This blood orange daiquiri recipe is a play on a timeless cocktail that has only 3 ingredients, including fresh blood orange juice and a homemade blood orange simple syrup. It’s a super seasonal variation of a classic tropical Cuban daiquiri that’s sure to impress. For extra flair, you can even whip up some dehydrated blood orange slices to garnish this drink with!
Making cocktails at home over the span of a decade means you tend to develop a few favorite recipes. Daiquiris are one of my all-time favorite rum drinks, because they’re simple, elegant, and easy to customize. There’s a reason that the daiquiri shows up time and again on cocktail menus across the globe: it’s versatile!
💕 why you’ll love this blood orange daiquiri recipe…
🍊 stunning citrus. Blood oranges are super seasonal, showing up in markets from about December through April. They range in color from deep blood red to pinkish orange, and they’re slightly sweeter and almost berry like compared to conventional oranges.
🙌 quick & easy. Once you have your simple syrup made, this drink comes together in a matter of minutes. That means it’s great for entertaining, because it won’t take you away from your guests for long!
🤌 elevated original. The original daiquiri is not the frozen poolside drink many think of when this cocktail comes to mind. Instead, this version is a shaken cocktail that uses only 3 ingredients: rum, juice, and syrup.
🛒 ingredients
- blood orange simple syrup – this homemade syrup is the flavor base of the daiquiri, providing flavor and sweetness. Take the time to whip up a batch, trust me!
- blood orange juice – freshly squeezed blood orange juice levels up the blood orange flavor in this cocktail, giving it a double dose of citrus!
- white rum – choose a good quality rum for your drinks. Daiquiris only have a few ingredients in them, so quality definitely matters! Opt to go for Bacardi Silver or Plantation White rum.
- dehydrated blood oranges – a good garnish should let you know what flavors to expect, so these dried oranges are the perfect finishing tough for this daiquiri.
optional ingredients
- saline solution – a homemade saline solution is my favorite extra special secret weapon on the bar cart. Adding just 5 drops to your cocktails can help to balance the flavors and let the flavors really pop.
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 instructions
1: Chill your glasses by either sticking them in the freezer or filling them with ice. If filling with ice, toss the ice just before pouring the drinks into the glass.
2: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and 2 ounces of silver rum.
3: Add 1 ounce of freshly squeezed blood orange juice and 1/2 ounce of fresh lime juice.
4: Pour in 3/4 ounce of blood orange simple syrup.
5: Shake the cocktail shaker well to incorporate all the drinks, then fine strain into chilled glasses.
6: Garnish with a dehydrated blood orange wheel and serve immediately.
Hint: Shaking the cocktail with ice not only chills the drink but also dilutes it slightly, which is essential for the perfect balance.
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- too sweet – add in a few more drops of saline solution to cut the sweetness, or you can add in up to 1 ounce total of lime juice to add some more acidity.
- too sour – if your oranges are not ripe enough, or overripe, they may have a sour or even bitter taste. You can add in a bit more simple syrup or a few drops of saline solution to help balance the flavor out.
♻️ substitutions & variations
♻️ substitutions
Missing an ingredient? No problem. Check out these tried-and-true substitutions, or comment below with your question. I’m here to help you troubleshoot!
- orange juice – if you don’t have fresh blood oranges or blood orange juice available, you can use a bit of regular orange juice in place of the blood orange juice.
- dehydrated lime wheels – no dried blood oranges? No problem! You can use dehydrated lime wheel in place.
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🧰 tools needed
- cocktail shaker – you’ll need a quality cocktail shaker for mixing your daiquiris.
- cocktail glass – a small coupe glass is the traditional cocktail glass of choice for a daiquiri. You can also use a small martini glass, or a Nick & Nora glass.
- measuring beakers or jigger – I prefer using OXO measuring beakers instead of jiggers because you can use them for so many more recipes aside from drinks. They come in a graduated set perfect for measuring small amounts of liquid.
💬 q+a
What if I can’t find fresh blood oranges?
You can use store bought orange juice and blood orange syrup if you can’t find fresh oranges to make your own. I also love to freeze blood orange juice and zest when they are in season, so I always have a secret stash of off-season produce at the ready. 😉
Can I make this a mocktail?
You can leave the rum out, or substitute non-alcoholic rum, but I have found that for very simple cocktails like daiquiris, there really isn’t a great zero-proof substitute for the flavor. Non-alcoholic spirits tend to work better in more complex cocktails. You could add some orange bitters to 2 ounces of water to create some intrigue, though!
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Blood Orange Daiquiri (with Blood Orange Syrup and Rum)
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Equipment
- 1 coupe glass
- 1 cocktail strainer
- 1 measuring beaker or jigger
Ingredients
- 2 ounces silver rum Such as Bacardi
- 1 ounce blood orange juice freshly squeezed
- ½ ounce lime juice freshly squeezed
- ¾ ounce blood orange simple syrup
- dehydrated blood orange wheel for garnish
- 5 drops saline solution optional
Instructions
Prepare the Glass
- Chill your coupe glasses by either placing them in the freezer or filling them with ice. (If you fill them with ice, be sure to remove the ice before serving your cocktails.)
Make the Cocktail
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add 3/4 ounce of blood orange simple syrup.
- Add in 1 ounce of freshly squeezed blood orange juice and 1/2 ounce of freshly squeezed lime juice to the shaker.
- Add 2 ounces of silver rum to the shaker.
- OPTIONAL: Give the mix a quick stir and taste your drink. Add 3-5 drops of saline solution.
- Place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds.
- Strain through a cocktail strainer into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a dehydrated blood orange wheel.
Nutrition Information
The information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition facts calculator and actual nutrition facts may vary.
🧯food safety & other information
Food safety is an important ingredient in any recipe for success! Here are some tips to keep you safe in the kitchen!
- While you can allow this syrup to sit at room temperature, don’t leave it out for longer than 4 hours at a time. This helps to inhibit bacteria growth that can happen from the sugars in the syrup. Read more about the temperature danger zone here.
- Use sterilized containers whenever possible. You can sterilize your containers by boiling them briefly, running them through your dishwasher with the sterilize feature activated, or pouring boiling water into the containers.
- While you may be able to use your simple syrup longer than 2 weeks in the fridge, if you see any sort of cloudiness or dark spots in the syrup, throw it out. This is mold growth and is not a recipe for fun.
- Never leave simmering syrup unattended on the stove.
- If you use honey to make this syrup, avoid feeding it to children under the age of 1.
