Blood Orange Margaritas are a rosy spin on taco night’s favorite drink! This colorful citrus sipper is a little sweet and so stunning.
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About this Blood Orange Margarita recipe
Whether it’s Taco Tuesday or just a normal night, it’s hard to beat a good margarita. And while the classic margarita always satisfies (I mean, it’s a classic for a reason), there are so many variations on this citrus sipper that are worth trying.
Cheering on your favorite team? The Texas margarita brings big orange juice flavor that could be great at brunch for a morning game. Girls’ night or Valentine’s Day? The pink-hued strawberry margarita adds ambience. Hosting at home? Passion fruit margaritas add an air of exotic elegance.
One thing about me, I love taking advantage of what’s in season and getting creative to showcase it in recipes. There’s just something about fresh produce that tastes so good!
Winter is citrus season. It brings a brightness that the dreary, chilly days are missing. Blood orange boasts a deep crimson color and I love that it comes through into cocktails made with this stunning fruit!
In addition to color, blood orange adds a sweeter fruit flavor than is found in the traditional lime margarita. It’s a great compliment to the tequila for a well-balanced drink.
More blood orange recipes: Blood Orange Mimosa • Blood Orange Daiquiri • Winter Citrus Spa Water
Why you’ll love this recipe
The Blood Orange Margarita is colorful spin on a classic cocktail recipe that is so easy to make!
- You don’t need much to make this recipe — likely only tools you already have around the kitchen.
- It’s easy to elevate this margarita depending on your garnish. Match it to any occasion!
- Taking advantage of fruit that’s in-season can offer an opportunity to try a new twist on a recipe and maybe discover a new favorite drink.
What is a blood orange?
A blood orange is a member of the citrus family. They’re also known as raspberry oranges, which is a little more palatable for something you’re going to eat and alludes to the slight raspberry sweetness they contain that’s balanced with a bit of bitterness.
The red color develops from their peels and works its way inward. The flesh can be completely red or contain red streaks depending on the season and when they’re harvested.
Blood oranges are very similar to navel oranges in their mouthfeel and their ability to be juiced. The most notable difference is in the color and flavor, which is less tangy than the traditional orange.
margarita essentials
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Buy Now → Tools & glassware
You likely have all the tools for blood orange margaritas at home already!
A citrus juicer will be helpful for juicing your oranges, along with a basic bar tools set that includes a cocktail shaker, a Hawthorne strainer and a jigger for measuring ingredients.
I like to have a small plate or two on hand to help rim glasses. The great thing about margaritas is that they can be enjoyed in just about any glassware! Margarita glasses, rocks glasses, or your favorite glass is just right.
favorite margarita glasses
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Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Tequila: I used blanco tequila (also known as silver tequila) in this recipe.
- Triple sec: This orange liqueur amps up the orange flavor and offers a bit of sweetness (and booziness).
- Blood orange juice: Fresh-squeezed juice will give you the best flavor (and color).
- Lime juice: Again, I prefer fresh-squeezed but the store-bought stuff will work in a pinch.
- Agave nectar: This helps balance out the acidity of the citrus. Add a little extra if you’re using store-bought lime juice!
- Orange bitters: Bitters give your drink a complexity and flavor just like that of a cocktail bar.
- Sea salt: You’ll use this to rim your glass — kosher salt works too.
- Tajín chili-lime seasoning: A slightly spicy ingredient for the rim of your glass, feel free to skip if it doesn’t sound good to you.
Don’t miss Tequila 101 where you can learn more about which bottles to buy.
Garnishes
While a couple simple slices of lime and blood orange (or a lime and/or orange wedge) work beautifully, you could make things a bit fancier by using dehydrated citrus. Keep in mind, you’ll need to plan ahead as the dehydration process takes awhile!
The rim acts as a garnish, too! Try making margarita salt with blood orange zest for an extra kick.
Best tequila for Blood Orange Margaritas
This one is up to you! Blanco tequila is colorless, so it won’t change the appearance of your drink. It’s most commonly used for margaritas.
Reposado tequila will give you a deeper flavor. It’s been aged in oak barrels which gives it some of their color and flavor that transfers to your drink.
If there’s a different type of tequila sitting on your bar cart, or one that you prefer, go for it! The beauty of mixing drinks at home is being able to craft them to your tastes.
Substitutions & variations
Fresh is best! You’ll want to use fresh blood orange juice. I’ve never seen it at the store (let me know if you have it in your local grocery, I’d be curious!) so you’ll want to buy the whole fruit and juice it yourself. You can also try this recipe with other types of oranges if you can’t find blood oranges — they’re usually in season in wintertime.
Switch the rim: Sugar is another option for the rim of your glass that will give you a sweeter sip each time.
Syrup swaps: I prefer to use agave nectar for margaritas, because it’s what tequila is made from. They compliment each other really well! Regular simple syrup is easy to make if you’d rather use that in your marg.
Virgin blood orange margaritas: Make your margarita non-alcoholic with a few easy swaps. You can make your own zero-proof spirit to mimic the tequila or try something like Ritual tequila alternative. Since bitters contain trace amounts of alcohol, you may want to use non-alcoholic bitters like these from All the Bitter. (I’m an affiliate — use code fwbitters for 10% off!) Orange juice is a good switch for triple sec.
essential bar tools
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Buy Now → Instructions
Now let’s get shaking on a Blood Orange Margarita — luckily it only takes a few minutes!
First things first, you’ll want to juice your blood oranges. (And watch out, that crimson color can stain!)
Next, prep your glasses. Pour your salt and Tajín (or whatever you’re using for your rim) onto a plate. Run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass, then dip the rim in to coat it and roll the outside of the glass in it. (There are so many ways to rim a glass. I rimmed the side of the glass, which is a stylistic choice — if you’d rather do the top of the rim, go for it!)
Grab your shaker, fill it with ice and measure out each ingredient, pouring each in carefully (you’ll want to sip every drop, trust me!) Start with the tequila, triple sec and blood orange juice.
Next add the lime juice and agave. Once all of your ingredients have been added, cover your shaker and shake well to combine.
Add ice to your rimmed glass and strain your drink over it. Add a few drops of orange bitters, if you like, and finish things off with fresh citrus slices.
Tips & tricks
- Your drink depends on the quality of its ingredients. Choose a mid-price or top-shelf tequila or use my guide for help choosing a good bottle.
- A garnish isn’t just for looks! Rimming your glass and adding a garnish adds to the smell and taste of your drink — and makes it feel fancy, too!
- Watch your ice! Mixing your drink too early can mean the ice will melt before your tacos are ready, leaving your drink watered down. Do your best to time things so the drinks are ready when the food is.
Food pairings
You can’t go wrong when you pair margaritas with dishes full of Mexican flair like tacos. Add a side of homemade chips and salsa and you’ve got a fiesta on your hands!
Hosting a crowd or celebrating Cinco de Mayo? Loaded steak nachos would be a tasty appetizer to enjoy with blood orange margaritas, too. And who can resist queso fundido and guacamole?
If you’re entertaining, you can use a large pitcher to mix a batch of these tasty blood orange margaritas ahead of time and pour over ice when you’re ready to serve. Cheers!
FAQ
A blood orange is a variety of orange that gets its crimson color from a type of antioxidant called anthocyanin. It releases a pigment as the fruit ripens that causes the iconic color.
Besides the color — the flesh of blood oranges is a deep red instead of orange — blood oranges are sweeter than a naval orange with a slight bitterness.
Triple sec is an orange liqueur, so you can indeed use orange juice but it will result in a less boozy margarita. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it!
More tequila recipes
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Blood Orange Margaritas
ingredients
- 1½ ounces blanco tequila or reposado tequila
- ½ ounce triple sec
- 1 ½ ounces blood orange juice freshly squeezed from about 1 blood orange
- ½ ounce fresh lime juice
- 1 ounce agave nectar
- 3-4 dashes orange bitters
- 2 tablespoons sea salt for the rim
- 1 tablespoon Tajín chili-lime seasoning for the rim
- lime slices for the rim
- blood orange slices for the rim
instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sea salt with 1 tablespoon Tajín. Stir until well distributed. Pour some of the chili salt on a plate. Rub a lime wedge around the edge of a rocks glass or margarita glass. Roll the rim of the glass in the chili salt to coat the rim.
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add tequila, triple sec, blood orange juice and agave nectar. Shake well.
- Add ice to the prepared rocks glass. Strain the cocktail into the glass. Top with orange bitters.
- Garnish with slices of lime and blood orange.
notes
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Beth @ bethcakes says
Susannah, these look so good! Even at 7am! I’m always down for a good margarita, but I’ve never had one like this. Dying to try it!
Susannah says
Haha! I’m sorry to tempt you with tequila so early in the day! I am pretty sure you would love these. I haven’t made too many things with blood oranges before, but they are just gorgeous, aren’t they?
Emma Deer says
Now you’ve got me craving a margarita! These look divine!
Susannah says
I sure hope you can quench your craving, Emma! These are worth the effort of making them at home.
Erika says
Oooh, these look awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
katie says
Yum! Next time I’m in Charlotte, let’s make these! 🙂