I love this time of year because it’s such a festive time. Family and friends gather to celebrate and spend time with each other. There are always holiday parties and occasions to get together. I love coming up with fresh new holiday drinks for special occasions or just for fun. This Whiskey Blood Orange Smash is filled with all of the wonderful things that Winter has to offer.
This time of year, blood oranges start to come into season. Blood Oranges are a variety of oranges that are named for their “blood” colored flesh. The taste of blood oranges are similar to regular oranges, but have a sweeter, almost berry flavor to them. For this particular cocktail, you can buy blood oranges and juice them at home, otherwise some grocery stores do sell blood orange juice, which makes it a bit easier. I do prefer the taste of fresh blood orange juice, if you can get your hands on it.
I have never been much of a whiskey drinker, but I started to mess around with some concoctions the other day. Whiskey is a very warming drink that is perfect for Winter time and makes for a great holiday cocktail. The sweet and tart flavors of the blood orange juice pair so well with the rosemary and whiskey. This drink is then rounded out perfectly by the ginger beer, which helps all of those flavors meld together.
What’s your favorite holiday cocktail?
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Whiskey Blood Orange Smash
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
- 4 ounces blood orange juice
- 1 ounce whiskey
- 2 ounces ginger beer
Instructions
Rosemary Simple Syrup
- Combine sugar, water and two of the sprigs of rosemary in a small pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and then to reduce the heat to allow the mixture to boil gently for 5-7 minutes. The simple syrup is done when the sugar has completely dissolved and is a light yellow-green color.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely before using. The leftover simple syrup can be stored in an air tight container for 3-4 weeks.
Whiskey Blood Orange Smash
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice about ¾ of the way. Add blood orange juice, whiskey and 1 ounce of the cooled simple syrup. Shake for at least 30 seconds and then strain into a fresh glass over ice. Top with ginger beer and garnish with remaining rosemary sprig.