Blood Orange Lemonade

A perfect summer drink using Blood Oranges. Ditch all the artificial colors and join the clean eats bandwagon with this one!

It is getting warm and it is time to bring out chilled drinks. Plus the season for Blood Oranges is almost coming to an end. Isn't it the best time to combine the two and make something delicious?

That was exactly my thought when I made this Sparkling Lemonade. Every weekend we go to the Farmer's Market and I end up with atleast a dozen citrus fruits. Juicing them all is an option but not the most interesting one. So I made this drink this time with fresh Blood Oranges. 

Apart from the taste and flavor of the oranges, there is something else I like in this drink. It is the way the way the 'blood' mixes in slowly with the transparent drink. It gives me a feeling that I should make this one for Halloween. Such a pity we do not get the Blood Oranges at that time. Else this recipe would give all the red velvet recipes a run for their money!

I was not a great fan of this fruit till not long ago. The color intimidated me all the time. And then I had Blood Orange Lemonade at the Farmer's Market. Since that day I have fallen in love with the color itself! No more red velvet color in use for the months that I can get this citrus. And the flavor is so good. I love that too. 

Now that I have told you all about why I got these beauties, here is a little something about the fruits themselves. Blood oranges' red pigment, anthocyanin, is an antioxidant. Blood oranges are a source of vitamin C like all citrus fruits. A medium-sized orange also provides 28% of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber. These oranges can also be a valuable source of folate, calcium, and thiamine (source:Wikipedia). 

So using this power house fruit and a few more ingredients, head straight to your kitchen and make this immediately. Wait, is this recipe useless after a couple of weeks? Not at all; This recipe can be made in several other ways; read on about the variations and then start making your version.  

Variations

I used only blood oranges for this recipe. However, you can use any citrus fruit; orange, limes, sweet limes or a mixture of these. Also, if you would like a slightly sour version, skip the sugar. 

Another way of making a refreshing drink with Blood Oranges is to substitute Sparkling Water with a lemon flavored soda like Sprite or Sierra Mist. As they are sweet, the lemonade will be slightly sweeter. 

Looking for more drink recipes? Head to this gallery on TastyBev.co. There is a collection of all the drink recipes from my blog and more!   

Ingredients

Blood Orange 2 medium

Sugar 2 tbsp

Sparkling Water/Club Soda 

Lemon wedges 1-2

Ice as required

Method

Juice the blood oranges. Ensure no seeds or rind gets into it. Add sugar to the juice, mix and set aside. 

In two glasses, add ice cubes as desired.

Pur in the sparkling water and add a wedge of lemon. Slowly pour in half the blood orange juice in each glass. Mix and enjoy!