This Blood Orange Mezcalrita one juicy and delicious cocktail. Made with fresh blood orange juice it’s vibrant and ready to kick off spring. The mezcal gives it just the right amount of smoke to balance out the citrus and sweetness.

Blood oranges are in the peak of their season and what better way to use them then to mix them in a cocktail? The color is so gorgeous and they make any recipe pretty. Any temperature over 40 degrees in Chicago spring makes me instantly crave a margarita, a patio hang and bright colors, so this was the perfect combo for a 60 degree weekend.

How to make a Blood Orange Mezcalrita

Rim your glasses with Tajin salt. Slide a lime slice around the rim of your glass. Pour a small amount of tajin on a plate. Rim the glass with the salt.
Juice the blood oranges. You will need 2 ounces of juice per cocktail
Shake the Mezcalrita. Fill a shaker with ice. Add the Mezcal, Cointreau, blood orange juice, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake until the shaker starts to frost up.
Serve the cocktail. Pour the cocktail into the glass, including the ice. Garnish with a fresh blood orange slice.

Tips and Tricks

Get quite a few blood oranges. Blood oranges are smaller and less juicy then regular oranges. Expect to use 1 1/2 to 2 blood oranges per cocktail.
The blood orange juice is dark and will stain. Do not use on or around light surfaces.
Watch the blood orange availability! Blood oranges are typically only in season until April, so make this while you can!
Other options: If you don’t like the smokey flavor of mezcal, use tequila instead
No Cointreau? You can swap with triple sec

Looking for other spring cocktails? Try these!