Blood Orange Cocktail
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 18.9% ABV ∙
The Blood Orange Cocktail shakes gin with a red bitter, dry vermouth and blood orange juice, plus an optional touch of amaretto, served up in a coupe. Bittersweet citrus leads, with dry vermouth's herbal edge underneath and a faint almond warmth from the amaretto lingering on the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 40 mlRed bitter 20 mlDry vermouth 20 mlBlood orange juice 40 mlAmaretto liqueur 5 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Shake hard for a full 12-15 seconds with cracked ice since the fresh blood orange juice needs vigorous agitation to aerate and properly dilute the mix.
- Fine-strain into the chilled coupe to catch citrus pulp, giving a silky texture rather than a foamy or fibrous top layer.
- The amaretto is optional and goes into the shaker with everything else — keep it to 5 ml, since even a small excess overwhelms the bitter-and-vermouth balance.
- Express the orange twist over the drink's surface before dropping it in, releasing citrus oils that echo the blood orange juice underneath.
History
This cocktail was created in 2008 by American bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler while he was working at Bel Ami Lounge in Eugene, Oregon. Morgenthaler has said he first tasted a drink of the same name years earlier in San Francisco and, on returning home, tried to recreate it from memory; the result diverged so far from the original that he considered it his own creation. The gin, red bitter liqueur, dry vermouth and blood orange juice combination he devised became known simply as the Blood Orange, and later published versions of the recipe added an optional barspoon of amaretto liqueur.
FAQ
What is in a Blood Orange Cocktail?
London dry gin, a red bitter such as Campari, dry vermouth, and fresh blood orange juice, shaken and served up in a coupe with an orange twist. This build also adds a small amount of amaretto liqueur, which is optional, for a faint almond note.
Is a Blood Orange Cocktail shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The blood orange juice needs the aeration and quick chill of a shake to blend cleanly with the bitter and vermouth; stirring would leave the juice separated and the drink underchilled.
What glass is a Blood Orange Cocktail served in?
A coupe glass, served up and finished with an orange twist expressed over the drink.
What does a Blood Orange Cocktail taste like?
It tastes crisp, citrusy, and slightly bitter, with the blood orange adding a deeper, more aromatic orange note.
