Blood Martini

Blood martini recipe

​The Spruce / Anfisa Strizh 

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving
Yield: 1 cocktail

The blood martini is a perfect drink for Halloween parties. It offers an intriguing array of blackberry, grape, and ginger flavors in a blood-red cocktail and is easy to mix up. While the name is a popular one and the cocktails can vary greatly, this particular recipe is one of the best tasting you will find.

This fruity vodka martini was developed by Ketel One Vodka to feature the brand's Citroen Vodka. It's a spectacular citrus-flavored vodka that forms a super-smooth base for the cocktail.

The key to the bloody look is the combination of dark grape juice and blackberry syrup, which create a thick, dark red drink. It may look like a glass of blood, but the taste is quite delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces citrus vodka

  • 1 ounce ginger liqueur

  • 1 ounce dark grape juice

  • 1/2 ounce blackberry syrup

  • 2 blackberries, or raspberries; for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for blood martini
    ​The Spruce / Anfisa Strizh 
  2. In a cocktail shaker, pour the vodka, ginger liqueur, grape juice, and blackberry syrup. Fill with ice.

    Add ingredients
    ​The Spruce / Anfisa Strizh 
  3. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

    Strain cocktail
    ​The Spruce / Anfisa Strizh 
  4. Garnish with two blackberries or raspberries. Serve and enjoy.

    Garnish with berries
    ​The Spruce / Anfisa Strizh 

Tips

  • Dark grape juice is designated in the recipe because there is a "white" version of the fruit juice available (it actually looks like apple juice). While the blood martini will taste the same with it, you will lose the bloody effect.
  • The ginger liqueur adds a real spark to the taste of this drink. When choosing one, try to match the quality of Ketel One. Domaine de Canton is a great option that's easy to find, and The King's Ginger has a brilliant kick that would do very well here too.
  • Blackberry syrup is relatively common and a number of beverage syrup makers offer it, so it may be available at your local grocer. You might also find it around the pancake syrups.
  • Alternatively, you can make your own blackberry syrup at home. It's incredibly easy, should take about 15 minutes, and requires 1 cup of blackberries with a little sugar and water.

Recipe Variation

Rather than the syrup, pour a blackberry liqueur instead. Bols and Marie Brizard both make the liqueur. There are others, though this is not the most common liqueur flavor, so the choices are slim. In a pinch, try Chambord (it's very easy to find). It's made with black raspberries and has a deep purple color as well.

How Strong Is a Blood Martini?

Ketel One's flavored vodkas are really nice because they're bottled at a full 80-proof (most are just 70-proof). That higher alcohol content produces a more pronounced flavor and contributes to the blood martini's strength. It should weigh in around 20 percent ABV (40 proof), or about the same as a cosmopolitan.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
312 Calories
0g Fat
41g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 312
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 41g 15%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 30g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 12mg 62%
Calcium 11mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 77mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags: