Summer is officially here—time for mouth-watering spritzers!
Blood oranges are more common in Italy
than the United States and can be difficult to find for sale at
grocery stores here. But if you’re lucky enough to locate them at the
farmers’ market or have a friend with a tree, they make for a
beautiful and delicious addition to any dish or drink requiring
oranges. (If you can’t find blood oranges, feel free to use
pink grapefruit or cranberry juice for this drink, which will make for a similarly tart
and ruby-red substitute.)
I made the tasty beverage pictured above with gin, for a
delectable pre-dinner summer cocktail. But for a refreshing
non-alcoholic spritzer, merely omit the gin and add a bit more soda
water. And you’ll be surprised at how much the woody-perfumy
rosemary sprig adds to the flavor!
Blood Orange-Gin Spritzer
2 oz. blood orange juice (or substitute
pink grapefruit or cranberry juice)
2 oz. regular orange juice
2 oz. gin (if using; or substitute
vodka)
2-4 oz. soda water
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Juice the oranges, and measure out 2
ounces of each.
Fill a highball glass with ice, then
pour in the gin (if using).
Add the orange juice and the blood
orange juice.
Top with soda water, stir, and garnish
with the rosemary sprig.
Cin cin! Alla salute!
The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California. An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.
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Leslie also blogs with Chicks on the Case
Don't you have a blood orange tree, Leslie? This drink looks so refreshing!
ReplyDeleteWe do, and it's full of fruit right now! (Though we've fighting the squirrels for it the past few weeks...)
DeleteThat looks very inviting!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's definitely saying, "Come drink me, please!"
DeleteVery refreshing sounding.
ReplyDeleteIf you like gin (and there is a wide range of taste among gins), you might like a Bee's Knees. (Great name, right?)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon room-temperature water (to dissolve the honey before adding the ice)
1 ½ ounces gin
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Ice
Basically, a honey flavored gin sour.
Yes, I LOVE gin! (Our local Santa Cruz distillery's Venus gin is quite tasty.) So may have to make this tonight--thank you, Libby!
Delete