Blood Orange Gin Fizz
Gin, blood orange, lemon and sugar, shaken and topped with soda. The Gin Fizz in winter colours — the blood orange's berry-citrus flavour and crimson juice over a classic fizz.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Add the gin, blood orange juice, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds.
Strain into a chilled collins glass without ice, or over fresh ice for a longer drink.
Top with chilled soda water and garnish with a blood orange wheel.
A thoughtful finish
- Keep the lemon; blood orange is sweeter than it looks.
- Serve it without ice, as a fizz should be, and drink it fast.
- An egg white, dry shaken, makes a Blood Orange Silver Fizz.
Common mistakes
- Carton blood orange juice, which is pale and flat.
- Skipping the lemon.
- Too much syrup.
A few good questions.
What does a Blood Orange Gin Fizz taste like?
Tart citrus with a berry note and gin's juniper under fine bubbles — bright and crimson.
When are blood oranges in season?
December to April in the northern hemisphere.
Fizz or Collins?
A fizz is shaken and served without ice; a Collins is built over ice in a tall glass.
Can I use regular oranges?
Yes, but the drink is sweeter and plainer; add a touch more lemon.
Variations
- Gin Fizz — Gin, lemon, sugar and soda.
- Tom Collins — Gin, lemon, sugar and soda over ice.
- Orange Blossom — Gin and orange juice.
- Ramos Gin Fizz — Gin, citrus, cream, egg white and orange flower water.
Where it comes from
c. 2010s · United States
The Gin Fizz is an 1870s drink — gin, lemon, sugar and soda, shaken — and the blood orange version is what happens in January, when blood oranges are in season and bars want a fresh-juice drink with colour. Blood oranges have a raspberry note under the citrus and a juice that runs from pink to deep red, and an ounce of it with the fizz’s lemon gives a drink that is tart, fruity and striking. It appears on winter menus from about 2010 and in every citrus-season feature since. The lemon stays; blood orange alone is too sweet for a fizz. A floral or citrus gin suits it, and an egg white makes it a Silver Fizz.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Blood Orange Gin Fizz, 2014 (reference)
- Liquor.com, Blood Orange Gin Fizz, 2020 (reference)
- David Wondrich, Imbibe!, 2015 (book)
Strength. About 1.47 US standard drinks at an estimated 11.7% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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