Bright, floral, and refreshingly bold, this Blood Orange Elderflower Gin Cocktail is like sipping sunshine with a botanical twist. It’s the perfect pour for brunch, happy hour, or any moment that needs a little sparkle.
I’m obsessed with the beauty of blood oranges. I have my own tree yet I still stock up by the pound when they’re in season!
Of all the varieties, Moro blood oranges are my favorite. It’s the super rich crimson ones I used for this blood orange elderflower gin cocktail.
Ingredients
This cocktail keeps its simple but stunning! You only need five ingredients:
- Gin
- St. Germain (Elderflower Liqueur)
- Lime Juice
- Ginger Ale
- Blood Orange Juice
Gin
Gin’s botanical flavor profile makes it one of the most versatile spirits for cocktails, pairing beautifully with citrus, herbs, and floral note. Gin and tonic was my signature drink during my early 20s. I loved the light floral and crisp notes of gin.
Here are two very popular types of gin:
- London Dry Gin : classic, juniper-heavy, crisp , strong botanical notes
- includes Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, Beefeater
- Contemporary Gin: less juniper, more focus on citrus, florals, or herbs
- includes Hendrick’s, Aviation America Gin, and The Botanist
Choose which type of gin you prefer! I’m a fan of both London Dry and Contemporary. I like Bombay Sapphire and Hendrick’s equally. It just depends on the flavor I’m in the mood for!
Elderflower Liqueur
Elderflower liqueur is a fragrant, floral spirit made from the tiny blossoms of the elderflower plant. It is absolutely delicious with subtly sweet with notes of pear, lychee, and citrus.
St. Germain is a very popular French elderflower liqueur. It pairs beautifully with gin, sparkling wine, or fresh fruit. A little goes a long way—it adds elegance and a hint of spring to every sip. It adds the most alluring sweet fruitiness as demonstrated in this lychee sangria.
Citrus Juices
Use fresh squeezed lime juice and fresh squeezed blood orange juice. The extra effort is well rewarded.
Fresh-squeezed citrus juice delivers bright, vibrant flavor that bottled versions just can’t match. It brings natural acidity and balance to cocktails, helping to cut through sweetness or enhance herbal and spirit-forward notes.
Bottled juices often have added preservatives or a dull, flat taste that can throw off the entire drink.
Ginger Ale
Ginger ale adds a crisp, sweet spice that instantly livens up cocktails without overpowering the base spirit. Its gentle bubbles and subtle ginger warmth make it a great mixer! Canada Dry, Schweppes, and Fever-Tree are three popular options.
Instructions
Tips for Variations
Without the blood orange juice, this cocktail looks so dainty and very spring-like. It looks like the kind of cocktail served at a ladies brunch held in some well manicured garden. It tastes very clean and fresh, almost like a white sangria.
In California, blood oranges are available from late November through April/May. The exact range depends on the variety of blood orange. If you cannot find blood orange, you may omit it or simply use regular oranges.
This recipe also works well with tangerine juice. It’s much sweeter and less acidic, but still bright and vibrant! However, if you prfer a lightly more bitter cocktail, grapefruit juice is another delicious option.
More Citrus Drinks
Blood Orange Elderflower Gin Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz gin
- ¾ oz St. Germain , (elderflower liqueur)
- ½ oz lime juice, fresh squeezed
- 2 ½ oz ginger ale, chilled
- 1 oz blood orange juice, fresh squeezed
Instructions
- In a serving glass, combine gin, St. Germain, lime juice, and ginger ale. Top glass with ice. Slowly pour in blood orange juice. Garnish with blood orange slices and fresh lemon thyme sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use your gin of choice
- St. Germain is a French liqueur flavored with elderflower. Use any brand of elderflower liqueur.
- In California, blood oranges are available from December through May. The exact range depends on the variety of blood orange.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Made just as directed – it was lovely! thanks
That’s wonderful to hear! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying out the recipe!
This drink is both beautiful and delicious. We try a new cocktail every Saturday, and this is definitely one of my favourites. Thanks for this great recipe!
Thanks so much! That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This is lovely! I don’t drink anything with bubbles, so I brewed a cup of lemongrass and ginger tea and used a bit of that. I skipped the lime because of the lemongrass, I love gin, St Germain and blood oranges!
Thanks for this!
I would substitute elderflower or rose/elderflower presse (e.g., Belvoir) for the ginger ale and skip the lime juice. Meyer lemon also goes very nicely with blood orange instead of lime. If you have access to a tree, a blood orange blossom garnish is nice.
I grow both blood oranges (Moros) and roses. The characteristic taste of St Germain is the cis-rose oxide chemical from the elderflowers. It’s the same molecule in lychee, Gewürztraminer grapes/wine and some roses (hence the name). I believe the St Germain process uses high-tech chromatography to get the pure cis-rose oxide note. The other elderflower liqueurs out there use older technology and taste plantier. Sometimes (with quince-rose hip syrup) the coarser taste is better. I also infuse gin with the same rose petals (Francis Dubreuil/Barcelona) that I use to make rose syrup.
My rose martini recipe is 2oz rose-infused Hendricks gin, 1/2-1oz St Germain, 1/2 oz rose syrup. Shake over ice, serve up with a rose garnish.
I would love to make this drink but you don’t explain how to make the blood orange juice.
You can buy blood oranges at the market (or farmers market), slice them in half and squeeze out the juice (or use a juicer).
Can this be made without ginger ale? I can’t have carbonated drinks anymore.
The ginger ale adds sweetness to think drink. Perhaps you can add pineapple juice or apple juice.
Could you use vodka for this instead of gin??
Yes, vodka also works. I prefer gin because the floral notes really pair well with the elderflower :)
i just came across these beauties on pinterest & they are so gorgeous. st germaine & blood orange are two of my favorite things ever. i will be trying as soon as blood oranges are back in season!!
Blood orange is so popular this season, I love this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I got to taste this drink before I went to work. It was almost too good to put down, but I had too. I need this again: on my day off!