Sour / Tequila

Blood Orange Margarita

Blood Orange Margarita is made with blanco tequila, orange liqueur, blood orange, lime and a bitter accent, served cold.

Prep5 minutes
DifficultyEasy
GlassMargarita Glass
MethodShaken
Strength18.1% ABV
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Margarita Glass
Shaken

The recipe.

Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.

Step by step

Let’s make a good drink.

  1. Chill a Margarita glass and prepare the garnish before mixing.

  2. Add all measured ingredients to a shaker.

  3. Add ice, seal the shaker and shake until the tin feels thoroughly cold.

  4. Strain into the prepared Margarita glass over fresh ice.

  5. Finish with a thin orange slice.

A thoughtful finish

  • Keep the blood orange and lime measures separate; the lime supplies a sharper edge.
  • The selected syrup is rich, two parts sugar to one part water; use that concentration for the listed measure.
  • Chill the serving glass as well as the mixture so the first sip stays cold.

Common mistakes

  • Replacing lime with extra blood orange juice makes the balance softer and sweeter.
  • Using a thin 1:1 syrup at the same volume supplies less sugar and changes the sour balance.
  • A warm serving glass quickly undoes the chilling achieved during mixing.

A few good questions.

What is in a Blood Orange Margarita?

Blood Orange Margarita is made with blanco tequila, orange liqueur, blood orange, lime and a bitter accent.

Can I scale a Blood Orange Margarita for more servings?

Multiply every measured ingredient by the same serving count. Prepare the measured still ingredients ahead if useful, but chill, shake or stir each serving as directed; add any carbonated finish at service.

What kind of simple syrup should I use?

Use rich 2:1 sugar syrup for this selected build. A 1:1 syrup is less concentrated and should not be silently substituted at the same measure.

Who created the Blood Orange Margarita?

The cited source credits Ben Davidson in 2000. The recipe-version note identifies any later adaptation.

Variations

  • Another bottle of the base — Editorial bottle variation: use another producer of the same blanco tequila style at the listed measure; record the bottle rather than assuming identical sweetness or strength.
  • Alternate citrus peel — Editorial presentation variation: try a different fresh citrus peel for the surface aroma while keeping the liquid formula unchanged; identify it as a garnish change.

Where it comes from

2000 · Sydney, Australia · Ben Davidson

Blood Orange Margarita is made with blanco tequila, orange liqueur, blood orange, lime and a bitter accent, served cold.

Sources

  • Difford’s Guide — Blood Orange Margarita Cocktail Recipe (reference) link

Strength. About 1.07 US standard drinks at an estimated 18.1% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.

Inside the glass

A little character in every sip.

The flavorCitrusy
The techniqueShaken
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