Blood Orange Mocktail
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Make the most of citrus season with this gorgeous non-alcoholic blood orange mocktail recipe! These naturally sweetened citrus mocktails are perfect for the holidays.
You know what makes any holiday (or weekday) feel just a bit more special? A delicious mocktail! (Non-alcoholic cocktail)
My kids affectionately refer to mocktails as “sparkle drinks,” and I haven’t been able to think of them as anything else for a long time. We’ve already shared a pretty Citrus Pomegranate Mocktail, and a cozy Cranberry Cider Mocktail, but today, I’ve got a sunny, happy winter mocktail/sparkle drink that’s great for celebrating citrus season: Blood Orange Mocktails!
Made with vibrant blood orange juice, fresh lime, and a few little flavor twists, this refreshing winter spritzer is the perfect drink to celebrate with.
We’ll be using these pretty orange mocktails to ring in the new year (of course, by “new year” I mean like 7 o’clock on New Year’s Eve. Because I’m 100 years old and #livinthatparentlife), and they’re absolutely delightful. (They’re also a great option for Dry January!)
Plus, even though they look a little fancy, they’re as easy as can be to toss together. Here’s what you need to make the sunny, citrusy blood orange mocktail of your dreams…
Simple Ingredients To Start
- BLOOD ORANGE JUICE. It takes about 2 blood oranges’ worth of fresh-squeezed blood orange juice to get 1/2 cup. It’s absolutely delicious and just a little different than fresh orange juice. The color is GORGEOUS–it’ll range from dark red, to blush peachy pink, to soft pink depending on the color of your oranges. ALL of the variations are beautiful!
- FRESH LIME JUICE. I love lime with orange, and the tiny twist of lime in this blood orange mocktail makes such a delicious addition. SO GOOD.
- AGAVE. Depending on how sweet your blood orange juice, you may or may not need to add a tiny bit of agave to your blood orange mocktail. Agave is a great choice here, since it’s less fuss than making simple syrup, dissolves beautifully in liquid, and allows the bright citrus flavors to shine through. I don’t recommend honey, since it doesn’t dissolve as well and will impact the flavor. Your best alternative is a little sugar or stevia.
- SPARKLING WATER. Then, you’ll top off the blood orange mocktail with some sparkling water. I most often go for plain sparkling water to allow the blood orange juice flavor to shine through, but you can easily add in a flavored option if you prefer!
- FRESH MINT. Bright and fresh, I love what the gorgeous color and flavor of fresh mint do for mocktails! This amount won’t make the drink taste minty–it’ll just play up the freshness of the drink. For more intense mint flavor (which I love sometimes!), you can muddle the mint in the bottom of the glass, swap in mint simple syrup, or add more leaves to your drink!
- PLENTY OF ICE. Always a must for mocktails!
How To Make a Blood Orange Mocktail, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Combine blood orange juice, lime juice, and agave in a glass. Use a straw, spoon or cocktail stirrer to gently combine. (If desired, taste and add additional sweetener, as needed.)
- Add Ice. Then, add plenty of ice to the glass.
- Top Off the drink with sparkling water and give it a very gentle stir to blend.
- Garnish & Enjoy. Add your favorite garnishes, like blood orange slices, fresh mint, and lime, and enjoy!
Scale It Up For A Party!
If you’re serving a crowd, we included pitcher measurements in the recipe card. It’s a great option for holiday parties and get togethers.
Make It Pretty!
They’re easy to make, right? Now the only hard part is choosing a garnish. Here are a few of our favorite ways to dress up this gorgeous blood orange mocktail:
- Blood Orange Slices. An extra orange slice adds so much color & instantly cues you in to the flavors you’re about to enjoy. 10/10 love adding them!
- Fresh Lime Slices. Ditto!
- Fresh Mint. The perfect fresh note to balance this easy mocktail.
- Fresh Berries. Berries and citrus are a match made in heaven! Try fresh raspberries or fresh strawberries here for a pretty pop of color.
- Cranberries or Pomegranate Arils. Some sugared cranberries or pomegranate seeds add a pretty pop of color!
- Rosemary. Or, you can swap the mint out for a sprig of fresh rosemary. It might sound weird, but it’s DELICIOUS. (You’ve got to try the citrus-rosemary combo in this grapefruit mocktail recipe!)
- Sugared Rim. Making a fun rimmed glass is another way to add a twist! Try classic sugar, lime sugar, orange sugar, or even Tajin!
- Edible Flowers. Chamomile blossoms, orchids, and more!
FAQ + Tips For The Best Blood Orange Mocktail
TRY A FLAVOR TWIST! For some extra flavor, you can swap out the agave for mint simple syrup, rosemary simple syrup, or ginger simple syrup. Each one is DELICIOUS with the blood orange flavor. Or, add a few drops of bitters or vanilla extract!
CAN’T FIND BLOOD ORANGES? You can buy bottled blood orange juice (like Natalie’s), swap in sparkling blood orange juice (Sanpellegrino has a good one!), or use Cara Cara oranges instead.
USE FLAVORED SPARKLING WATER OR SODA. One easy way to add another layer of flavor is to use flavored sparkling water (like Sanpellgrino, La Croix, or Spindrift) instead of plain sparkling water. Something citrusy or tropical usually pairs well! Or, you can add soda. Sanpellegrino also makes a really yummy sparkling blood orange drink that’s nice, or you can use ginger ale or blood orange soda (Trader Joe’s carries a nice one!).
TRY PRETTY ICE CUBES! I mention this just about any time I share a mocktail recipe, but I can’t help it! Using pretty ice cubes like this, with citrus peel, mint, edible flowers, or other pretty decorations adds such a fun flair to drinks like this blood orange mocktail recipe.
Recipe Card
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Leave a star rating below when you try our naturally sweetened Blood Orange Mocktail recipe! We can’t wait to hear how it goes–cheers!
Blood Orange Mocktail
- Total Time: About 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 (8 oz.) serving 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This naturally sweetened Blood Orange Mocktail is the perfect non-alcoholic drink for the holidays + special occasions! (Paleo + Vegan!)
Ingredients
TO MAKE ONE BLOOD ORANGE MOCKTAIL:
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice* (from about 2 blood oranges)
- 1/2–1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2–1 teaspoon agave (if needed)
- 1/3 cup sparkling water
- 3–4 mint leaves
- A few slices of blood orange and/or lime
- Ice cubes
TO MAKE A PITCHER (ABOUT 8 SERVINGS):
- About 4–5 cup ice cubes
- 4 cups blood orange juice
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 Tablespoons agave (if needed)
- 3 cups sparkling water
- 10–12 mint leaves
- A few slices of blood orange and/or lime, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
FOR ONE MOCKTAIL:
- Combine blood orange juice, lime juice, and agave in a glass. Use a straw, spoon or cocktail stirrer to gently combine. (If desired, taste and add additional sweetener, as needed.)
- Add Ice. Then, add plenty of ice to the glass.
- Top Off the drink with sparkling water and give it a very gentle stir to blend.
- Garnish & Enjoy. Add your favorite garnishes, like blood orange slices, fresh mint, and lime, and enjoy!
FOR A PITCHER:
- Combine blood orange juice, lime juice, and agave in a pitcher. Use a straw, spoon or cocktail stirrer to gently combine. (If desired, taste and add additional sweetener, as needed.)
- Add Ice. Then, add plenty of ice to the pitcher.
- Top Off the drink with sparkling water and give it a very gentle stir to blend.
- Garnish & Enjoy. Add your favorite garnishes, like blood orange slices, fresh mint, and lime, and enjoy!
- Garnish with mint leaves and citrus slices
Notes
- *BLOOD ORANGE ALTERNATIVES: If blood oranges are out of season, you can use Cara Cara oranges, navel oranges, or any other ripe, fresh orange. Fresh clementine or tangerine juice also works!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Drink
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American