Blood Orange Tequila Sunrise

Ingredient Spotlight

Coarse chili-salt (for rimming)

A seasoned coarse salt blend used to rim cocktail glasses, common in Mexican and Tex‑Mex drinks; commercial versions like Tajín (chili‑lime salt) are widely known but cooks also make it at home. It tastes salty with chile heat and often citrusy notes if lime zest is included, and the coarse texture helps it adhere to glass rims. Find it in supermarkets, liquor stores, or Latin markets, or make your own by mixing coarse kosher salt with ground chile (ancho, guajillo, or chili flakes) and lime zest; substitute with a mix of kosher salt + chili powder + a little lime zest or Tajín.

Ingredient Spotlight

Fresh blood orange juice

Juice from blood oranges — a red‑fleshed variety with origins in the Mediterranean (notably Sicily) — that has a deeper, berry‑like sweetness and slightly floral, raspberry undertone compared with ordinary orange juice. It’s seasonal (winter months) and prized for its color as much as flavor. If unavailable, substitute with regular orange juice brightened with a splash of pomegranate juice or grenadine for color and tartness, or use Cara Cara oranges for a similar sweet‑fruit complexity.

Ingredient Spotlight

Agave syrup

A liquid sweetener made from the sap of the agave plant (native to Mexico), often used as a vegan or lower‑glycemic alternative to sugar and commonly used in cocktails and desserts. It’s sweeter than sugar with a neutral, mild caramel note and dissolves easily in cold drinks. Find it in supermarkets and health‑food stores; substitute with simple syrup (1:1 sugar dissolved in water), honey, or light corn syrup, and reduce quantity slightly since agave is sweeter than granulated sugar.