Blood Orange Lemonade (Printable Version)

Vibrant citrus blend of blood orange and lemon juices, lightly sweetened and served ice-cold.

# What You Need:

→ Citrus

01 - 1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice (from about 4-5 blood oranges)
02 - 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

→ Sweetener

03 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1/2 cup water for dissolving sugar

→ To Serve

05 - 3 cups cold water or sparkling water
06 - Ice cubes as needed
07 - Blood orange and lemon slices for garnish
08 - Fresh mint leaves for garnish

# How-To:

01 - Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring continuously until sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
02 - In a large pitcher, pour the freshly squeezed blood orange juice and lemon juice. Stir gently to blend the citrus flavors.
03 - Add the cooled sugar syrup to the citrus juice mixture. Stir thoroughly to ensure the sweetener is evenly distributed throughout the base.
04 - Pour in 3 cups of cold water or sparkling water. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Taste the mixture and adjust sweetness or acidity by adding more sugar syrup or citrus juice as desired.
05 - Fill serving glasses with ice cubes. Pour the prepared lemonade over the ice. Garnish with fresh blood orange slices, lemon wheels, and mint sprigs if using. Serve immediately while chilled.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The color alone stops people in their tracks, that gorgeous ruby coral that looks like something youd order at a fancy cafe but takes ten minutes to make
  • Theres something magical about blood orange season, and this drink captures that fleeting moment when winter citrus meets warmer days
02 -
  • Dont skip the simple syrup step, because stirring granulated sugar straight into cold juice leaves you with that gritty sugar settling at the bottom of the glass
  • Blood oranges have a short season, usually January through April, so grab them when you see them and make this while you can
03 -
  • Roll each citrus fruit firmly on the counter before cutting, almost like youre using your palm to massage the juice loose from the membranes
  • If you only have regular oranges, a handful of raspberries blended into the juice will fake that blood orange color surprisingly well

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