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    Home » Recipes » cocktails

    Blood orange cocktail with gin and rosemary

    Published: Jan 26, 2022 · Modified: Apr 19, 2023 by Trish Bozeman · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Amazingly delicious fresh squeezed blood orange cocktail recipe! A beautiful, red hued cocktail with blood orange, gin, and rosemary.

    A picture of a blood orange cocktail with a sprig of rosemary and squeezed oranges in the background

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    Hey, Rhubarbarians! Here's one of my favorite citrus cocktails. It's a blood orange cocktail! Fruity, juicy, herby, and dangerously delicious. Oh yes.

    This is always the first thing I make with blood oranges when I find them at the grocery store. It's become a yearly tradition and I know you'll love the flavors as much as I do.

    You will love this meyer lemon old fashioned recipe!

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love it
    • Ingredients and equipment
    • Step by step instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Recipe tips and substitutions
    • FAQs
    • Recipe
    • Comments and reviews

    Why you'll love it

    This blood orange cocktail is very simple, but packed with delicious flavor. It's juicy, citrusy, sweet but not too sweet, and a bit herby.

    The only alcohol you need is gin and bitters to make it, so you won't have to buy any fancy bottles to make one at home.

    I love how this cocktail highlights seasonal blood oranges! The blood orange makes a beautiful bright red cocktail just in time to beat the mid winter blues or celebrate Valentine's Day. LOVE IT.

    What does blood orange taste like? Blood oranges have a more intense flavor, but are less acidic than navel oranges. They are sweet, but also have some tartness to them similar to a ruby grapefruit. I like to describe that as a cross between a ruby grapefruit and a raspberry!

    A photo of blood oranges cut in half and on a wooden cutting board

    Ingredients and equipment

    You'll only need 5 ingredients to make a blood orange gin cocktail! Here's the full list of ingredients and equipment. (Full ingredients and instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article)

    Ingredients:

    • Sugar
    • Bitters
    • Fresh rosemary
    • Blood orange
    • Gin
    • Ice, rosemary sprig, and blood orange slice

    Equipment:

    • Cocktail glass. These vintage inspired glasses are so coo!
    • Muddler
    • Citrus juicer. I have the OXO good grips juicer.
    • Shot glass
    • Stirring utensil

    Step by step instructions

    Let's make a delicious cocktail! Full instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article

    • Place a sugar cube (or one teaspoon of fine sugar) in a cocktail glass.
    • Shake 2-4 dashes of bitters on the sugar cube.
    • Add 4-5 fresh rosemary leaves to the glass.
    • Muddle until the sugar has dissolved into the bitters and the rosemary leaves are aromatic.

    Have you tried a New York sour yet? You will love it!

    A photo of squeezing blood orange juice into a cocktail glass.
    • Squeeze the blood orange juice into your cocktail glass. Or use a citrus juicer and pour the juice into your glass.
    • Top with the gin.
    A photo of pouring gin from a shot glass into blood orange juice in a cocktail glass
    • Stir to combine.
    • Add ice if desired and garnish a blood orange slice and a sprig of fresh rosemary (optional).
    • Enjoy!

    Have you tried this refreshing grapefruit strawberry mojito yet?

    Serving suggestions

    This recipe is written for one single serve cocktail. But, there a number of ways you can adjust it to your needs.

    If you'd like to make additional cocktails, you can adjust the number of servings in the recipe card (at the bottom of this article) and it will automatically update the ingredients for you.

    Make it a pitcher: if you want to make a big batch of this blood orange cocktail to serve, here's what to do:

    • First, squeeze your blood oranges so that you have ⅓ cup of juice per serving.
    • In the bottom of a pitcher of your choice, muddle 1 teaspoon of sugar per serving, 2-4 dashes of bitters per serving, and 4-5 rosemary leaves (just leaves, not whole sprigs) per serving. Muddle until the sugar dissolves.
    • Pour in your blood orange juice and 3 ounces of gin per serving. Stir to combine.
    • This mixture will be your cocktail!
    • To serve, pour over a cocktail glass filled with ice and have rosemary sprigs and blood orange slices ready for garnish.

    How amazing is this cocktail pitcher and glasses set?

    Make it a mocktail: To make this a mocktail, just swap out the gin for sparkling water or tonic! A citrus flavored Spindrift would be delicious too.

    Recipes to serve with a blood orange gin cocktail:

    • Strawberry pico de gallo and chips
    • Avocado, grapefruit, and strawberry salad
    • Fancy cheese and crackers. I'd serve manchego cheese!
    An overhead photo of a blood orange and rosemary cocktail

    Recipe tips and substitutions

    • You should get about ⅓ cup of juice out of one blood orange. This cocktail will still be tasty if you get slightly more or less, but if it's less than ¼ cup of juice, you'll need more.
    • You can usually find blood oranges in the produce section of your grocery store between December and March.
    • If you can't find blood oranges, swap it out for a regular orange or a ruby grapefruit and add some fresh raspberries (or raspberry juice) to your cocktail.
    • If you're not using sugar cubes, make sure to use superfine granulated sugar. This way it will dissolve when you muddle it.
    • If you don't like bitters, just leave them out! Your cocktail will be sweeter without them.
    • If you don't like gin, go ahead and use vodka instead.
    • You can swap the sugar out for maple syrup or your favorite sugar substitute.
    • If rosemary isn't your thing, just leave it out! You do you.

    FAQs

    Can I swap the gin for vodka?

    Absolutely!

    Can I use bottled orange juice?

    Fresh squeezed blood orange juice is the main flavor of this cocktail, so it's recommended. If you can find bottled blood orange juice, just make sure it is unsweetened or omit the sugar in the recipe. You'll need ⅓ cup of juice.

    What if I don't like bitters?

    Just leave them out! Totally ok.

    What if I can't find blood oranges?

    Swap it out for a regular orange or a ruby grapefruit and add some fresh raspberries (or raspberry juice) to your cocktail.

    Check out this simple grapefruit and honey mimosa recipe!

    A photo of a blood orange cocktail with a rosemary sprig in it.

    More cocktail recipes to try:

    You must use the category slug, not a URL, in the category field.

    You can find all of our seasonal cocktail recipes here and a list of the best spring whiskey cocktails here!

    Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.

    Recipe

    A photo of a blood orange cocktail with a slice of orange and rosemary sprig

    Blood orange cocktail with gin and rosemary

    Trish Bozeman
    Amazingly delicious fresh squeezed blood orange cocktail recipe! A beautiful, red hued cocktail with blood orange, gin, and rosemary.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course cocktail, Drinks, happy hour
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 cocktail
    Calories 242 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 regular sugar cube or one teaspoon of sugar
    • 2-4 dashes blood orange or angostura bitters
    • 4-5 leaves fresh rosemary (just leaves, not sprigs)
    • 1 medium blood orange, juiced
    • 3 ounces gin
    • ice, sliced blood orange, and a rosemary spring for garnish (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Place the sugar cube in a cocktail glass. Top with 2-4 dashes of bitters and the rosemary leaves. Muddle with a muddler until sugar is broken down and dissolved as much as possible.
    • Add the blood orange juice to your glass. You should have about ⅓ cup of juice.
    • Top with the gin and stir to combine.
    • Add ice and garnish with a blood orange slice and a rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • You should get about ⅓ cup of juice out of one blood orange. This cocktail will still be tasty if you get slightly more or less, but if it's less than ¼ cup of juice, you'll need more.
    • You can usually find blood oranges in the produce section of your grocery store between December and March.
    • If you can't find blood oranges, swap it out for a regular orange or a ruby grapefruit and add some fresh raspberries (or raspberry juice) to your cocktail.
    • If you're not using sugar cubes, make sure to use superfine granulated sugar. This way it will dissolve when you muddle it.
    • If you don't like bitters, just leave them out! Your cocktail will be sweeter without them.
    • If you don't like gin, go ahead and use vodka instead.
    • You can swap the sugar out for maple syrup or your favorite sugar substitute.
    • If rosemary isn't your thing, just leave it out! You do you.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cocktailCalories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 148mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 237IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword alcohol, citrus, gin
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Rachel @ Simple Seasonal

      March 28, 2017 at 10:08 am

      This post is fabulous on so many levels. I such a huge fan of gin cocktail, and blending it with blood orange and rosemary sounds awesome! Not to mention these photos are BEAUTIFUL!

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        May 18, 2017 at 9:42 am

        Wow, thanks Rachel! Not sure how I missed this comment from March. HA!

        Reply
    2. Edenpassante

      February 15, 2017 at 1:50 pm

      I'm obsessed with blood orange!! These look amazing! I also love those glasses!

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 15, 2017 at 9:12 pm

        Me too! Thanks so much! 🙂

        Reply
    3. belmumstakefive

      March 30, 2015 at 2:37 am

      Love this Trish! Thanks for sharing with us for The Sunday Brunch Magazine, So nice to see you, Bel & Eliza x

      Reply
    4. magdalena

      February 17, 2015 at 9:23 am

      I like the look, I have in hand and is very tasty. savor it with my husband, thanks for the recipe

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 18, 2015 at 8:55 am

        Awesome Magdalena! Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    5. Liz @ Floating Kitchen

      February 17, 2015 at 4:51 am

      These are really gorgeous. How can something this beautiful be evil?? 🙂

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 17, 2015 at 8:46 am

        ha! Thanks Liz!

        Reply
    6. Rochelle @ Oh So Sweet Baker

      February 10, 2015 at 4:07 pm

      The colour of this cocktail is just too beautiful. Love!

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 11, 2015 at 9:56 am

        Thanks Rochelle!

        Reply
    7. Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish

      February 10, 2015 at 11:00 am

      What a great drink recipe. I have lots of blood oranges right now, I know what I'll be making this evening 😉

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 10, 2015 at 2:10 pm

        Awesome! Let me know what you think Suzy!

        Reply
    8. Ann

      February 09, 2015 at 8:56 am

      These sound beyond YES. Loving this and love you!!

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 09, 2015 at 9:47 am

        Awe, thanks so much Ann! Love the love!

        Reply
    9. Emma Deer

      February 08, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      Love your posts, haha!

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 09, 2015 at 9:47 am

        ha! Thanks Emma!

        Reply
    10. Sofia // From the Land we Live on

      February 08, 2015 at 8:13 am

      This is like my dream cocktail! Happy Sunday 🙂

      Reply
      • Patricia Bozeman

        February 09, 2015 at 9:47 am

        Thanks Sofia! This is a pretty awesome one. 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Trish, a vegetarian mom with a passion for cooking meatless meals with seasonal produce. I'll help you create vegetarian recipes that your whole family will love. Welcome!

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