Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
Blood Orange Mezcal Margarita
The marriage of fresh orange juice and smoky Mezcal is pretty darn amazing in this Blood Orange Mezcal Margarita.
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I have a confession…This recipe has been tested and approved, and tested again. So with that said this recipe has taken a tad longer to post and for that I am sorry to keep you waiting. It’s like being at a nightclub dancing the night away and waiting in line at the bar for a cocktail. Don’t you hate when that happens?
I first saw this wonderful blood orange margarita recipe on White on Rice Couple and knew I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, we do not have blood oranges growing in our backyard so I drove to our nearest grocery store and found a few, but not enough, so I bought some Cara Cara Oranges too. I couldn’t wait to try out all these fresh citrus juices.
The burgundy juice from the blood red oranges combined with the pinkish red juice of the Cara Cara Oranges was a surprisingly tart and yet sweet combination. The only thing missing was of course some tequila. And that’s when I panicked. Guess what? I had NO tequila blanco! Ay yay yay!!! What’s a lush to do? I was desperate and didn’t want to run to the store again, so I decided to pop open the aged and dusty bottle of Mezcal we had in the back of our liquor cabinet. Yes, I was desperate.
I have always been afraid of this tequila, but then remembered a quote I had read on MexConnect, “Mezcal is to tequila as brandy is to cognac.” So I did what any other lush would do and popped open that scary bottle of tequila and combined the crimson juice with Mezcal, a little agave nectar, and some lime juice.
The marriage of the orange juice and smoky Mezcal was well, pretty darn amazing. Not to mention how well it went with that night’s dinner, chicken mole.
Obviously, the main ingredient for this libation is oranges, so I hope you can find lovely citrus options in your area. I always recommend Whole Foods Market because you can be sure to find gorgeous and unique produce there. And if you don’t have Mezcal this cocktail is fabulous with tequila blanco too. Believe me, I’ve tried both. Hiccup!
Are you still leery about Mezcal? Read this post on White on Rice Couple.
Photography by Jeanine Thurston
Blood Orange Mezcal Margarita
Ingredients
- 3 Blood Oranges, juiced
- 3 Cara Cara Oranges, also called red navel, juiced
- 3 limes, juiced
- 4 ounces Mezcal tequila
- 1 ounce agave nectar
- Ice
- Salt for glass rims
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Instructions
- In a martini shaker add the freshly squeezed juice. Include the tequila, agave nectar, and ice.
- Shake and divide equally between two salt rimmed margarita glasses.
- Garnish with a blood orange slice or a sprig of mint.
Notes
- Obviously, the main ingredient for this libation is oranges, so I hope you can find lovely citrus options in your area. I always recommend Whole Foods Market because you can be sure to find gorgeous and unique produce there.
- If you don’t have Mezcal this cocktail is fabulous with tequila blanco too.
19 Comments on “Blood Orange Mezcal Margarita”
This looks delicious! I just posted a blood orange recipe today, and two different Cara Cara orange recipes not long ago… I’ve gone through several recent little phases being obsessed with one or the other of those two awesome citrus fruits, but haven’t yet combined them into a recipe– yum! 🙂
WE love citrus margaritas and it sounds like you do too. Double trouble with both Cara and Bloody Oranges I tell ya!
stunning!! I am currently addicted to margaritas for my saturday sipping. I would love to try this!!
sweetlife
hmm, no ice, so I guess its sort of like a margarita/martini?
I absolutely adore blood oranges and am excited about having another recipe to use them in. Thanks so much for sharing. This margarita could not look more delicious.
Hmmm mezcal margaritas! I bet this tastes amazing. I’m starting to like mezcal more and more and I hope to see more recipes made with it. I thnk I can go for a margarita at 6 in the morning now 😀
Beautiful margarita. I adore citrus-based drinks and now need to put mezcal on my list for the liquor store. Ditto on the request for brands to try?
Big fan of mezcal. Do you have a favorite brand?
Hola Josh, no favorite mezcals just yet. Too many to try at this time. We are grazing tequila venues and look forward to a nice list of tequilas to choose from. To be continued…let us know if there is one we just HAVE to try.
I’ve got a bottle of mezcal sitting on my kitchen counter just waiting for the day that I am drinking alcohol again – and this is going to be drink #1!! 😀
Hi Sara, thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts. Let us know when you have a chance to give this mezcal drink a try. Sooner than later I hope…
This looks great and undoubtedly tastes the same (maybe with some warmer temps locally)! My first encounter with Mezcal was on a little island off Puerta Vallarta (Las Animas mayber?) where they made it in a still. Suffice it to say one of or party fell out of the boat after drinking some and we brought a bottle home (pre 3 ounces only on planes) complete with unidentified floaters in it. The smokey flavor is so unique….and potent! Can’t wait to try this!
I hope you’ve had a chance to pull out that Mezcal you have…don’t wait too long or it’ll be Fall before you know it–Veronica
beautiful photo and can’t wait to give this a try!
Gilda, thank you for the sweet compliments.
Sounds delightful and boy could I use one of those right about now!!! 😉
Leticia, margaritas are great summer drinks. Cheers!