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This Blood Orange Gin and Tonic recipe is a vibrant, sweet and citrusy co*cktail! Using good quality brands in your gin and tonic can make a huge difference, so I’ve included my recommendations for which ones to use in this drink. It can be made in single servings or easily scaled up to serve in a pitcher at your next event.
Unlike Meyer lemons, which Ifind to be a bit overhyped, blood oranges are an ingredient that I truly love working with every year. I always look forward to their arrival in the middle of winter. Not only are they visually stunning, but their flavor is notably different from otheroranges.
The flavor is sweeter. More vibrant. Blood orangesalmost have a ruby red grapefruit quality, if you were to remove all tracesof the bitterness and replace them with sunshine.
It feelsnatural to pair this vibrant juice with my favorite co*cktail. I’ve been a gin and tonic drinker for several years now, though recently I’ve been trying to branch out and orderother co*cktails when I’m out with friends. I’m really boring when it comes to drinks. But I can’t help it. I like what I like.
This is a drink where the quality of the ingredients will have a major impact in the outcome. They make the difference between a happy hour special and a drink you want to savor. You don’t need to use the priciest brands forgin and tonic recipes, but I avoid rail gins such as Tanqueray, and cheaper tonics like Canada Dry orSchweppes.
If you’re willing to pay just a bit more, you’ll get much smoother results, and it’s worth trying a nice version if you’re only gin and tonic experience thus far is the cheaper version. I don’t like that one at all and like I said, this is my favorite co*cktail.
A few years ago, my friend introduced me to Bombay Sapphire Gin, and I think it’s very reasonably priced for what you get. Most bars seem to carry it, so it’s what I typically order when I’m out. That’s my recommendation for this version, though there are plenty of other great gins on the market.
Next up: tonic water. Fever Tree is a tasty brandthat works well in this recipe, but it’s definitely on the pricy side. A more reasonably pricedoption that I love is Whole Foods 365 tonic water. I think it’s less than half the price of Fever Tree, and it tastes very smooth and refreshing.
Between you and me, I rarely squeeze fresh blood oranges to make this drink. I usually cheat and buy bottled blood orange juice from Whole Foods (I promise they didn’t pay me to say these things, FYI). I’m guessing there are other brands you can use, but theirs definitely tastes like it’s freshly squeezed.
You get the vibrant color, and no one can tell the difference. I recommend going this route if you’re planning to scale up the recipe for parties.
If you’re unable to find regular blood oranges or blood orange juice, you can absolutely substitute regular oranges or orange juice. Sorry to be a broken record, but I’d recommend getting a better quality orange juice if you go the bottled route. 100% pure OJ, not from concentrate, preferably not the cheapest option.
Make this. You’ll be glad you did.
Love boozy drinks? Be sure to check out these recipes:
- Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur
- Cranberry Margarita
- Nutella Irish Cream Milkshake
- The Classic Martini + The Dirty Martini
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Blood Orange Gin and Tonic
5 from 6 votes
This Blood Orange Gin and Tonic is a vibrant, sweet and citrusy co*cktail made with high quality ingredients! Put down the corkscrew and serve this gorgeous drink to your guests.
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword blood orange gin and tonic
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Total Time 5 minutes minutes
Servings 1 drink
Calories 197
Author Jennifer Farley
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice (1-2 blood oranges)
- 1/2 cup good quality tonic water (such as Fever Tree or Whole Foods 365)
- 1 1/2 ounces good quality gin (such as Bombay Sapphire)
- 1/4 - 1/2 lime, juiced (I like a lot of lime; you might prefer less)
Instructions
In a co*cktail shaker filled with ice (or in a large liquid measuring cup), combine the blood orange juice, tonic water, gin, and lime.
Serve over ice.
Notes
If you want to prepare this drink in a large batch to serve at parties, here's an article that explains how you can scale any co*cktail up based on the number of drinks you'd like to serve.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 248mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Recipe Troubleshooting
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