Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville – While Drinking a Blood Orange Margarita!

The song “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet always makes me think of Florida with its imagery of lazing all day on a front porch looking out on a beach with the sun baking the sand. Which instantly makes me thirsty for a nice, cold margarita! And one of my favorite versions is a blood orange margarita – once you try it you’ll never go back to the original!

Photo by Laurie Geis

Moving to Florida has played a key role in getting me more interested in spirits and creative cocktails. I think it’s the warm weather and idyllic settings showcasing white sand beaches, blue water, and hazy sunshine all day long that makes me long for a refreshing cocktail as the day winds down. And there’s no cocktail more refreshing than a margarita, one of my all-time favorites.

Jimmy Buffet got it right when he highlighted the margarita in his classic hit song, “Margaritaville”. In the last verse, he sings, “I blew out my flip flop, stepped on a pop top, cut my heel, had to cruise on back home. But there's booze in the blender, and soon it will render that frozen concoction that helps me hang on.” That concoction he speaks of is a margarita, made in the frozen slushy style – but I like the alternative non-frozen version the best. Given that the margarita is probably my favorite cocktail, I have spent some time since Laurie and I moved to Florida creating my own versions, one of which showcases blood oranges in the mix.

The blood orange is a variety of orange that looks like a regular but smaller naval orange but has crimson colored flesh. It’s sweet like a regular orange, but also slightly tart with hints of raspberry. You can find them in more upscale grocery stores like Whole Foods during the winter and spring, but they also make packaged blood orange juice which is widely available and would serve as a suitable (and cheaper!) substitute if you can't find blood oranges in the store.

And blood oranges are the perfect complement to a nice Reposado tequila which is a type of tequila aged in oak anywhere from two months right up to a day before one year, giving it a golden hue. It straddles the line between Blanco tequilas which are generally unaged, and Anejo tequilas which spend at least a year and up to three years aging in oak barrels. Reposado tequila is more expensive than Blanco but less expensive than Anejo tequilas. I think the deeper caramel and vanilla flavors of the Reposado really pair beautifully with the sweet and slightly sour taste of the blood oranges. And the color of this delicious cocktail is bright and festive as well! Try my new variation of the classic margarita and let me know what you think!

Blood Orange Margarita (makes 1 cocktail)

2 oz. tequila (use Reposado tequila – Milagro makes a good value tequila that’s half the price of the more popular Casamigos or Patron tequilas)

2 oz. fresh squeezed blood orange juice (about 4 blood oranges) or substitute store bought blood orange juice if you can’t find blood oranges

1 oz. Grand Marnier (an orange flavored liqueur)

1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice (only fresh squeezed – never bottled!)

Kosher salt

Lime wedges for garnish

Salt the rim of a rocks glass by rubbing a quarter lime around the rim and then dipping the rim in a small plate of salt. Pour the tequila, blood orange juice, Grand Marnier, and lime juice into a shaker. Add ice and shake until frost forms on the shaker, about 20-30 seconds. Strain and pour into the salt-rimmed rocks glass with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.