Blood Orange Cocktail – Gin & Thyme

A fruity, juicy and good Blood Orange Cocktail made with gin, fresh blood oranges and garnished with thyme. This cocktail is the solid way to celebrate winter citrus fruits because we should ok, we should drink cocktails!

If you happen to like a tipple or two then you've got to try this Blood Orange Cocktail. It looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz but tastes nothing like it. This cocktail is all of the juicy, fruitiness and has no bitterness whatsoever.

We LOVE blood oranges, not only do they look insanely beautiful but they taste good and are packed full of vitamin C….YES, this cocktail is one of your 5 a day….you are so welcome!

Although we are a huge cocktail fan we don't make them at home unless they are simple and require only a few ingredients because let's face it, they can get pretty expensive.

This blood orange cocktail is made with 3 alcoholic drinks gin, Cointreau and Prosecco (gotta have bubbles). The thing is, you can easily adapt the cocktail and leave one liqueur out altogether.

We used blood orange gin which is pretty much sunshine in a bottle but you can use any gin for this. We also used Cointreau which is one of our favourite liqueurs ever. It gives the most good intense orange kick and tastes like a dream.

Our Recommendations for Reducing Cost

You can opt to use just ONE liqueur… choose either gin or Cointreau and you will reduce the cost dramatically. If you already have one in your cupboard then score!

Tip: If you choose to go with one then double the measure. We use a half measure of each so when using one use a full measure.

How to Make a Blood Orange Cocktail – Step By Step

First, squeeze the juice from half a blood orange into a jug (photo 1). Add half a shot of blood orange gin and half a shot of Cointreau and mix (photo 2).

Pour the mixture over a glass filled with ice and top up with prosecco, garnish with a slice of blood orange and sprig of thyme (photo 4).

Tips and Variations

• Can't find blood orange gin? You can replace it with your favourite brand instead
• This cocktail will also work well with regular oranges
• We don't recommend replacing the prosecco with white wine, it needs a sparkle
• It's much better to squeeze the orange juice into a separate jug and stir in the liqueurs so you can pour it neatly into a serving glass
• On that note, the freshly squeezed orange juice makes a difference so don't substitute orange juice in a carton if possible (unless high quality).

Solid Nibbles for Serving with Cocktails

Cocktails are a great way to kick start a night whether you're relaxing over the weekend or entertaining guests, serve them with some good appetizers because drinking on an empty stomach ain't advised.

• Easy Marinated Olives
• Stracchino and Sausage Crostini
• Fried Sausage Stuffed Olives
• Taleggio White Bean Dip

More Cocktails You Might Like:

• Aperol Spritz Cocktail
• Sparkling Limoncello Cocktail
• Cointreau Rose Cocktail with Strawberries

Ingredients

Makes 1 cocktail

• 1/2 blood orange (freshly squeezed)
• 1/2 measure (15ml) Cointreau
• 1/2 measure (15ml) Blood orange gin or gin of choice
• 1 measure (30ml) Prosecco (to top up)
• 1 slice blood orange (for garnish)
• 1 sprig thyme
• Ice

Method

1. First, squeeze the juice from half a blood orange into a jug.

2. Add half a shot of blood orange gin and half a shot of Cointreau and mix.

3. Pour the mixture over a glass filled with ice and top up with prosecco, garnish with a slice of blood orange and sprig of thyme.

Kitchen notes

• Can't find blood orange gin? You can replace it with your favourite brand instead
• This cocktail will also work well with regular oranges
• We don't recommend replacing the prosecco with white wine, it needs a sparkle
• It's much better to squeeze the orange juice into a separate jug and stir in the liqueurs so you can pour it neatly into a serving glass
• On that note, the freshly squeezed orange juice makes a difference so don't substitute orange juice in a carton if possible (unless high quality).