Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

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Searching for a delicious co*cktail that's sure to brighten up your winter? I took a classic lime rickey drink and added fresh blood orange juice and gin for these blood orange gin co*cktails!

Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey Recipe | We are not Martha (1)

(This recipe for Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickeys was originally published in February 2012, but was updated with new photos in 2020).

It's co*cktail Friday! And I'm writing this from the airport about to depart to Richmond, VA, to visit Chris's family. Sitting in the new Jet Blue terminal at Logan Airport makes me feel like I need a co*cktail. Big time.

But unfortunately, there's only a prepared sandwich kiosk. And I'm fairly certain they don't sell co*cktails. Or blood oranges. Or even a nice cup of Starbucks coffee... Why did I get here three hours early??

Anyway, it's likely that you need a co*cktail, too, right? We can get through this together (except you're probably sitting on your couch after a long week, relaxing). If you are, get up right now and make this Blood Orange Lime Rickey. And have one for me. Thank you.

WHAT'S A LIME RICKEY?

I grew up obsessed with raspberry lime rickeys and would always order them from our local ice cream place, Brighams. But what the heck is a lime rickey? While they're currently best known in New England, they actually originated in Washington D.C., in the 1800s thanks to Colonial Joesph Rickey.

He and his friends ordered his signature drink so much that bartenders started referring to drinks consisting of ice, bourbon or whiskey, seltzer water, and lemon as "Joe Rickeys." During prohibition, people started realizing that you could omit the alcohol and use lime juice instead of lemon for a drink that still tasted like a co*cktail (source).

So, they started selling them in soda shops, often adding flavored syrup (cherry in NYC and raspberry in New England). Clearly, the drink went through quite a transformation since it first originated, but it ended up in a pretty delicious place.

The bottom line is that lime juice and club soda make for a super refreshing beverage, especially with a splash of juice or syrup mixed in. And since prohibition is long over, it's perfectly acceptable to add some alcohol back in, too... hence this blood orange gin co*cktail!

HOW TO MAKE BLOOD ORANGE GIN LIME RICKEYS

There is nothing complicated about these blood orange gin lime rickeys. The most difficult thing is juicing all those blood oranges and attempting not to make a big mess (or eat all of them).

Pour the blood orange juice into a medium pitcher, along with lime juice and gin. Of course, you can adjust the amount of ingredients to taste. Some like it ginny-er. Some like it less so. Who are you? And can I have your gin? 😉

Then divide the drink between four ice-filled glasses and top off with club soda and some pretty citrus garnishes.

I absolutely LOVE the color of this drink. Seriously, there may be nothing better than a beautiful blood orange. And they always make the most perfect co*cktails. The blood orange gin co*cktail combination is my new favorite (though they also go perfectly with vodka!).

Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey Recipe | We are not Martha (2)

Whenever I see blood oranges at my grocery store, I HAVE to buy them. And while I love cooking and baking with them, making co*cktails with them seems to be the most obvious choice for me.

I like that this blood orange lime rickey is a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, and full of fizziness. It's beautifully refreshing, but still a lovely winter drink.

Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey Recipe | We are not Martha (3)

If you enjoy a good gin and tonic, but want something a bit more exciting, this is a great drink for you. You can certainly replace the club soda with tonic, but I like the lightness of the soda.

Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey Recipe | We are not Martha (4)

I hope all your co*cktail wishes come true this weekend. I'm excited to spend some time in Richmond and am hoping for maybe a co*cktail or two! Perhaps a blood orange gin co*cktail?

Did this week/day/hour make you feel like you need a co*cktail? Why?

If you're looking for another delicious blood orange co*cktail, check out my Blood Orange Habanero co*cktail (made with vodka!). If you're not into co*cktails, but love blood oranges, you might like this Sunshine Citrus Salad. And I love this gorgeous Blood Orange Chia Pudding recipe from The Good Eats Co.

📖 Recipe

Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey

Searching for a delicious co*cktail that's sure to brighten up your winter? I took a classic lime rickey drink and added fresh blood orange juice and gin for these blood orange gin co*cktails!

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Course: Drink

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Blood Orange Drinks, Gin co*cktails, Gin Drinks

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Makes: 4 servings

Author: Sues

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup blood orange juice (about 6 medium oranges)
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 cup gin
1 cup club soda
Blood orange and lime wedges or rounds, for garnish

Instructions

Add blood orange juice, lime juice, and gin to a medium pitcher. Stir.
Divide mixture between 4 ice-filled glasses and top each glass off with club soda. Garnish with blood orange and lime wedges or rounds and enjoy.

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FAQs

Blood Orange Gin Lime Rickey Recipe | We are not Martha? ›

The gin rickey was actually featured in F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby.” In it, Daisy and Gatsby take “long, greedy swallows” of their gin-and-lime concoctions. Pour lime juice and gin into an old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Fill with carbonated water and stir.

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What is the gin rickey in The Great Gatsby? ›

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What is a gin rickey made of? ›

Squeeze lime into the glass, getting as much juice out of it as you can. Toss in the lime shell, then add gin. Top off glass with club soda. The rickey doesn't need it, but if you like a sweeter drink, add splash of simple syrup.

Find Out More ›

What alcohol goes in lime rickey? ›

At its most basic, a Lime Rickey is a sparkling limeade. Traditionally made into an alcoholic drink with the addition of gin, you can mix and match different spirits and season it to taste with sweetener, or add fresh fruits to make this summer drink your own. For an easy mocktail, simply skip the gin.

What is the difference between a gin rickey and a gimlet? ›

A gin rickey is a bubbly gimlet with a float of carbonated water. However you take it, a gimlet is traditionally served in a chilled coupe, martini glass, or over ice in a rocks glass.

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Who was calling Gatsby before he died? ›

In both book and movie, Gatsby is waiting for a phone call from Daisy, but in the film, Nick calls, and Gatsby gets out of the pool when he hears the phone ring. He's then shot, and he dies believing that Daisy was going to ditch Tom and go way with him.

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Why doesn't Gatsby drink alcohol very much? ›

Though the alcohol flows freely at Gatsby's house parties, he refrains from drinking. He likely sees the effect of alcohol on his guests, as it causes a general loosening of inhibitions.

Why is it called a gin rickey? ›

The Gin Rickey is one of the few classic co*cktails that doesn't have an origin muddled by history or shrouded in rumors and innuendo. The invention of this refreshing highball is refreshingly clear: It was named after Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist living in Washington, D.C., during the late 19th century.

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What are the 3 key ingredients in gin? ›

The primary three ingredients used in the majority of gins are juniper, coriander and angelica. Even though these are the most popular, there are hundreds of flowers, roots, fruits, berries and nuts that are used to create a palate for each gin that makes it distinctive.

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Who invented gin Rickey? ›

All evidence suggests that Rickey himself first conceived his signature drink in the typically hot 1883 summer campaign season. The bartender, George Williamson, prepared it to the colonel's instructions, and the first one was actually a rye Rickey made with Shoomaker's own house-label whiskey.

What did they drink in The Great Gatsby? ›

Beyond that, there are a few instances of characters having whiskey and other intoxicating beverages, but the only concoction mentioned by name is the Gin Rickey. The simple mixture of gin, lime juice and club soda is fixed by Tom Buchanan at a lunch he hosts for Gatsby and Nick Carraway.

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What co*cktails are in The Great Gatsby? ›

One of the few co*cktails mentioned specifically in The Great Gatsby is the gin rickey, a co*cktail made with gin, lime juice and soda water.

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What drink is Gatsby holding? ›

The Classic Mint Julep in ``The Great Gatsby``

Baz Luhrman's 2013 The Great Gatsby pays homage to the heat and torpor of the original F Scott Fitzgerald novel, and the refreshing Mint Julep plays a big part in this.