Blood Orange Elderflower Gin Cocktail

I just recently realized that I’ve never purchased blood oranges, despite being kind of obsessed with the idea of them (along with Meyer lemons).  They feel like…fancy citrus?  Citrus fruit for wealthy folks??

Regardless, I literally never see them at my grocery store, but magically stumbled upon a few recently and so snatched them up with absolutely zero idea of what I was going to make.  After poring through tons of recipes, I ended up coming back to the idea of a kind of souped-up gin & tonic.  A refreshing blood orange cocktail for spring!

This recipe feels like an adaptation of the French gimlet, which I *also* love.  But while the original version of this recipe calls for ginger ale, I’ve substituted tonic water as I am firmly NOT a ginger fan.  UGH.  And the tonic water lengthens the drink (makes it less potent) so you can enjoy it for longer.

One of the keys here is to make sure you’re using fresh lime juice.  Trust me when I say that the bottled lime juice you keep in your fridge will not work in this drink.  I’ve tried.  It’s terrible.  If you don’t have fresh limes then either omit it or save this recipe for another day.  *shudders*

It’s almost kind of funny to break this up as a “recipe”, but here we go.  In your serving glass (along with ice), combine the gin, St. Germain, lime juice, and blood orange juice.

Top off with tonic water to taste (and to fill the glass).

Garnish with blood orange slices and fresh rosemary, if desired (and if you have them on hand).

Try not to just chug it on account of it being amazing…

This is the perfect refreshing drink to take us into REAL spring after such a never-ending winter!

You might also like:

• Fizzy Rosemary Gin Gimlet
• River Boyne Fizz: Irish Whiskey Cocktail with Lemon, Honey, & Tonic
• Rye Port Manhattan Cocktail
• Citrus Cake with Citrus Marmalade & Orange-Lemon Frosting

Elderflower Gin Blood Orange Cocktail

• 1 1/2 ounces of gin (that’s the big end of the jigger for me)
• 3/4 ounces of St. Germain (elderflower liqueur)
• 1/2 ounce of fresh lime juice (I used 1/2 of a lime, squeezed)
• The juice of one blood orange (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• Tonic water (I usually use Schweppes, but am a huge FeverTree fan)

1. In your serving glass (along with ice), combine the gin, St. Germain, lime juice, and blood orange juice.
2. Top off with tonic water to taste (and to fill the glass).
3. Garnish with blood orange slices and fresh rosemary, if desired.

Adapted from The Little Epicurean

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