The Blood Orange Martini to Make Before They Go Out of Season

Blood orange juice freaks me out. But I don’t hate it in a Blood Orange Martini! The color is so vibrant and the flavor is sweet and citrusy. It makes a great ingredient for vodka recipes. 

The season will be over before you know it so go find these oranges, and their scary juice, before they’re gone! 

I know technically a martini is meant to be just gin or vodka, with vermouth, and maybe some olive juice. But fruity martinis are SO much better! My hubby and I went through a very short phase where we tried drinking those more savory, straight alcohol, martinis. We just couldn’t do it. 

It felt like a chore to finish one. I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I’m looking for in a cocktail. 

Blood Oranges are Beautiful

And creepy. I bought a bag of blood oranges when I saw them at the local store. I was excited to use them in cocktails because there is nothing better in terms of color. Most of the time, you really can’t tell the difference from the outside. Sometimes the skin will be darker or have darker patches. 

But I remember cutting into one and my son gasping. He was not expecting such a colorful interior and it caught him off guard. And the juice splatters do look a little bit like blood. So there’s that. 

Blood oranges would be such a great ingredient for Halloween cocktails if only the season were a little bit longer (it’s typically January through May). You can totally make this Blood Orange Martini Recipe for Halloween. You’re just going to need to find something else to make it bright red. 

I love easy cocktails that only need a few ingredients! Don’t you? 

How to Make a Blood Orange Martini

Ingredients:

• 1 oz vodka
• 3 oz blood orange juice
• 1.5 oz Cointreau
• Squeeze of fresh lime juice

You can absolutely swap out the blood orange juice for any other citrus if you can’t find them locally. In my opinion, blood oranges aren’t quite as flavorful as regular oranges. Tangerines would be a great substitute and regular orange juice would work too. Just make sure to use fresh juice, and not bottled. It really loses something in the flavor department.  

If you don’t have Cointreau, you can totally use Triple Sec. It’s much cheaper. They are both orange-flavored spirits that use the peels of a variety of types of oranges from around the world to flavor it. There are many companies that make Triple Sec. But only Cointreau makes Cointreau. Hair flip.

Finlandia Vodka Review

Last week I decided to taste test of few of the vodkas I had at home. Finlandia was one of them. Vodka is supposed to be pretty neutral in flavor and not burn too much when going down. This one was pretty smooth with the tiniest bit of sweetness. My brain kept trying to pick out flavors the way you would when tasting wine. But I couldn’t find anything to liken it to.

The smell was pretty antiseptic-like, like those alcohol pads they use in doctor’s offices before you get a shot. But I was also REALLY trying to smell it. I don’t think it would be the same if you were just sipping it in a vodka soda or another type of drink.

I don’t think I’d want to sip on a glass of this all night, but I think it is a great choice for cocktails. 

Which Vodka is Gluten Free?

A lot of people think that all vodka is gluten-free, but many people with celiac disease still react. My oldest son was allergic to milk and eggs growing up but could tolerate them if they were baked. The heat in baking changed the structure of the protein and made it something his body didn’t see as a threat. This is what I’m guessing happens in the distillation process of vodka as well. 

Although, people still react. And since allergies are different for everyone, what may affect one person with a gluten allergy might not affect someone else.

So the better options for gluten-free vodka are those varieties made with potato, corn or some other non-gluten substance. Potato vodka is easy to find. I just picked up a bottle at my local grocery store last week. 

Steps:

• Squeeze your blood oranges

If you aren’t careful your kitchen may end up looking like a crime scene. 

• To a cocktail shaker add the vodka, blood orange juice, lime juice and Cointreau.
• Add ice.
• Shake the heck out of it (a fast and vigorous shake helps to chill it without diluting the cocktail)
  
• Strain into a martini glass. 

That’s it. Super simple. This is one of my favorite kinds of recipes where it seems kind of fancy when it’s really not. 

That color! AmIright?!

Printable Blood Orange Martini Recipe

More Vodka Cocktails to Try

• Slushy Vodka Sunrise
• The Original Moscow Mule Recipe
• Cucumber Gimlet
• Ginger Pomegranate Martini from April Golightly
• Blood Orange Raspberry Spritzer from The Little Kitchen

Pin This Citrus Martini for Later

It’s refreshing. It’s pretty. It’s easy. This Blood Orange Martini recipe is one that you need to put on your radar. Maybe even invite some friends over so you have an excuse to make them.