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Blood Orange Whiskey Sour

The traditional whiskey sour has been given a seasonal twist with delicious fresh-squeezed blood oranges.

Blood Orange Whiskey Sour


Some cocktails are just better than others. This is one of them.

As blogging trends go, typically alcoholic beverage recipes are shared around the holidays, and they almost always all have something in common: being completely forgotten after the holidays. So, my husband developed spiced cranberry orange punch for me last winter, I did a bit of research and brainstorming and decided a once a year cocktail wasn’t enough.

Initially I thought it would be cool to share one cocktail recipe a month, call it something something catchy and post a new alcoholic beverage recipe the second Saturday of the month. We are now at the end of February, and this is the first drink recipe I’m sharing. #epicfail

A traditional whiskey sour has been on my list of loved cocktails for quite a while. When it’s served in a coupé and that layer of egg white looks so pristine and perfect on top, it makes me feel fancy. Ignore the fact I’m probably wearing yoga pants, a shearling-lined sweater and Converse. Not very fancy at all. 

After nagging my husband for a couple of weeks, I finally convinced him to get back into his bartender mindset and craft something tasty that the average, at home drinker could replicate with minimal tools or skills. In the past, everythime he’s created a drink for me, it’s been some insane craft cocktail that requires 25 ingredients and 33 steps just to get it into my glass. No thank you. Give me simple. Give me delicious. Give me a simple and delicious cocktail and I am one happy human being.

After going back and forth, we ultimately included an egg white in the recipe to give the somewhat frothy texture most commonly associated with whiskey sours, but you can absolutely omit that. If you don’t have a bottle of pre-made simple syrup, it’s incredibly easy to make and can be made ahead and stored in your refrigerator for up to a month. 

Currently, my refrigerator is overflowing with winter citrus, blood oranges have leaped ahead of meyer lemons as far as frequently used in my house. I made a delicious blood orange version of this lemon pound cake, the easiest fennel and blood orange salad, and now this blood orange whiskey sour.


Blood Orange Whiskey Sour Ingredients & Instructions


  1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake vigorously for 60 seconds. Strain into a coupé glass.

  • 1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey

  • 1 ounce fresh squeezed blood orange juice

  • 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice

  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup 

  • 1 large egg white 

  • dash of Angostura bitters

What is your current favorite blood orange recipe?

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