It seems like everyone I’ve been talking to lately has the Winter Blues. It feels like we haven’t seen the sun in weeks, the cold temperatures, snow, and ice are keeping everyone cooped up, and there’s no color outside. Anytime I get that way I look to creating recipes or drinks that involve a lot of bright colors and fresh flavors and this Blood Orange Cinnamon Mai Tai did the trick!
With blood oranges being in season, I centered my recipe around them and kept the rest of it simple. Freshly squeezed blood orange juice added punchy color and flavor and a dash of cinnamon and healthy pour of rum gave this winter tiki drink some warmth. I skipped the simple syrup since it had plenty of natural sweetness from the oranges. I also found an alternative for the almond syrup traditional Mai Tais call for, cutting out nearly all of the sugar. Cocktails can be healthy-ish right?
Blood Orange Cinnamon Mai Tai
(makes 1 cocktail)
Ingredients:
Juice from 1 1/2 blood oranges (save the other half for slicing)
Juice from 1 lime
2oz Sailor Jerry Rum
3/4oz Triple Sec*
1/2 tsp almond extract**
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Orange and lime slices and mint sprigs for garnish
Club soda
Ice
And don’t forget the drink umbrellas!
*Most Mai Tais call for orange curacao, but I went with Triple Sec instead since it’s just a bit sweeter. Between that and the sweetness from the oranges, I was able to skip adding simple syrup.
**Orgeat or almond syrup is tough for me to track down and this made a perfect sugar-free substitue!
Add citrus juices, rum, triple sec, almond extract, and ground cinnamon to a cocktail shaker and shake for 10 to 15 seconds. Pour into an ice filled glass, top off with a little club soda, garnish, and serve!
Enjoy responsibly!
