Welp, it’s blood orange season, and you know what that means. Time to put it in a cocktail. Also, my lavender is just starting to blossom again because nobody knows what season it is in SoCal right now…it’s not Winter, it’s not Spring…maybe it’s fall? Let’s call it Springter. As we creep towards Valentine’s Day, it feels kind of right to create a sweet-tart, bright red, yet floral cocktail.

As per usual, if you find that you don’t have access to blood oranges, ORANGE oranges and good ol’ basic orange liqueur will do just fine. It won’t be as pretty but everyone will survive just fine.

BLOOD ORANGE + LAVENDER MARGARITA

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. tequila blanco

• 1 oz. blood orange liqueur such as Solerno

• 2 oz. fresh blood orange juice

• 1 oz. fresh lime juice

• .5 oz. agave syrup

• 5 drops lavender bitters

• Garnish: blood orange slice + lavender sprig + 1 tbs. kosher salt

  Prep your glass by gently rubbing your lavender sprig around the rim of the glass to release fragrance. Then run a lime wedge across a portion of the glass rim and then dip it in salt. Set aside.

  To make your cocktail: add all ingredients except garnish to a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, and strain into prepped glass. Garnish with a slice of orange and a sprig of lavender.

Happy Valentine’s Day…or actually….Happy Blood Orange Season! Cheers!