Blood Orange French 75 Cocktail

Ruby red French 75 cocktail made with blood orange juice, light, bubbly, and refreshing!

Blood Orange French 75 Cocktail
Elise Bauer

Valentine's Day just begs to be celebrated with something red and bubbly, right?

Enter one of my favorite cocktails—the classic French 75—but instead of using lemon juice, we infuse the drink with something to make it brilliant pinkish red—blood orange.

So pretty! And just as lovely to drink as the original, if not more so.

The classic French 75 is light and refreshing, and packs a little kick with gin. First on the scene a hundred years ago, it's made with lemon juice, gin, sugar, and sparkling white wine.

One of the things that makes a French 75 work so well is the interplay of tart citrus with the gin, Champagne, and simple syrup. Since we are swapping out the lemon juice in the classic recipe with blood orange, and blood oranges are more sweet than tart, I add a little lime juice to bring the drink more into a proper balance.

Blood Orange French 75 Cocktail
Elise Bauer

A few notes on the recipe. If you don't have a cocktail shaker, you can use any sealable container, even a quart sized mason jar. I used a wide-mouthed plastic sports water bottle as my shaker.

Blood oranges tend to be rather pulpy, so it's a good idea to strain the juice at least once.

For extra flavor, put a few strips of blood orange zest into the simple syrup once it comes to a boil.

Enjoy!

Blood Orange French 75 Cocktail

Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Serving 1 serving

To make a twist of zest, use a vegetable peeler to peel a long strip of zest from the blood orange. Cut it into thin strips with a sharp knife. Twist it into a curly shape and hold it that way for a few seconds.

*To make simple syrup, put equal parts of sugar and water into a small saucepan. (I usually make syrup with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water, and store the excess for other uses.) Bring to a rolling boil. If you have a few strips of blood orange zest, add them to the water for extra flavor. When the sugar has all dissolved in the water, remove from heat and let cool. Remove the zest. Pour into a mason jar and store in the fridge.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) freshly juiced blood orange juice, strained

  • 1/2 tablespoon (1/4 ounce) lime juice

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ouncesimple syrup*

  • 1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) gin

  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) Champagne, prosecco, or other sparkling white wine

  • A twist blood orange zest

Method

  1. Combine blood orange juice, lime, simple syrup, and gin:

    Place the blood orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and gin into a cocktail shaker (or something that can be used as a cocktail shaker) with a few ice cubes.

  2. Shake:

    Shake to mix well and strain, pouring into a champagne flute.

  3. Add the sparking wine:

    Top with champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling white wine.

  4. Garnish:

    Add a twist of blood orange zest to the glass.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
200 Calories
0g Fat
16g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 200
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 4mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 22mg 110%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 111mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.