It’s cocktail Friday and have I got a good one for you today! I took two of my favorite things and mashed them together into a delicious cocktail – the blood orange mezcal mule.
I actually only discovered ginger beer and the moscow mule a few years ago when I was pregnant with one of our daughters. I’m not really sure how I stumbled upon it but I remember tasting it and then all I started craving for a few months was that flavor.
Of course, I could not have the real moscow mule because I was preggers so I opted to just have plain ginger beer instead. Which, as you know, is non-alcoholic.
I remember being at a restaurant for dinner and I asked for ginger beer to drink. He couldn’t see my belly under the table and offered me the mule version. As much as I would have loved to have one, I politely declined and explained that I was pregnant.
Wanna guess the first drink I made as soon as I wasn’t pregnant anymore? Haha!
I’ve also been a huge fan of blood oranges, probably since birth. I remember having them as a kid and thought they were so fun with their red inside instead of orange. Kind of like my mom loved her ruby red grapefruit instead of the regular grapefruit.
Anyway, after all that blathering, I decided to combine my favorite two flavors and add a little smokiness with some mezcal. Then this blood orange mezcal mule was born.
I’ve made a few mezcal drinks before and a few blood orange drinks before and of course a few moscow mule recipes before but you can really never have too many cocktail recipes.
This one starts with fresh blood orange juice. You should be able to find them seasonally in stores right next to the regular oranges. Some varieties look exactly the same so be sure to check the label. While others have red markings that look like bruises on them. Usually the darker the “bruises” the deeper the red color.
For this recipe, you’ll need about 1-2 blood oranges per cocktail depending on how big and juicy they are. I can usually get 2oz of juice out of 1 – 1.5 oranges.
However, if you cannot find blood oranges seasonally, they do have blood orange juice that you can get year-round in the juice section as well as a variety of flavored beverages that feature blood orange juice. I recommend going with the fresh orange version but you can absolutely substitute in a pinch.
Take your fresh squeezed blood orange juice and add it to a cocktail shaker with some lime juice, mezcal, and simple syrup – if desired. Add ice to the shaker, close the lid, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to chill the cocktail and mix it thoroughly.
Strain the cocktail through a fine mesh strainer into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top off with your ginger beer and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a blood orange or lime slice and you’re ready to enjoy!
Blood Orange Mezcal Mule
Ingredients
- 2 oz mezcal
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 2 oz blood orange juice
- 2 oz ginger beer
- 1/2 oz simple syrup to taste, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients – except ginger beer – into cocktail shaker and fill 3/4 with ice.
- Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds until chilled. Taste for sweetness and add simple syrup, if desired. Shake again for 10 seconds to incorporate.
- Pour contents into highball glass and top with ginger beer.
- Garnish with additional blood orange or lime slices and sprig of thyme, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
