A beautiful Blood Orange and Ginger Honey Margarita recipe that uses juice from blood orange, tequila, lime, and an easy ginger-honey simple syrup.
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Back in April, I was invited to attend a special cooking event at Macy’s. The host of the event was the Season 7 winner of MasterChef, Shaun O’Neale where he demonstrated several of his favorite recipes for us. The best part? We were able to eat everything he made and it was SO GOOD! If you love food and ever see one of these cooking demos at your local Macy’s, you have to go – they are so much fun.
Before the event, I was browsing the chef’s recipes, and I came across one that instantly intrigued me: a Blood Orange, Honey & Ginger Margarita. With flavors like that, I just HAD to make it.
Ingredients Needed for Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita:
- Water (1 Cup)
- Honey (1/2 Cup)
- Fresh Ginger
- Tequila (3oz)
- Blood Oranges (3)
- Lime (1 + extra from the rim)
- Margarita Salt
Cooking Equipment Needed for Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita:
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
- Manson Jar w/ Lid
- Cocktail Shaker
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Wood Reamer
- Margarita Glasses
After just a few sips of this amazing cocktail and I decided that this Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita recipe would be perfect as a Christmas margarita. And more specifically, suitable for our Christmas Eve Mexican feast — a yearly holiday tradition in our home.
And yes, while this isn’t a traditional margarita, and it doesn’t feature cranberries as so many Christmas margarita recipes do, it does feature flavors that pair well during the holidays. Blood Oranges come into season in the winter (December-January) and they give a beautiful red color for a Christmas cocktail. Ginger is well loved during the holidays, adding a lovely warmth to this cocktail.
Of course, you don’t have to enjoy this Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita recipe as a Christmas margarita. It would be excellent on New Year’s Eve or for Cinco de Mayo. Maybe even Valentine’s Day due to the color? The good news is that you should be able to find blood oranges at your grocery store through the month of May.
To make this Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita Recipe, you’ll first need to make a honey-ginger simple syrup. It’s very easy to make with fresh ginger, honey, and water. It’s made by simmering fresh ginger, honey, and water in a saucepan for about an hour.
In addition to the honey-ginger simple syrup, you will also need tequila, blood oranges, and a lime. If you wish to garnish your glasses, you’ll also need salt for rimming the glasses and extra blood orange slices.
Juicing Blood Oranges
You will also have to juice your blood oranges for this cocktail recipe. I do this with my Wooden Reamer, which I love and use all the time. It has a point that really digs down into your fruit and the edges help to get the maximum amount of juice from your fruit.
For juicing blood oranges with a reamer, cut the orange half and press the point of reamer into the middle. Hold the orange half at a slight angle over a bowl and twist the reamer in the orange while simultaneously squeezing the fruit, releasing the juice into the bowl. You’ll likely have lots of pulp in the bowl – you can strain this out with a fine mesh strainer if you wish.
If you don’t have a reamer, you can use another method for juicing your blood oranges. You can even use a fork! Just poke and twist into the blood orange while you are squeezing the juice into a bowl.
Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita Instructions
After juicing your oranges and making your honey-ginger simple syrup, you’re ready to shake it up!
If you like a salted rim on your glass, add some salt to a shallow plate. Using a traditional margarita style glass (or another glass of your choosing), and take a lime half (or wedge) and rub the rim of the glass with the lime. Turn the glass upside down and dip the rim into the salt on the plate. Next, fill your glass with crushed ice. Repeat with your 2nd glass.
In a cocktail shaker, add one scoop of ice, the honey-ginger simple syrup, tequila, the blood orange juice, and the lime juice and shake well to combine. Pour the cocktail over the ice, divided among your two glasses. If you wish, garnish with a blood orange slice.
Blood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita Recipe
Here’s the full recipe, ready for you to print. If you aren’t ready to make this, be sure to save it by sharing on Facebook or pinning on Pinterest to your cocktails board.
PrintBlood Orange and Ginger-Honey Margarita Recipe
- Yield: 2 drinks 1x
Description
A beautiful and refreshing Blood Orange and Ginger Honey Margarita recipe that uses blood orange juice, tequila, lime, and a ginger-honey simple syrup.
Ingredients
For the honey-ginger simple syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
Fresh Ginger (approximately 2-inch, thinly sliced or chopped)
For the margarita
3 ounces honey-ginger simple syrup
3 ounces tequila
3 blood oranges (juiced)
1 lime (juiced)
Garnish
Blood orange slices/wheels
Salt for rimming the glass
Extra lime wedge for rimming the glass
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir together until honey is dissolved into the water. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Allow syrup to cool until room temperature. Remove and strain out ginger pieces. Store syrup in the refrigerator in a mason jar with lid or another air-tight glass storage container.
In a cocktail shaker add one scoop of ice, simple syrup, tequila, blood orange juice and the lime juice and shake well to combine. Place salt on a shallow plate. Rub the top edge of a margarita glass with a lime wedge. Dip that edge of the glass into the salt. Fill glass with ice. Repeat with remaining glass. Pour and divide cocktail over the ice in the glasses and garnish with a blood orange slice.
Notes
-You will have leftover honey-ginger syrup to use for more cocktails
-This recipe is adapted from Shaun O’Neale’s Blood Orange, Honey & Ginger Margarita recipe
- Category: Cocktails
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
Pinned! Three of my favorite flavors!! Has to be amazing – Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – have a wonderful weekend!