Blood orange gin is fast becoming our new favourite thing and, with distilleries like Beefeater, Malfy Gin and Whitley Neill releasing their own versions, it’s obvious we aren’t the only ones.
But what is blood orange gin and which are the best recipes to use it in? In this feature, you’ll everything you need to know about this marvellous tipple, including three incredible blood orange gin cocktail recipes, its flavour, what it mixes with and where you can buy blood orange gin.
Our The Blood Moon cocktail recipe is a must-try!
What is blood orange gin?
It is a flavoured gin that’s made by combining blood oranges with a gin base, usually a classic London Dry - scroll down to find our great guide to making your own at home!
What does blood orange gin taste like?
Blood oranges are known to have hints of raspberry, cherry and pink grapefruit amongst the key notes of their flavour profile, so you should expect to find all of those in a good blood orange gin.
However, each gin will taste different depending on the distillery that makes it and the spirit used as its base. We certainly wouldn’t expect Beefeater Blood Orange Gin to taste exactly the same as Whitley Neill’s version or Malfy Gin’s version.
If you haven’t tried a blood orange gin before then we recommend starting with three of our favourites: Fox’s Kiln Distillery Blood Orange Gin, Three Wrens Blood Orange & Apricot Gin and Tarquin’s Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin.
Where can I buy blood orange gin?
You can find both of the gins mentioned above on the Craft Gin Club online shop by clicking on the button below.
Of course, you can now find great versions of the gin in supermarkets like Waitrose and Tesco too.
OR, you could always just make your own…
Pssst…Did you know that if you buy any large bottle of Tarquin’s gin from Craft Gin Club’s online shop today (like, say, Tarquin’s Cornish Sunshine Blood Orange Gin!), then you’ll get a free miniature bottle of Tarquin’s too when you use the code TARQUINSMINI at the checkout. Click here to find out more!
How to make the best blood orange gin:
To make this flavoured gin at home, all that you need is gin (ideally, a crisp, clean London Dry), some caster sugar and some fresh blood oranges - their season in the UK is usually from December to April, so watch out for them in the supermarkets and market stalls.
Ingredients
70cl gin
4 blood oranges, quartered
100g caster sugar
Method
Simply add the gin, orange pieces (squeezing the fresh juice out into the jar as they go in) and sugar to a mason jar. Shake and leave to macerate for 2 weeks in a dark spot, shaking at least once every day. Strain the liquid, removing any bits and enjoy!
What does blood orange gin go well with?
Like most citrus-forward gins, this gin is really versatile and happy with a range of different flavour combinations. However, we think it goes particularly well with woody herb flavours like rosemary and thyme.
Which tonic water goes with orange gin?
As you might imagine, we recommend mixing this gin with tonic waters that have herbaceous notes, like Fever-Tree Meditarean Tonic Water. For a garnish, rosemary or thyme or both work really well. Together, they make for a fantastic G&T!
Other great mixers include ginger ale and classic tonic waters. The zesty ginger ale is a great match for the rich citrus notes of the gin and those same notes make for a delicious contrast to the crisp, delectably bitter palate of a tonic water.
Those juicy, fruity flavours in the gin also work great with bitter spirits like Campari in cocktails like a classic Negroni or Frozen Negroni and with touches of spice from the likes of Angostura Bitters.
3 of the best blood orange gin cocktail recipes:
Blood Orange Negroni
This simple yet effective three-ingredient cocktail is a treat for the taste buds!
25ml blood orange gin
25ml Campari
25ml Punt E Mes (or alternative red vermouth)
Blood orange wheel, to garnish
Thyme spring, to garnish
Add the gin, Campari and Punt E Mes to a shaker with ice and stir well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, garnish and enjoy.
2. Blood Orange Breakfast Martini
A martini like no other, this fantastic tipple is great for a boozy brunch.
50ml blood orange gin
15ml triple sec
15ml fresh lemon juice
Heaped bar spoon of orange marmalade
A drop of Angostura Bitters (optional)
Blood orange peel, to garnish
Add all of the ingredients apart from the garnish into a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass, garnish and enjoy!
3. Blood Orange Gin Spritz
You can not go wrong with a blood orange gin and prosecco cocktail. This is ideal for enjoying on warm summer evenings!
25ml blood orange gin
50ml fresh blood orange juice
Prosecco, to top
Orange wheel, to garnish
Add all of the ingredients to your glass and serve - it couldn’t be easier!
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