Blood Orange Margarita

I have always loved a good margarita, and now that it's becoming warmer out, a margarita will be drink of choice throughout the entire spring and summer! This take on a blood orange margarita is tart, flavorful, and refreshing, exactly what you'd expect a margarita to be. Although this version calls for a blood orange, a regular orange will do just fine!

Where did the first margarita come from?

The origin of the margarita comes from a few places, albeit all resulting in a deliciously sweet, salty, tangy cocktail derived from the agave plant, aka tequila. One historic account of the margarita says Carlos "Danny" Herrera developed the drink at his Tijuana-area restaurant around the year 1938. Another story says Margarita Sames, who was a Dallas socialite, whipped up the cocktail for a group of friends she was hosting. You can read more by clicking here (not affiliated or sponsored).

Why tequila, not another liquor?

Tequila comes from the agave plant in Mexico. The term means "the place of cut". It's used in traditional margaritas and is a take on the classic tequila shot: lime, salt, and tequila. There's a slew of variations of the classic margarita, which is tequila, lime juice, cointreau or triple sec, and a salted rim.

Kitchen tools to make a margarita:

You don't need crazy contraptions or equipment here! All you really need is:

1. A trusty cocktail shaker: make sure the lid closes well, because you definitely do not want margarita all over your kitchen walls, floor, and counters. Trust me, it's not fun to clean up #whoops.
2. A cocktail spoon: this most of the time comes with a cocktail shaker set, and this helps to stir the cocktail together once you add in the carbonated drink like a prosecco or a club soda (which is what we're doing here).
3. High ball glasses: I LOVE my glasses from Crate and Barrel, but you can use a classic margarita glass, a coupe (curved) glass, or a very large water glass. No judgment at all!
4. Optional: citrus squeezer: I usually just squeeze the juice into a glass and strain for any seeds. Entirely up to you!

What ingredients do you need for a blood orange margarita?

The best thing about making a margarita is that you need the classic ingredients to get it started. From there, you can add in blood orange (or regular orange) juice to spruce up the flavor. So, here's what you'll need:

• Tequila: I love using Casamigos or Madre Mezcal. Other excellent brands include Patron, Don Julio, and you can't really go wrong with Herradura or 1800 Tequila.
• Cointreau: if you don't want to have a large bottle in your cabinet, you can easily find a smaller bottle at a local liquor store.
• Club soda or Fresca: Fresca is a throwback to the 90s and it's a low calorie, low sugar citrus soda. If that's not your thing, grab an original club soda.
• Orange juice: Fresh squeezed is best here: less added sugars! If you can't find blood oranges, no worries! Grab a large navel orange or a cara cara orange and squeeze one full orange into a glass.
• Ice: helps with chilling the shaker, and of course, we pour or margarita over the top of a salt (or no salt, like I do) rimmed glass.

How do I make this blood orange margarita?

You'll start by getting all of your liquors and oranges in place, a mise en place if you will. Slice the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a glass, reserve this for later. In a large cocktail shaker, pour in the ice, tequila, and cointreau. Then, pour in the orange juice. Close the shaker tightly and shake vigorously for a few seconds. Open the top of the shaker and pour over a high ball glass filled with ice. Top the margarita with club soda or fresca and serve with an orange slice as garnish.

This is going to be your favorite margarita ever. Plus, if you want this blood orange margarita frozen, throw everything into a blender and serve!