Blood orange season is short. From about December through March you can find them pretty reliably, and then they disappear until next year, which is why I buy more than I need every season, and also why I bought my husband a baby Blood Orange tree for his birthday.

Selfishly, I just want more oranges, and our navel orange trees just aren’t enough.

The juice tastes different from regular orange juice. There’s a berry note beneath the citrus, almost like raspberry, and the flesh color ranges from pale pink to deep burgundy (aka anthocyanins) depending on how cold the growing season was.

This margarita skips the triple sec and uses fresh blood orange juice and honey syrup instead. My husband loves it when I make this cocktail, and best of all, I can substitute tequila for bourbon and have a “margarita” too.

What’s Makes This Margarita Different?

A standard margarita is tequila, lime juice, and orange liqueur like Cointreau or triple sec. This version replaces the liqueur with fresh blood orange juice and honey syrup.

Blood orange juice is a little more tart than navel orange juice, which makes it a good fit for a sour-style drink. My citrus juicer gets a lot of use during blood orange season when I’m doing multiple rounds of this.

The honey adds sweetness without the heavy syrupy quality you sometimes get with agave or simple syrup. It has a floral, rounded flavor that softens the citrus without dulling it.

Tequila or Mezcal

Blanco tequila is the cleaner option. The blood orange reads first, the lime keeps it tart, and the honey brings it all together.

Mezcal makes it smokier and heavier. The sweet-tart citrus and the smoke create a lot of contrast in flavor. If you like mezcal in general, especially in cocktails where it’s playing against sweetness, this is a good one. Go with a lighter mezcal so the smoke doesn’t completely take over, though.

For a non-alcoholic version, a non-alcoholic whiskey gives you a similar smoky, woody quality that (sort of) echoes the mezcal. It holds up better than most NA spirits.

How to Make the Honey Syrup

Mix together equal parts honey and warm water, stirring until smooth.

You don’t need heat unless your honey is very thick. Warm water (not boiling) dissolves most honey in about 30 seconds. If you’re using raw honey, keep the water under 110°F to preserve the enzymes and antioxidants, which will make your cocktail healthier, or at least that’s what I tell myself.

For this margarita, a lighter honey like wildflower or clover keeps the flavor light and citrus-forward. If you go the mezcal route, orange blossom or buckwheat honey adds more body and works nicely with the smoke.

I make small batches and store them in 4 oz glass mason jars in the freezer. They thaw quickly (I pop the whole jar in a bowl of warm water to speed things up), and the syrup stays fresh far longer than it would in the fridge.

All of my simple syrup recipes on this site are worth bookmarking if you’re building out your home bar.

The Salt Rim

Salt on a margarita isn’t just because we all love salt so much (which I do, but that’s not the point). It suppresses bitterness and sharpens the sweet and sour flavors in the glass, so the citrus tastes cleaner, and the honey doesn’t feel heavy and overly sweet.

I create a half-rim, so I have the salt option for each sip. You can easily run a cut lime wedge along the outside edge of the glass, and then dip that half in coarse salt to create your salt rim.

The chili rim variation mentioned in the recipe is worth doing. Tajín is my recommendation over plain chili powder. It’s already a mix of dried chili, lime, and salt, and it’s perfect for citrus drinks.

Garnish

A fresh blood orange wheel is the easiest garnish for this recipe. Slice it about a quarter inch thick and rest it on the rim of the glass. The color alone makes the drink look super pretty and fun.

No blood orange to spare? A lime wedge is fine. Or keep dehydrated blood orange slices in your bar setup, which I do year-round. They look great, they last forever, and you don’t have to worry about having fresh citrus on hand every time.

In fact, I dehydrate a batch of orange wheels every season just so I never run out. It’s super easy to do in the oven or your air fryer if it has a dehydrator function like mine.

More garnish ideas and prep tips are in my cocktail garnish guide.

Glassware

You will want to use a rocks glass with a wide opening for the salt rim and something sturdy enough for ice. A lowball glass is what I usually grab. If you’re making a batch for people, highball glasses also work and show off the red color nicely.

Mocktail Version

All you have to do is pour the blood orange juice, lime juice, and honey syrup over ice, topped with soda water. About 3 to 4 ounces of soda keeps it light. Stir in a tiny pinch of flaky salt the same way you’d salt the rim, and you get that same flavor-brightening effect.

Other Cocktail Recipes Using Honey Syrup

Make a batch of honey syrup and you’ll use it more than you expect. Here’s what else on this site calls for it:

• Hot Honey Bee’s Knees — spicy honey syrup, barrel-aged gin, lemon
• Thyme Honey Lemon Whiskey Sour — thyme-infused honey syrup with bourbon
• Persimmon Bee’s Knees — honey syrup and persimmon purée with botanical gin
• Lavender Bee’s Knees — lavender honey syrup, gin, lemon

Blood Orange Honey Margarita Recipe

Serves 1 | Rocks glass

Ingredients

• 2 oz blanco tequila or mezcal
• 1 oz fresh blood orange juice
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, stirred until smooth)
• Coarse salt or Tajín for the rim (optional)

Honey syrup: Stir together equal parts honey and warm water until fully dissolved. Keeps in the fridge up to a week, or freeze in small jars.

Instructions

1. Run a cut lime wedge around the outside edge of your rocks glass. Dip in coarse salt or Tajín. Set aside.
2. Add the tequila or mezcal, blood orange juice, lime juice, and honey syrup to a cocktail shaker.
3. Add ice and shake until very cold, about 15 seconds.
4. Strain into the prepared glass over fresh ice.
5. Garnish with a blood orange wheel or lime wedge.

Twist: Use Tajín on the rim for a chili-lime heat that plays off the honey.

Mocktail: Combine the blood orange juice, lime juice, and honey syrup in a glass over ice. Top with 3 to 4 oz soda water and a small pinch of flaky salt.