Blood Orange Gin Spritzer

Happy Holidays, friends! I hope this holiday season has been treating you well, and that you’ve got something fun planned to ring in the New Year. New Years Eve is typically one of my least favorite holidays, simply because it gets so hyped up, and rarely (for me, anyway) delivers on the hype. This year though, we made reservations at a local restaurant I’ve been dying to check out for ages, but that’s a bit too pricey for a typical run-of-the-mill dinner out. NYE seemed the perfect time to indulge a little bit more than normal, and I’m very excited for a low-key but delicious end to 2016!

But NYE plans are here nor there when we’ve got a cocktail to discuss. I recently received a couple of sample mixers from Stirrings, and was tasked with creating an original cocktail recipe. On my current diet, I’m not really supposed to be drinking much, nor am I supposed to be consuming citrus, but I decided to splurge for Christmas and make something refreshing and tasty, that only bent the rules a little bit.

This cocktail is wonderfully light and bright, especially for this time of year, but I found it offers a nice balance with the often heavier holiday meals we’re all indulging in. It’s crisp and citrusy, nicely balanced, and very easy to drink. Plus, with a couple simple garnishes, it’s super pretty and festive!

I thought I had some extra blood oranges on hand when I made this for Christmas, but turns out I didn’t so used a standard navel orange for garnish instead. I’d definitely recommend using a blood orange if you can get your hands on one, because they make for such a beautiful presentation. Depending on what type of gin you use, you can pick your herb preference, though we had some extra thyme in the kitchen so that’s what I used here. For a more herbal gin, rosemary might be a nice pick. Because this drink is on the lighter side, the type of gin you choose will definitely dictate the end flavor, so pick something you really love the taste of. I used a local gin, from a place called Short Path Distillery, which is heavy on the botanicals, and I found it played so nicely with the St. Germain and bitters. But if you want to go for something more subtle, that’ll definitely work just as well.

Whatever you’ve got going on this holiday weekend, I hope you enjoy a few days off with friends and family, doing something that you enjoy to close out 2016. And a Happy New Year for you and yours as well! Here’s to a great 2017.

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