This cocktail is inspired by a few things. Firstly, I adore a good, strong vodka martini. It is direct and to the point, the kind of drink I crave after a long day at work, and there is something that feels a little sophisticated about drinking out of a martini glass. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life.
Blood oranges are everywhere this season, and I’m not complaining. They are a thing of beauty, both visually and for eating. And I’m sticking with oranges in the ‘blood’ fruit variety, at least for this season. I bought some very beautiful-looking blood limes and my attempts to turn them into lime bars were an utter fail. Maybe I should have tried a cocktail.
Lastly, marmalade has made an appearance—a good one at that—in a few of my cocktails recently. It brings a lovely touch of bitter orange without simply adding more sweetness. Try it in a simple Breakfast Rum or my Orange Marmalade Gin Sour if you need further convincing.
This Blood Orange Martini brings all three together. Vodka keeps some of the directness I love in a traditional vodka martini, blood orange brings a softer, fruitier citrus note and that spectacular ruby colour, while marmalade adds just enough bitter orange to keep everything sharp and balanced.
If you don’t have blood oranges, I wouldn’t substitute regular oranges. It will probably still taste good, but you’re heading towards vodka and orange territory. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if simplicity in a glass is what you’re after, save yourself the cocktail shaker. It’s the flavour and those beautiful ruby-red hues of blood orange that make this one worth the extra effort.
Worth Making
- Yes – if you like citrus cocktails that are bright and fresh and with less ‘bite’ than your traditional martini.
- Yes – the orange marmalade adds an interesting touch, providing bittersweet depth that complements the fresh blood orange and Cointreau.
- Yes – when blood oranges are in season. Their colour alone makes this one worth pulling out the cocktail shaker for.
- Skip it – if you can’t get good blood oranges. Regular orange juice changes both the flavour and character enough that I’d make a different cocktail instead.
Blood Orange Martini
Equipment
- 1 cocktail shaker
Ingredients
- 50 ml vodka
- 20 ml blood orange juice
- 10 ml cointreau
- 1 tsp orange marmalade
- 10 ml fresh lemon juice
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake very hard — you need to properly disperse the marmalade—then double strain into a martini glass.
Make it your own way
- Make it more bitter – add another dash of orange bitters or use a particularly bitter, peel-heavy marmalade.
- Make it drier – reduce the Cointreau to 5 ml. Keep the marmalade; its bitterness is part of what makes this version interesting.
- Make it stronger – increase the vodka to 60 ml for a more spirit-forward drink without upsetting the citrus balance too much.
- Change the base spirit – gin works surprisingly well here. Choose a clean, citrus-forward gin rather than something heavily botanical.
- Play with the marmalade – blood orange marmalade is an obvious swap, while a bitter Seville orange marmalade gives the cocktail a sharper, more grown-up edge.
