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How to Cocktail
Recipe
5 min

Sicilian Sojourn

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Sicilian Sojourn
Author: Camila Chaparro

Recipe By Camila Chaparro

Published on August 3, 2024

This beautiful and flavorful winter standout makes a tasty cocktail.

Time

5 min

Yield

Serves 1

Why This Recipe Works

Blood oranges, which are a bit smaller than regular oranges, originated in the southern Mediterranean and feature prominently in southern Italian (specifically Sicilian) and Spanish cuisine. When juiced, these oranges make for a striking dark magenta drink with flavor notes of raspberries and just a touch of grapefruit-style bitterness. For our refreshing and flavorful nonalcoholic cocktail with blood oranges, we turned to fresh tarragon, the anise-licorice notes of the herb forming a classic combination with citrus that is found in many a Mediterranean dish. Muddling a couple tablespoons of the herb in Simple Syrup gave us plenty of tarragon flavor, and adding freshly squeezed blood orange juice and a touch of lemon juice balanced the sweetness and acidity. Poured over ice and topped with chilled seltzer, our beverage was rich in citrus flavor, with a unique herbal back note and a beautiful color to brighten even the darkest winter day.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, plus tarragon sprig for garnishing
1 ounce Simple Syrup
3½ ounces blood orange juice (3 oranges)
¼ ounce lemon juice
4 ounces seltzer, chilled

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Add tarragon leaves and simple syrup to base of cocktail shaker and muddle until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add orange juice and lemon juice, then fill shaker with ice. Shake mixture until just combined and chilled, about 5 seconds.
    Recipe Tip
    You can substitute fresh basil for tarragon, if you like. If you can't find blood oranges, you can substitute navel oranges.
  2. Double-strain cocktail into chilled collins glass half-filled with ice. Add seltzer and, using bar spoon, gently lift juice mixture from bottom of glass to top to combine. Top with additional ice and garnish with tarragon sprig. Serve.

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Sicilian Sojourn

Recipe By Camila Chaparro

Published on August 3, 2024

Time

5 min

Yield

Serves 1

Sicilian Sojourn

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, plus tarragon sprig for garnishing1 ounce Simple Syrup3½ ounces blood orange juice (3 oranges)¼ ounce lemon juice4 ounces seltzer, chilled

Instructions

  1. Add tarragon leaves and simple syrup to base of cocktail shaker and muddle until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add orange juice and lemon juice, then fill shaker with ice. Shake mixture until just combined and chilled, about 5 seconds.
    Recipe Tip
    You can substitute fresh basil for tarragon, if you like. If you can't find blood oranges, you can substitute navel oranges.
  2. Double-strain cocktail into chilled collins glass half-filled with ice. Add seltzer and, using bar spoon, gently lift juice mixture from bottom of glass to top to combine. Top with additional ice and garnish with tarragon sprig. Serve.
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