Blood Orange Margarita – A Beautiful Mess

This Blood Orange Margarita recipe is a seasonal twist on the classic Margarita. Blood oranges are a seasonal fruit available from December to April. Their deep orange color and sweet flavor makes an appealing margarita.

More tequila cocktails: Tequila Sunrise, Paloma, Mexican Mule, Mexican Candy Shot.

Ingredients in Blood Orange Margaritas

• Tequila Blanco – Choose any silver tequila. You may also use reposado tequila if that’s what you have on hand.
• Orange Liqueur – Such as Cointreau, Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.
• Blood Orange Juice – Fresh squeezed.
• Agave Syrup – Just a bit for flavor and sweetness. You may also use honey simple syrup.
• Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice is an absolute must.
• Tajin – For a spicy, savory rim.

The best glassware to serve a spicy margarita in is a double old fashioned glass (or any short glass). The long necked margarita glasses are best for frozen margaritas, and for on the rocks margaritas, I love to use short glasses.

Instructions

Begin by preparing your rim with Tajin. *see below for more detail.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine tequila, orange liqueur, agave, lime juice and blood orange juice.

Shake for 10-15 seconds until well chilled.

Pour into your prepared cocktail glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

Tajin Rim

To prepare a Tajin rim, you first need to pour a couple tablespoons of Tajin onto a small plate. Coat the outer edge of your glass rim with something like water or honey. I like to use honey because it really stays, but water creates a softer, more subtle, rim effect. Twist the glass into the Tajin, coating it evenly. Once you are done, be sure there is no Tajin on the inside of the glass. The rim should only be on the outside of the glass.

Tips for Making

• It is normal for some blood oranges to be very different colors inside, ranging from deep red to orange.
• If you don’t want to do a Tajin rim, try using kosher salt. 
• This is a great cocktail to batch into a pitcher recipe. Multiply this recipe by eight and serve it in a large pitcher with orange slices floating on top.

When are blood oranges in season?

Blood oranges are a winter (and early spring) fruit. They are available from December to April each year. Fresh blood oranges taste sweeter than navel oranges and range from orange to dark red in color.

More Margarita Recipes

Recipes that Pair Well with Margaritas