A Rum & Blood Orange Cocktail

February.

When winter seems like it will never end.

And then the blood oranges arrive with their welcome splash of color and distinctive, sour-sweet-bitter flavor. 

When it comes to citrus - one of the essential ingredients in many cocktails - blood orange juice provides a unique twist and a special added oomph of flavor. Blood orange juice is also a delicious complement to whatever your spirit of choice: whisk(e)y, gin, vodka, tequila, cognac, rum, mezcal, amaro, aperitif, the works!

In this rum and blood orange cocktail, the Sanguina, we're pairing blood orange with Virago Four Port Rum. Virago crafts unique rums blended from different regions famous for their particular styles of rum. So you get a little bit of funk from Jamaica, a little bit of heady sweetness from the Spanish style rums coming out of Nicaragua and Panama, and a little bit of rich spice from the British style rum made in Barbados. Virago rums are unsweetened, which gives you the opportunity to customize the sweetness to your own personal taste.  

Sip on the Sanguina and perhaps you'll find yourself savoring the sweet-sour-bitter flavors of a warm summer sun in mid-February.

Ingredients

1 oz Virago Four Port Rum
1 oz Luxardo Bitter Bianco Liqueur
2 oz freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 whole blood orange, divided into 8 parts
.5 oz - .75 oz brown sugar
1 dashes of Regans' Orange Bitters

.25 - .5 oz simple syrup to taste (optional) 

Method

In a shaker, muddle the blood orange slices with the brown sugar.  Add the remaining ingredients (including optional simple syrup) and crushed ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.  Garnish with a slice of blood orange.

Cocktail recipe inspired by Enriqueta Lemoine