Orange Blossom: A Classic Gin Cocktail Recipe

Move over Screwdriver, I’m all about the Orange Blossom. If you like citrus and gin then this classic cocktail is for you. I know people either love or hate gin—I’m in the love camp. If I’m ordering a martini, it’s always gin. The complex flavors of juniper berries mixed with other botanicals simply make my tastebuds happy. And it pairs perfectly with citrus, another tastebud favorite.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a little obsessed with citrus season. Even oranges alone offer so much variety. In fact, I didn’t realize how much variety until I went to Trader Joe’s and they had over 10 varieties on display. For example, have you heard of the Cara Cara Orange? It’s pink inside! What? So cool. It’s hard not to be in awe of all the colors and flavors. They’ve been my snack of choice plus they’ve made it into quite a few cocktails. I’ve pleased many guests with my Blood Orange Margaritas and now my current obsession is the Orange Blossom.

Picking Your Oranges & Gin

The Orange Blossom recipe is simple. It calls for equal-parts orange juice and gin. Often mixed drinks are made with store-bought juice and while that would work, nothing beats fresh-squeezed. That’s worth repeating: nothing beats fresh-squeezed. For my recipe, I’m using fresh-squeezed mandarin orange juice. Mandarin oranges are often sweeter than larger orange varieties; therefore, it’s a great choice if you don’t want to add extra sweetener.

As for the gin, pick your favorite. I’m usually a Tanqueray fan, but you see here I used Gray Whale Gin. I’ll be honest, I first bought the Gray Whale Gin because of its beautiful, blue bottle with the wood cap. I’m a sucker for good design. Yet, when I visited the company’s website I fell in love with their mission too.

Gray Whale Gin is a small distillery creating a handcrafted gin that celebrates the California coast as well as promotes the preservation of our environment. All ingredients are locally sourced and actually forged from the migratory path of the Gray Whale. How cool is that? That alone would be cool. Yet in addition, a portion of all proceeds goes towards Oceana, a non-profit dedicated to protecting our world’s oceans. Again, how cool? And it turns out, the gin’s flavor is incredible. I will be buying it again and again. I’m simply not doing their story justice so I encourage you to check out the Gray Whale Gin website to learn more.

Orange Blossom Recipe

Keep in mind, I hate how cocktail recipes are always done in ounces so I always provide measurements in cups. I just find it easier to use measuring cups over a shot glass. Sorry, not sorry to any and all mixologists out there. I’m here to make it simple for the average Joe.

Ingredients

Makes one cocktail.

• 1 part fresh-squeezed orange juice (1/3 cup or 2.5-3 oz.)
  • I recommend mandarin oranges
  • About 3 mandarin oranges make 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 part gin (1/3 cup or 2.5-3 oz)
• Ice

Instructions

This cocktail can be shaken or stirred. It’s all up to you.

If stirring: Add ice, orange juice and gin to a lowball cocktail glass. Stir, garnish with an orange slice and enjoy!

If shaking: Add ice, orange juice and gin to a cocktail shaker and shake, shake, shake. Pour into a martini glass, garnish with an orange slice and enjoy.

I must say, I had no idea how good this drink was going to be. The fresh-mandarin orange juice simply enhances and highlights the botanical flavors of the gin, making it my new favorite combo.

If serving at a party, just put out a bottle of vodka for those who may not appreciate the joys of gin. They can stick to the tried-and-true Screwdriver or try my twist on that classic: a Winter Citrus Pick-me-up Cocktail.