?
If you're looking for a really easy drink that also gives serious fancy vibes, a blood orange martini should definitely be on your menu.
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Equipment
cocktail shaker - if you don't have one, use a mason jar with the lid!
martini glasses - if you're doing this for date night, set the martini glasses in the freezer to get them nice and chilled.
cocktail jigger - super useful since it is a small measuring cup with ounces.
What are blood oranges?
Blood oranges, also called raspberry oranges, are small oranges that often have a red blush on their peel and deep red or red and orange streaked flesh.
'Blood orange' sounds like it belongs in a halloween cocktail, but blood orange season actually runs from December to April. I tend to find them showing up in November in my local markets, so if you happen to run across them while shopping for thanksgiving, you can use them up in some crowd-pleasing blood orange dirty shirley cocktails, too!
Key Ingredients
Fresh Blood Orange Juice - this is where our cocktail gets its gorgeous color! I am able to find blood oranges in the grocery store starting in November, but if you can't then you can get bottled blood orange juice.
Simple Syrup - a really simple mix of 1 part sugar to 1 part water boiled until the sugar dissolves.
Vodka or Gin - gin is the classic for a dry martini but vodka is the modern classic, which makes this more like a Cosmo in that it's sweet instead.
Orange Liqueur- I used triple sec, and cointreau works well!
Instructions
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Combine the vodka, blood orange juice, triple sec, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously for 30 seconds then pour into your chilled martini glasses.
Garnish with a twist of blood orange peel.
Variations and Substitutions
Dry vermouth - if you want to take the classic dry martini route, swap the orange liqueur for dry vermouth.
Garnish - fresh edible flowers, an orange slice, or blood orange supremes work beautifully here. Let the garnish be simple so that natural red color shines.
More Fruity Cocktails
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Blood Orange Martini
Ingredients
- 4 ounces vodka or gin
- 2 ounces blood orange juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup, optional
- 1 ounce triple sec
- Peel of blood orange, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the vodka, blood orange juice, triple sec, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds then pour into your chilled martini glasses.
- Garnish with a twist of blood orange peel.
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