Blood Orange Gin Cocktail

This delicious Blood Orange Cocktail with Gin is the perfect beverage for when blood orange season is in full swing! This cocktail has a beautiful color and bright citrus flavor. It features Empress 1908 gin and is refreshing and simple to make. Ready in 5 minutes or less!

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Note: This recipe was originally published in April 2021, but has been improved and re-photographed. We hope you enjoy the new look!

The bright pink color of this cocktail is stunning. It's a new favorite cocktail for us because it's perfectly citrusy and balanced, refreshing, and easy to make!

Looking for more gin cocktail inspiration? Try our blueberry gin cocktail, this love potion cocktail, this pomegranate gin cocktail, this elderflower collins, or this lavender gin cocktail!

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Bursting with orange flavor - Sweet blood orange is the star of this drink, bringing a bright citrus flavor.
• Quick and easy recipe - You only need a few ingredients and a mixing glass. No need to make any simple syrups, this drink comes together in under 5 minutes.
• Simple ingredients - You don't need much to make this delightful cocktail, and anything you don't have on hand can be found at nearly any grocery store or liquor store.
• Stunning presentation - This drink feels incredibly fancy, with the gorgeous color created by the combo of fresh blood orange juice and Empress 1908 gin.
• Perfect use for winter citrus - Winter may not be our favorite time of the year in many aspects, but it is the time of year for blood oranges. Mixing up this festive cocktail is a great way to make the days brighter!

🍊Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Gin - Use your favorite gin. We are partial to Empress 1908 gin, a botanical gin made in small batches with an incredible indigo hue. The color comes from butterfly pea flowers, which adds a subtle earthy flavor and changes color when citrus juice or tonic water is added. You may also be interested in finding Empress gin near you!
• Fresh blood oranges - We need orange slices or rounds, and fresh juice.
• Lime juice
• Orange liqueur - We recommend something complex and bright in flavor, like Cointreau.
• Ice - For a mixing glass. You can use a cocktail shaker if you'd like, but we prefer to mix it in a tall glass with a bar spoon.
• Garnish with a blood orange slice or round, and a thyme sprig.

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions & variations

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this drink.

• Swap lime juice for lemon juice - Feel free to use lemon juice for a little bit of a sweeter drink. Meyer lemon juice is even sweeter.
• Make it a blood orange gin sour - Use lemon juice, simple syrup to taste, and gin.
• Add an egg white - Separate a raw egg from the yolk, and add the white to a cocktail shaker without ice. Add all the remaining ingredients and dry shake the cocktail for 30 seconds, then add in ice and shake again until chilled. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. You may like this lavender gin fizz cocktail made with Empress which uses the same method.
• Add orange bitters - For an added depth of bitter flavor, add in a few dashes of bitters.
• Use different citrus - If blood oranges are out of season, reach for your favorite type of orange, like cara caras, or navel oranges.
• Swap the herb - Add a rosemary sprig, some mint, or basil instead of thyme if you like. Any would make a great garnish.
• Sparkling - This drink is a bit on the strong side, so feel free to dilute it with a little sparkling water, club soda, or even ginger ale or ginger beer for a bit of sweetness and fizz. You may want to try this pomegranate gin cocktail made with ginger beer, or this strawberry rhubarb gin cocktail or this elderflower collins with club soda.

🔪Prep work

• Squeeze blood orange juice and lime juice.
• Wash and cut oranges into rounds for garnish.
• Wash thyme for garnish.
• Place cocktail glasses in the freezer to chill.
• Measure out all remaining ingredients.

Add gin to a mixing glass with ice. (Image 1)

Pour in lime juice. (Image 2)

Add in the orange liqueur, (Image 3) followed by the blood orange juice. (Image 4)

Stir with a bar spoon to chill, (Image 5) then strain into a chilled coupe glass or other cocktail glass. (Image 6)

Garnish with blood orange rounds and fresh thyme. Enjoy!