Seasonal items are always fun to experiment with, like blood oranges. I never tried one before, although I loved their dark red color. When they first arrived in the store it was GAME ON!
2 blood oranges went home to my kitchen and I felt like one of the Top Chef's with a secret ingredient. I could add them to fruit salad, a winter staple of my family - but these little oranges deserved something more.
It was cocktail time!
I scrolled through Pinterest for hours, pinning lots of beautiful beverages. I wanted something different, or at least something my husband might enjoy. Enter bourbon. I found a site with beautiful images of "Blood Orange Bourbon Smash". Even the name sounded cool. Find the recipe here http://heatherchristo.com/cooks/2013/04/04/blood-orange-bourbon-smash/
The first time I try a new recipe I follow it. The next time I make it my own. So I was off. Step one, juice two blood oranges. Hmmm, much to my surprise my blood orange was not the traditional blood red, but a bright mango color. I proceeded with my concoction, but learned later that the first blood oranges to arrive were terrocco blood oranges or "mango" blood oranges and they were not the traditional red. So, not one to waste fresh squeezed juice, I added my ginger simple syrup (this is a wonderful staple), the bourbon and the ice cubes. Shake it up a bit and it wasn't too bad. But the drink needed some color.
Take two. I found the traditional blood oranges, but decided to try something a bit lighter than bourbon. I juiced the beautiful blood red oranges, added some of the ginger simple syrup (this works well in so many things), and topped my creation with Proseco. Ding, ding, ding - we have a winner. The added bonus is the fact that my husband is not a fan of Proseco, it was all mine. While hubby was watching football, I was enjoying my take on a Bellini.
And the finished product.
