Enjoy a little citrus zing in a minty classic mojito. Blood Orange Mojitos brighten up this classic cocktail during the coldest days of the year. Refreshing. Simple.
I’ve been attempting to eat my weight in citrus before peak season passes. Blood orange seems to have the shortest season, so I find all the ways to enjoy them. People seem to either love em’ or hate em’. Where are you on the spectrum?
Mojitos are among my favorite of cocktails and offer a canvas to add a splash of flavor and color using the freshest seasonal fruits and berries.
While blood oranges can be somewhat bitter, they offer bright raspberry and strawberry notes. When paired with a bit of sweet, the bitterness is mellowed.
A Few Recipe Notes:
- Fresh squeezed blood orange juice can be refrigerated up to one day in advance. You’ll need about one and a half blood oranges to make enough juice for one cocktail depending on the juiciness of the orange (this varies). Save the flesh and toss it in your smoothie!
- Cara Cara oranges are a fabulous sub in this recipe if blood orange is not available. They are sweeter, so adjust the simple accordingly.
- DIY simple syrup! I was shocked to see how much a small bottle of simple syrup goes for at the store! Woah Nellah! Simply place 1/2 C water and 1/2 C sugar into a small sauce pot, bring to a boil. Simmer and swirl until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, grate in some orange zest and toss in a few springs of mint and steep for about 10 minutes then strain into a storage container for an over the top simple that takes this cocktail to extraordinary! Refrigerate until ready to use (double with ease).
- Classic Mojitos are muddled in a high ball or Collins glass. I prefer serving them in short low ball glasses or pretty cocktail glasses. To do this, you’ll need to muddle the ingredients in a cocktail shaker or a cocktail mixing glass then strain into a cocktail glass.
Blood Orange Mojitos
Enjoy a little citrus zing in a minty classic mojito. Blood Orange Mojitos brighten up this classic cocktail during the coldest days of the year. Refreshing. Simple. Make in a cocktail (low ball) or the classic Collins or high ball glass!
Ingredients
For the Mojito:
- 1/2 Lime cut into 4 wedges
- 5-7 Mint Leaves
- 1 - 1 1/2 oz (28g-42g) Simple Syrup* or to taste - see notes for recipe
- 2 oz (56g) Light Rum
- 1 1/2 oz (42g) Blood Orange Juice fresh squeezed
- Crushed Ice
- Club Soda
For Garnish:
- Thin Sliced Orange
- Thin Sliced Lime
- Mint Sprigs
Instructions
-
A. For a Low Ball Glass: in a cocktail shaker, or cocktail mixing glass, layer the cut lime wedges, and mint leaves. Pour in the simple syrup and use a muddler to muddle the mixture for about 30 seconds. The goal is to squeeze out the lime juice and to allow the mint to release its oils. Add the rum, strain in blood orange juice and top with ice. Stir. Strain into an ice filled double low ball cocktail glass. Top with club soda, stir, taste for simple syrup adjustment then garnish.
OR
B. For a Hall Ball or Collins Glass: muddle the lime wedges and mint leaves. Pour in the simple syrup and use a muddler to muddle the mixture for about 30 seconds. The goal is to squeeze out the lime juice and to allow the mint to release its oils. Add crushed ice, and light rum to the mixture. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain in the fresh squeezed orange juice. Stir. Top with Club Soda. Stir. Taste for simple syrup adjustment then garnish.
Recipe Notes
Orange juice may be squeezed up to one day in advance and refrigerated.
*For an OVER THE TOP minty-orange Simple Syrup: Pour 1/2 C (120g) cane sugar and 1/2 C (116g) water into small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir. Boil until all the sugar is dissolved, just a few minutes. Pour into a lidded container for storage in the refrigerator until ready to use. For added minty-orange goodness, add a few sprigs of mint and 1 tsp of orange zest to the simple syrup before cooking. Allow it to steep for about 10 minutes before straining the syrup to a storage container.
Pretty sure I need to come hang out with you for cocktail hour, this is gorgeous!
I’m in, Jill! Come on!
This drink looks absolutely gorgeous! Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much Karly!
You sure know how to make a girl happy! Mojito is one of my tippy top favorite cocktails but I’ve yet to prepare it with blood orange. This is gorgeous! Cheers! xo
I’m with you Annie! They’re my tippy top too… mainly because they’re so versatile! Love how it can be jazzed up with seasonal fruit! I hope you love it with blood orange!
I’m really trying to up my cocktail game from the basic vodka and tonic with a lime, and this looks like the perfect transition! Such a pretty drink.
Hi Aimee! I get stuck in a rut too :/ I hope you enjoy the mojito! Thank you for stopping by!
This is such a gorgeous drink, Traci – the color is just wonderful – and beautiful photos! I’m not a fan of super sweet drinks so I like the slight bitterness of the blood orange. I may need to make one of these tonight while I am catching up on Walking Dead! Hope you had a great weekend!
The color of blood orange is alway such a nice surprise! Sippin on this while watching the Walking Dead sounds like a plan! Hope you had a good weekend too, Geraldine!
I am in love with blood oranges and just found a bag of cute little ones at Trader Joe’s! Can’t wait to try this out over the weekend!
They’re so good and I love how beautiful their flesh is. I hope you enjoy the cocktail, Karen!
I’m thinking I have to whip up a few of these this weekend Traci! I need something to perk me up! I was supposed to fly to Naples last night to visit with my mother and my flight was cancelled due to mechanical difficulties and my camera broke while shooting a few days ago! it’s been a disastrous few days! I need a beautiful, delicious cocktail like this one to lift my spirits! I love the color and the added mint! Count me in!
Oh No! Mary Ann – you had a rough week! I hope this week is better for you … what a mess! I’ll pour you a cocktail my dear!
I had just finished eating one of your blood orange chocolate scones when I came across this email. I couldn’t agree with you more. Blood oranges are a highlight of the winter for me. There’s that anticipation right before slicing into one to reveal the hue of the flesh…will it be all magenta or will it have those wild gradations of rosy sherbets? I buy the bags whenever I see them not knowing when they will be gone and then I make as many recipes as I can. Beverages like this one are usually my favorite way to savor them!
Oh my goodness! I loooove those scones. Weak in the knees! I love the sweet surprise of the flesh too… those rosy sherbets are a perfect description! I’m thinking I should squeeze all the BO I can and freeze the juice… that just hit me! I hope you enjoy the mojiots Jean!
I’m definitely snagging all the blood oranges before they are gone! Although, like you said, Cara Cara’s are also a fabulous choice! I’m recovering from over 24 hours with no power, so I’m ready for a cocktail today. Cheers to the weekend, Traci!
Oh Liz… you’ve had a rough go of it out East! I hope you’re staying warm (and have some blood oranges and rum on hand!)!
Wow, this drink is beautiful! These would look so nice on my Easter table.
Thaank you Celeste!