Jump to content

Cocktail recipes with Blood Orange?


WhiskeyBlender
This topic has been inactive for at least 365 days, and is now closed. Please feel free to start a new thread on the subject! 

Recommended Posts

Although I usually prefer to drink my bourbon neat, or with a small piece of ice at most, for whatever reason I've been craving a cocktail that has some blood orange in it, but that isn't that sweet. I picked up some blood oranges today at the grocery store. Does anyone have any recommended recipes that features bourbon with blood orange? Seems like it could make a good winter-y cocktail. Thanks in advance! 

Edited by WhiskeyBlender
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

Although I usually prefer to drink my bourbon neat, or with a small piece of ice at most, for whatever reason I've been craving a cocktail that has some blood orange in it, but that isn't that sweet. I picked up some blood oranges today at the grocery store. Does anyone have any recommended recipes that features bourbon with blood orange? Seems like it could make a good winter-y cocktail. Thanks in advance! 

Nancy, our most-consumed blood orange cocktail (and my wife likes to keep them around so we do use them regularly) is a Sicilian 75 (Saveur May 8, 2014, from Louro in Manhattan) and, like the French 75, is gin-based (we use Ransom Old Tom, mostly, for it).  The bourbon riffs we have tried, with varying levels of success, are fairly simple.  Three bourbon to one blood orange juice with some herb like mint or thyme or rosemary or even basil muddled a little - we like the basil so much we made a basil-flavored simple syrup to try in various cocktails.  Simple syrup to taste although we tend to use less rather than more OR I'll thoroughly melt a cube of demerara.  We serve it in Old Fashioned glasses over ice and, sometimes, top it with club soda or, if we have it, Apollinaris.  For fun, I did a quick search but found nothing "new and different" although I suppose you already did that.  If you do hit on one you like, PLEASE post it.  EDIT - because we have these blood oranges to use up.  And, when we don't have them, we have all these Clementines . . .

Edited by Harry in WashDC
  • I like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Harry in WashDC, this sounds delicious! I don't mind using a little simple syrup to balance things out, I just don't like it when I have a cloyingly sweet cocktail. At any rate, I like your suggestion of using a savory herb of some sort for muddling. The basil particularly sounds like a hit! Many thanks, and I'll give this a try. Cheers, N. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Orange juice (fresh squeezed only of course!) in general is not usually my favorite juice to use in a cocktail. I feel like it can be really hard to get the right balance and can easily dominate a drink. Not sure how fresh blood orange juice my affect that.

 

That said, here is an option to consider from one of my favorite cocktail sites, Kindred Cocktail. I have not tried it and of course you need to have Aperol (easy enough to find and a staple in my house) and Rhubarb bitters (which might be a bit harder although not impossible at a good store. Fee Brothers is probably the most readily available source). My biggest concern here is that it uses a LOT of OJ!

 

Southern Discomfort

1 1/4 oz Bourbon, Buffalo Trace
1 3/4 oz Blood Orange Juice
3/4 oz Aperol
2 ds Rhubarb bitters, Brooklyn Hemispherical Bitters Rhubarb

Stir with ice, serve up garnished with a sprig of mint

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Harry in WashDCand @tanstaafl2, I tried to do a blood orange cocktail this evening, but to my disappointment, it turned out way too sweet and cloying, and I got frustrated, so I just ended up drinking some bourbon neat, as I do most evenings. I have to admit that I have absolutely NO mixologist/bar tender skills. Although I'm good at blending barrels together, it doesn't seem to translate to my bar tender kitchen. However, I have a feeling that bourbon and blood orange can be a great combination, as I've had it at various bars before. I'll try it again tomorrow before giving up. I sure do appreciate both of your inputs! Cheers, N. 

Edited by WhiskeyBlender
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The whiskey sour is the only mixed drink I like with bourbon.  I love blood orange juice, but I haven't tried it in place of the lemon juice.  Might be worth a small experiment.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

@Harry in WashDCand @tanstaafl2, I tried to do a blood orange cocktail this evening, but to my disappointment, it turned out way too sweet and cloying, and I got frustrated, so I just ended up drinking some bourbon neat, as I do most evenings. I have to admit that I have absolutely NO mixologist/bar tender skills. Although I'm good at blending barrels together, it doesn't seem to translate to my bar tender kitchen. However, I have a feeling that bourbon and blood orange can be a great combination, as I've had it at various bars before. I'll try it again tomorrow before giving up. I sure do appreciate both of your inputs! Cheers, N. 

If you have a good relationship with the bartenders at your favorite bars it never hurts to ask them how a cocktail you like is made. Most of the good ones don't mind sharing a recipe. I learned many a good one that way! Unfortunately none with blood orange as an ingredient though.

 

 

 

Edited by tanstaafl2
  • I like it 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember making Old Fashioned cocktails with a wheel of orange and a wheel of lemon muddled with the sugar and bitters.  I'm sure you could substitute blood orange.  You can adjust sugar to your taste.  Experiment with different bitters.  (I used Angostura or Peychauds.)  Add a cherry if you like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

If you have a good relationship with the bartenders at your favorite bars it never hurts to ask them how a cocktail you like is made. Most of the good ones don't mind sharing a recipe. I learned many a good one that way! Unfortunately none with blood orange as an ingredient though.

 

 

 

Good suggestion and one I've taken advantage of particularly when in DC which has quiite a few excellent mixologists scattered around the area.  As tans . . . notes, OJ really can take over a drink.  Blood orange is no different or maybe SLIGHTLY less sweet.  For that bourbon/basil combo I described, I used a 1/4-3/8" wheel placed in the glass and muddled, not the juice of one-half even though the written recipe I cribbed called for more, and it was "just right" (well, maybe "OK") after I dribbled some Regan's Orange bitters and a few drops of Bitter Truth aromatic bitters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many thanks on all the advice! It is a dark and rainy evening, good for staying home, so I might give the blood orange cocktail another chance. @Harry in WashDC, I don't have basil, only mint at home tonight, but now that you mention adding some Regan's and Bitter Truth as well, that sounds like it might make the whole thing be more balanced. 

 

Cheers!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At last, I think I've found a bourbon and blood orange cocktail that seemed to work! Since I don't like really complicated cocktails, and like to "keep it simple stupid," I muddle some fresh mint with a dash of Regan's Orange bitters and Bittermen's Xocolatl Mole bitters, added the juice from 2 blood oranges, and then added some J. Henry & Sons Patton Road Reserve (cask strength, barrel #113, at 59.825% ABV). I decided to use that particular bourbon & barreling because it is really BIG on the caramelized wood sugars, with deep Turbinado, molasses type notes- very dark and wintery- so I actually didn't add simple syrup, and didn't miss it either. At any rate, I'll continue to experiment with the suggestions I've gotten on here. 

 

Many thanks, and cheers!

  • I like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said:

At last, I think I've found a bourbon and blood orange cocktail that seemed to work! Since I don't like really complicated cocktails, and like to "keep it simple stupid," I muddle some fresh mint with a dash of Regan's Orange bitters and Bittermen's Xocolatl Mole bitters, added the juice from 2 blood oranges, and then added some J. Henry & Sons Patton Road Reserve (cask strength, barrel #113, at 59.825% ABV). I decided to use that particular bourbon & barreling because it is really BIG on the caramelized wood sugars, with deep Turbinado, molasses type notes- very dark and wintery- so I actually didn't add simple syrup, and didn't miss it either. At any rate, I'll continue to experiment with the suggestions I've gotten on here. 

 

Many thanks, and cheers!

Printing it out double-spaced so I can make notes as I play with this.  I hadn't thought of using Mole bitters.  I bet this would work by substituting an aged rum (Barbancourt 8 year as "pedestrian" as it is because its flavors are balanced and predictable, for example) for the bourbon.  Thank you.  I intend to try this with some above-BIB bourbons I have.  We have five blood oranges in the fridge and usually make half-size cocktails (that is, we follow recipes from the 1960s hahahaha).

  • I like it 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have always picked up distinct orange peel flavor note in WT101 and this thread has inspired me to try some experimenting with blood orange next time I get one.  Not going to sugar it all up but why not blend a little juice in with it for fun?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.