The Definitive Guide to Blood Orange Drinking in Chicago
Restaurants and bars are out for blood. Blood oranges, that is. Every winter, these lustrous citrons enliven menus all over, providing a welcome splash of color and flavor in the midst of wintry monotony. Blood oranges are also one of the most versatile ingredients behind the bar. From margaritas and daiquiris to cosmos and limoncello, here’s your definitive guide to blood orange-drinking in Chicago this winter.
Bistro Campagne riffs on an Aperol Spritz by adding blood orange juice to the Aperol-and-Prosecco mix. The French restaurant also goes tropical with a tiki-inspired Blood & Snow, a play off the classic Blood & Sand made with rum, allspice dram, blood orange juice, orgeat, Aperol, and Cointreau.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse draws savory inspiration from a classic French dish for its Duck a l’Orange cocktail. Made with duck fat-washed Cognac, blood orange juice, brown sugar simple syrup, Grand Marnier, and Peychaud’s bitters, this dinner-like drink is one of the most unique showcases for potable oranges.
Blood orange liqueur lays the framework for the “modern cosmo” at mEAT, along with blood orange caviar pearls for an extra pop.
Margaritas take on a wintry hue at Roka Akor, where blood orange liqueur and blood orange bitters mix with tequila, fresh lime juice, and a chile-salt rim.
Another classic cocktail getting a “bloody” makeover is the daiquiri, jazzed up for winter at Beatrix with rum, simple syrup, lime juice, and fresh blood orange juice.
At Coppervine, The Professor & Mary Ann is a vivifying cocktail made with gin, Aperol, Grand Marnier, Luxardo Maraschino, blood orange puree, and orange bitters.
96 stories up in the sky, The Signature Lounge at the 96th uses blood oranges to comprise the Old Town Hatter, a medley of sugar, lime, bourbon, honey-infused bitters, soda, and blood orange.
Leblon Cachaça, blood orange-infused agave nectar, muddled blood oranges, blood orange bitters, and crushed ice combine for the blood orange-tastic Caipirinha at Nacional 27.
Simple and sublime, ROOF on theWit uses Hennessey VS, blood oranges, and lemon to make blood orange sidecars, available by the glass or the bowl.
Citrus is right at home in punchbowls, and Untitled uses blood oranges to make a masterful winter rendition called the Cherry Sour. The potable features Grey Goose Cherry Noir, blood orange juice, lemon juice, and lemongrass simple syrup.
At Nouveau Tavern, blood orange and blood orange liqueur set the tone for the Quarter Stone cocktail, along with Knob Rye, Licor 43, egg white, and lemon juice.
Blood orange limoncello comes with a special backstory at David Burke’s Primehouse. The stuff is actually made by one of the restaurant’s servers, Chris Chickerneo, who owns a cello company called CelloVia. He crafts his own cellos using various fruits and infusions, such as his blood orange cello made with Tahitian vanilla, using citrons hand-plucked from a produce market in Chicago. The cello is available at David Burke’s Primehouse, and also featured in the Amaretto Dreamsicle cocktail, made with blood orange cello, orange vodka, amaretto, cream, and orange juice.
Blood orange cello is also happening at Cicchetti. Made by bar pro Daniel Casteel, the liquor starts by zesting oranges to infuse oils with alcohol and juicing the rest of the blood orange for use in the kitchen, while retaining some for bottling and proofing the cello.
sola has a few blood orange cocktails at the ready, including a brunch-time drink called the Rising Sun Martini, made with sake, mango vodka, blood orange, and pomegranate juice. For dinnertime, the Señora Geisha combines tequila with blood orange, ginger-serrano-hibiscus syrup, lime, and a togarashi rim, while the non-alcoholic Hapai Punch sports passion fruit, pineapple, pomegranate, blood orange, and soda.
Bistro Campagne
4518 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
(773) 271-6100
Website
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse
58 E. Oak Street, Chicago
(312) 888-2499
Website
mEAT
3339 N. Halsted Street, Chicago
(773) 871-2682
Website
Roka Akor
456 N. Clark Street, Chicago
(312) 477-7652
Website
Beatrix
519 N. Clark Street, Chicago
(312) 284-1377
Website
Coppervine
1962 N. Halsted Street, Chicago
(773) 935-1000
Website
The Signature Lounge at the 96th
875 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago
(312) 787-9596
Website
Nacional 27
325 W. Huron Street, Chicago
(312) 664-2727
Website
ROOF on theWit
201 N. State Street, Chicago
(312) 239-9502
Website
Untitled
111 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago
(312) 880-1511
Website
Nouveau Tavern
358 W. Ontario Street, Chicago
(312) 915-4100
Website
David Burke’s Primehouse
616 N. Rush Street, Chicago
(312) 660-6000
Website
Cicchetti
671 N. St. Clair Street, Chicago
(312) 642-1800
Website
sola
3868 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
(773) 327-3868
Website
