You'll hear it all the time in cocktails: Fresh juice, fresh juice, fresh juice. That's a great theory and a good general rule to use to get the best cocktails. Yet, sometimes it is hard to find a ready supply of certain fresh fruits depending on the season and area you live in. This is the case for the dark citrus of the blood orange. Rarely do I see them in my produce markets, but a great alternative to fresh squeezed is a trusted, organic bottled juice like this I.O. Sicilian Blood Orange Juice.
Since I first came across I.O. I have found it an invaluable stock to the bar and I am using it more and more to replace regular orange juice in everything from a Screwdriver to a Cantarito. There are some drinks, like the Stone Sour, where the darker fruit juice is too overpowering, but especially for the taller orange juice cocktails, it is a great alternative. With I.O. it's not only a fact that it is organic, from some of the prized Sicilian blood oranges, or contains more Vitamin C and antioxidants than OJ. It also tastes very good, brings a darker side to citrus and, I found for myself anyway, that it is not as acidy. The dark orange color of the juice is unsettling to some people when I first served them a drink, but the taste makes up for it once they give it a shot.
Comments
You raved about IO Blood Orange, but where can it be got. Apparently if you don’t live
around New York, it doesn’t exist.
How ’bout some West of the Mississippi?
You can order it from online stores. Google “italian organic blood orange juice” in the shopping section and you’ll find many places.
Viovi Blood Orange Juice is very tasty and can be found in Whole Foods and PCC Markets on the West Coast and in Canada. Try it with your favorite cocktail…get your antioxidants while entertaining!