Serve this gorgeous martini at your next celebration or make one just for you. You’ll discover that a blood orange martini is always welcome.

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: This martini is beautiful and easy to make.

How long it takes: just 5 minutes!
Equipment you’ll need: cocktail shaker, ice, martini glass
Servings: 1

Two light red martinis on a white tray.
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With just the right balance of sweet, tart, and bitter, this blood orange martini is such a bright and happy cocktail. And isn’t it pretty?

Served perfectly chilled, with a stunning slice of dark red blood orange adorning the glass, you will feel celebrated every time you take a sip. Perfect any time of the year, refreshing in the summer and sunny in the winter, don’t wait — try one today!

Having a party? Serve martinis with crab rangoon dip and crisp homemade wonton chips. Nosh on tomato bruschetta or roasted grape crostini with ricotta and honey. Keep it really simple with olive oil roasted almonds or spiced pecans.

About this Blood Orange Martini

Am I the only one who thinks of James Bond when a martini is mentioned? Probably. I think you’ll love this variation of a classic martini. It’s not difficult to make, it’s fun and beautiful, and even beer drinkers are lured in (thinking of you, Dad!). I’m wishing I had one right now.

Here’s a quick look at how to make a blood orange martini! I’ll give a few extra tips along the way.

Ingredients

  • Gin: A London dry gin is perfect. Choose your favorite brand.
  • Blood Oranges: These lovely oranges add so beauty and flavor to the martini. A hand juicer is helpful. You’ll need several oranges: a few to juice (depending on how many martinis you decide to make), and one to slice for garnishing.
  • Cointreau: This orange flavored liqueur is somewhat bitter and adds a lot of depth to the martini. You could also use Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.
  • Lime: Just a squeeze of lime juice is added for a nice tartness.
  • Ice and a Cocktail Shaker: Get ready to shake, shake, shake! Don’t you just love the sound of those ice cubes rattling around in the cocktail shaker? It’s almost happy hour!
Two martinis with bottles of alcohol in the background.

How to make A Blood Orange Martini

It’s pretty simple, really. Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

Blood orange juice being poured into a martini glass.

Shake vigorously for fifteen seconds.

Hand shaking a cocktail shaker full of pink liquid.

Strain into a glass (a martini glass if you have it).

Martini being poured from a shaker, through a strainer, into a martini glass.

Garnish with an orange slice and serve immediately. Cheers!

Overhead view of two blood orange martinis.

FAQs

What does blood orange pair with?

If you’d like to try another blood orange drink recipe, I think you’ll love blood orange gin fizz with elderflower. It’s so much more exciting than the usual gin fizz.
We also love this easy Fish Tacos Recipe with Blood Orange Salsa. It’s so beautiful and totally delicious!

Are blood oranges edible?

If you’re new to the idea of blood oranges, don’t be put off by the name. Blood oranges are very similar to regular navel oranges in flavor with just subtle differences. The main difference is their color. The outsides vary from orange to a deeper red color. The inside of the fruit is dark pink, even darker than pink or red grapefruit.

What is special about blood oranges?

The color is pretty spectacular and adds so much excitement to this cocktail. The flavor is a bit less tangy than a navel orange, with notes of berry and floral. There are many varieties of blood oranges. One that I see frequently in the grocery store is a raspberry orange. Each variety has a unique flavor but any will do for this cocktail.

Is blood orange the same as grapefruit?

A blood orange may be closer in color to a red grapefruit but the taste is definitely more like an orange.

How to make these martinis your own

  • Use regular oranges or red grapefruit. You may find you need to use a bit of simple syrup if your fruit isn’t quite as sweet.
  • Replace the gin with vodka.
  • Add a half ounce of Aperol if you like a more bitter drink, or a half ounce of Solerno, a blood orange liqueur.

Make-Ahead Ideas

While this martini is best served immediately, avoid a last minute squeeze (pun intended) with these helpful hints!

  • Juice the oranges and limes, and store the juice in the refrigerator in a covered jar or measuring cup.
  • Cut orange wedges for garnish and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Make sure you have plenty of fresh ice, and chill the gin and cointreau, if desired.
  • Polish up your martini glasses and chill those too.
Lime being squeezed into a cocktail shaker.

More cocktail recipes

It’s time to make merry! Shaken, stirred, or blended, these happy hour gems will make your day sparkle. Try:

Recipe

Blood Orange Martini

4.38 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cocktail
Serve this gorgeous martini at your next celebration or make one just for you. You'll discover that a blood orange martini is always welcome.
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
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Ingredients 

  • 2 ounces gin
  • 1 ounce blood orange juice (from one orange)
  • ½ ounce Cointreau (or other orange flavored liqueur)
  • ¼ lime, juiced
  • Blood orange slice, for garnish

Instructions 

  • Add gin, blood orange juice, Cointreau, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds.
  • Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Make Ahead: Juice the oranges, and lime and store separately in fridge. Slice an orange for garnishes. Chill the martini glasses.
  • If you like, replace the gin with vodka. Navel oranges or grapefruit could be substituted for the blood oranges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cocktail, Calories: 196kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Sodium: 1mg, Sugar: 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.38 from 8 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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4 Comments

  1. Brandon says:

    3 stars
    This sounds tasty and I look forward to trying it. But the name is misleading. A martini is gin and dry vermouth. Period. This recipe doesn’t even have vermouth, so it’s basically just a blood orange gin drink. It needs a new name. I vote for the “O-positive.” Because ‘o’ stands for orange, and it’s a blood reference in honor of the blood orange. Cheers!

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      That’s a fun and creative name! Thanks for the feedback. I don’t love that you gave me a 3 star review only because of the name, without trying the recipe, but that’s your prerogative.

  2. Colleen says:

    5 stars
    My favorite cocktail yet! It beats any restaurant cocktail I’ve tried. A great mixture of flavor.

    1. Rachel Gurk says:

      So glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! :)