The Blood Orange Whiskey Sour is a winter sour with a stunning crimson colour and a bittersweet bite. This Blood Orange Whiskey Sour recipe is bourbon, blood orange and lemon, and it’s the best thing to do with a bag of blood oranges in January.
It tastes like orange marmalade’s smarter cousin, and it looks like a sunset.
1
serving5
minutesBourbon, fresh blood orange juice, lemon juice and simple syrup, shaken and served over ice. Citrusy, tart and ruby red.
Ingredients
60 ml (2 oz) bourbon
45 ml (1½ oz) fresh blood orange juice
15 ml (½ oz) fresh lemon juice
15 ml (½ oz) simple syrup
Ice
Blood orange slice, to garnish
Method
- Add the bourbon, blood orange juice, lemon juice and syrup to a shaker with ice.
- Shake hard for about 12 seconds.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a blood orange slice.
Thomas’s tip
- Blood oranges are in season roughly from December to March in the UK. Outside that window, use a regular orange and a splash of pomegranate juice.
What does a Blood Orange Whiskey Sour taste like?
Sweet, berry-tinged orange and bright lemon up front, with a slight bitterness from the peel and bourbon vanilla underneath. It’s juicy, tart and a little bit moody.
Tips for a better Blood Orange Whiskey Sour
Squeeze the juice fresh. Bottled blood orange juice is flat and dull.
Taste before you strain. Blood oranges vary in sweetness.
Blood Orange Whiskey Sour variations
Use rye for a spicier drink. Add a dash of orange bitters. For the original, make a Whiskey Sour, or for a berry-coloured alternative try the Cranberry Whiskey Sour.
Best whisky for a Blood Orange Whiskey Sour
A sweet, easy bourbon works best, because the fruit is bright. Look for 40% to 45%.
Blood Orange Whiskey Sour: quick answers
What is in a Blood Orange Whiskey Sour?
Bourbon, blood orange juice, lemon juice and simple syrup, shaken and served over ice.
When are blood oranges in season?
In the UK, roughly December to March.
Can I use regular oranges?
Yes, but you’ll lose the colour and the berry notes.
Blood oranges are in season roughly from December to March in the UK. Outside that window, use a regular orange and a splash of pomegranate juice.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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