Ingredients
- Lime wedge and salt for rim
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- 1½ ounces blood orange juice
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ ounce agave
- Ice
- Blood orange wedge for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the rocks glass with the lime wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, blood orange juice, orange liqueur, lime juice, and agave.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into prepared glass.
- Garnish with blood orange wedge.
Variations and Substitutions
If blood orange juice doesn't bring you joy or you're out of agave, there's no reason to stress. You'll still have your blood orange margarita in hand in no time.
- Use equal parts blood orange juice and blood orange liqueur, aiming to keep a total of an ounce and a half of blood orange flavor.
- Skip the agave if you don't want any added sweetness, or add a little extra if you want yours sweeter.
- If you don't have agave on hand, honey and simple syrup get the job done.
- Swap the lime juice for freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Experiment with different styles of tequila, such as añejo or reposado.
Garnishes
You can't be blamed for not having a blood orange laying around your kitchen, or perhaps you're a garnish traditionalist. Whatever the reason, consider a few of these.
- Use a blood orange wheel or slice instead of a wedge.
- A regular orange makes for an excellent stand-in, this can be a wheel, wedge, or slice.
- Go the traditional route and use a lime wedge, wheel, or slice. You can also use a lemon.
- Consider a citrus ribbon, peel, or twist.
- Use a sugar rim instead of salt, or skip the rim altogether.
About the Blood Orange Margarita
Aside from the striking color variation, what's the difference between blood orange and your standard workaday orange? Notably, the flavor. Blood oranges are mellower, slightly sweeter, and have a floral edge that's distinctly different from the tang of the orange orange. In a margarita, what this means is a mellow sweetness with just a hint of tart but lots of citrus edge and a lovely floral character. Orange you glad you asked?
A Different Margarita
Cocktails aren't meant to all be the same. Their evolving recipes, tastes, and flavors over time prove that. Go ahead and skip your regular margarita this time around--the blood orange margarita is more than deserving of your attention.
