Simple Pleasure Sunday: Blood Orange Margarita

For an at-home aperitivo, I sipped a blood orange margarita while snacking on some chips and salsa this evening. This is my signature cocktail. I often savor it in the summertime. Labor Day Weekend (in the US) included!

To me, it is Italian because I discovered blood oranges, with their deep red interior, on my first trip to Italy. They were in season during my spring break vacation that March. I usually buy blood orange juice at a grocery store on my subsequent trips.

If you are unfamiliar with blood oranges, to me, blood orange juice tastes like sweet fruit punch. Thus, my blood orange margarita tastes like a fruit punch margarita. I also think it is a nice balance between sour and sweet. I love the Blood Orange ‘Rita at the chain restaurant, Outback Steakhouse, but they are pretty sweet. Adding some sweetness to my recipe, I prepare my own simple syrup (which is sugar and water dissolved over heat) and keep it in a container in the refrigerator. I happen to make mine weak since I am a lightweight. My recipe fills my margarita glass perfectly. I always serve my blood orange margarita on the rocks, in a margarita glass without a salt rim. My signature cocktail is more pink in real life, but orange on camera.

Let me know if you try my recipe!

What simple pleasure did you savor this week? Share it in a comment below or in an Instagram post with the hashtag #savoringasimplepleasure.