Blood Orange Syrup

Here’s another simple but special wintery recipe.  Somewhere along the line we came up with the idea to reduce beautiful (and delicious) fresh blood orange juice to create a syrup.  Probably because we’re always on the lookout for something unique to use in a seasonal cocktail.  This is a winner – sweet and citrusy, but with a slightly bitter piney background note that I really loved.

The recipe is so easy.  Juice a couple oranges, add a little sugar, and simmer until reduced by 1/2.  My main warning to you is that blood orange juice is very…vibrant.  I encountered a few splattering issues.  I had to stop juicing after 1/2 an orange and run to find my apron.  And I may or may not still be finding little red splashes in far flung nooks and crannies of my kitchen.  That may be due to the fact that I’m a bit of a messy cook, though, I’m not sure it’s fair to blame these oranges.

We’ll be back on Thursday with our favorite cocktail (so far) featuring Blood Orange Syrup!

Blood Orange Syrup

Note that this recipes is very flexible – the ratio of ingredients is the most important part.  2:1, juice to sugar.  Reduce by half.  Done. 

• 1/2 cup blood orange juice (we used about 3 oranges to get this much)
• 1/4 cup sugar

Combine in a saucepan and simmer for approx 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until reduced by half.

Oh, and another editorial note.  This recipe is very similar to our recipe for Homemade Grenadine, which is pretty much a Pomegranate Syrup.  Also highly recommend for delicious seasonal cocktails!