Ingredients

  • 2 ozmezcal
  • 1 ozblood orange juice
  • ½ ozfresh lime juice
  • ½ oztriple sec
  • 🍋Blood orange slice and salted rim(garnish)

🔧 Tools

cocktail shakerjiggerstrainermargarita glass

Instructions

  1. Run a lime wedge around the rim of a margarita glass and dip in coarse salt, then fill with ice.
  2. Combine mezcal, blood orange juice, fresh lime juice, and triple sec in a cocktail shaker.
  3. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for 12 to 15 seconds.
  4. Strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
  5. Garnish with a thin blood orange slice on the rim.

📜 History

Blood orange season runs from December through March, making it a natural fit for winter cocktail programming. The blood orange mezcal margarita emerged from Oaxacan-inspired bars in major American and Mexican cities in the 2010s, where bartenders paired the citrus's deep red color and berry-like undertones with mezcal's smoke. The combination works because blood orange's gentle bitterness and sweeter, less acidic profile complement agave's earthiness in a way regular orange does not. The drink's dramatic deep red hue, intensified by mezcal's dark character, made it a staple of winter cocktail menus and social media.

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