Happy New Year’s Eve! I’m posting this fizzy pink cocktail far too late for you to make it tonight, I know. Please accept my apologies. Resolution No. 1: Start planning ahead.
I can’t say I’m sad for the year to end because I’m busy looking forward to the year ahead. 2011 has been a year of growth. I learned how to get unstuck, if you will, by leaving an unfulfilling three-year-long relationship and quitting a miserable office job. I traveled as much as possible in search of a new city to call home. I cultivated friendships and tried to savor every moment in each season.
I learned a lot of lessons in my 25th year—some invaluable and others, trivial. I started referring to myself as a woman rather than a girl. That’s something. I realized I’d rather snuggle with my dog than a jerk. I developed a serious appreciation for stretchy pants. Each little success on this blog has reinforced my belief that persistence and creative development will help me get to a better position in life, whatever that may be.
I’m eager to discover what’s in store for 2012. My main goal is to get out of this town and make a new home elsewhere (Kansas City, here I come!). I also resolve to exercise and floss my teeth and wear sunscreen daily. See? I’m old.
These cocktails are a twist on the classic French 75 cocktail, which is made with gin, lemon, sugar and Champagne. Blood orange turns the drink into a beautiful hot pink sipper.
If you’d like to make your own simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar (or honey) and water in a microwave-safe container or small saucepan. Warm them in the microwave or over the stovetop just until the sweetener fully dissolves in the water. Leftover simple syrup will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to two weeks.
Blood Orange French 75
- Author:
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: French
Celebrate with a sparkling, pink French 75 made with blood oranges, gin and Champagne.
Ingredients
Per cocktail
- 1 ½ ounces gin
- 1 small blood orange (about the size of a lemon), juiced
- ½ small lemon, juiced
- Agave nectar or simple syrup (optional), to taste
- 3 ounces Champagne or sparkling wine
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill a Champagne flute or comparably sized glass less than halfway with crushed ice (optional).
- Fill a small cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the gin and the blood orange and lemon juice. Shake well. Taste and add agave nectar or simple syrup if necessary, to taste.
- Strain the gin mixture into the glass. Top with Champagne. Garnish with a blood orange twist (you’ll see in the pictures that I played around with garnishes but the twist is more traditional).
Notes
Adapted from Imbibe Magazine’s French 75 Recipe.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Erin
The blood orange cocktail looks beautiful. I wish I had it the ingredients on hand to try it out this new years eve! Thanks for the post.
Sarah
My New Years resolution is to enjoy each day and eat healthy!
Bridget
You had me at blood orange, gin, and sparkling. :)
And unfortunately, I’m stuck at home with strep this New Year’s Eve, watching Say Yes to the Dress on Netflix instantwatch and slurping down jello…certainly not the best way to end 2011. But hey, it means that 2012 will be off to a great start, right?
Jax
Apps are assembled, Champagne is chilling and I’m drinking water so my champagne has something to land on. Happy New Year!
Veronica
Happy New Year! May it bring you joy, love, and strong health!
I am having a very low-key celebration with my family – following a delicious family dinner, we will be making appetizers to have later with a glass of celebratory champagne!
kelsey
happy new year to you!
my goals for the new year are to be positive, grateful, + maybe break a few bad habits i’ve picked up along the years. we’ll see!
Gina
Happy New Year! I don’t really do resolutions but I’m going with a theme of “letting go” a bit for 2012. Trying to tame my Type A control freak tendencies ;)
Kelly D
My new years resolution is to experiment with different foods, recipes and DYI projects instead of buying!
Erica
Happy New Year!!!!!! My goals for the year 2012 include fulfilling a list of 35 things to accomplish within my 35th year which begins on January 3. Some of these include: Pay a waiter/waitress $15 above average for a tip, buy 2 strangers a cup of coffee, send 6 postcards/ letters to 6 friends, visit 10 wineries (complete with tastings!) – although this may be hard to do in the northeast! Headed to the kitchen to bake up your spicy molasses cookies now!
Niki
I have themed 2012 the year of being gentle with myself. This means a healthy balance of exercise, adventure, sewing projects, quiet evenings with my dog, dinners with friends, great cooking and much more that’s still unknown. Kicking off the year with running my first marathon, buying a home (I hope!), and this cocktail! Thanks!
Wendy P
Congrats on your 2012 resolutions and 2011 lessons learned. I hate when life throws lemons, but if it weren’t for lessons learned we would never appreciate anything. Am I right? My favorite New Year’s cocktail is a good old fashioned White Russian. Mmmmm I love those!
Supal {chevrons and
This is BEAUTIFUL any blood red oranges are my fav. I wish you a happy new year and hope this year brings you a lot more success and yummy food and drinks.
Dramatic Pancake
It sounds like you’ve accomplished a lot of great things in 2011, and I’m sure 2012 will be even better. This age is a tough one (I’m 25, too), and “figuring things out” is always easier said than done, but I tend to agree with you that if you follow your passions and develop your interests, you really can’t go wrong. My New Years resolution is to worry less, and live in the moment MORE. Happy New Year! :)
Alissa
KANSAS CITY!!!!! Happy New Year, lady! I love this cocktail.
My plans for 2012 include relaxing more, keeping my eyebrows plucked, and finishing a half marathon in less than 2 hours.
Donna
My husband and I enjoy visiting New York City during the day time on New Year’s Eve. Walking around SOHO and the Village seems surreal because it is less crowded…feels like you are on a movie set.
Melissa
My new years resolution is to talk less and listen more.
I live in Lawrence and I think you will loooove Kansas City! Good luck on your new endeavours :)
Emma
Love your blog and this give-away! Hope I win, wish me luck!
may
this drink looks fantastic and refreshing! this new years I went to a house gathering with friends, It was wonderful i was able to let go and be myself more than had we ( my B.F and I ) gone to a club or busy house party :)
This year i have MANY resolution’s! but overall my goal is to be better to myself. You know be more active, eat healthier, but mostly I want to do some self discovery, really make My 2012 more about ME and less about US. ( sometimes it’s a little too easy to get lost in being and Us in a relationship and forget about being a Me.)
I hope your 2012 is fantastic and full of fulfillment!
Nicole Blackburn
I enjoy your blog and your honest thoughts. My New Year’s resolution is to have more adventures, read more, keep a sentence a day journal and grow deeper in my faith. Keep up the good work! and all the best in Kansas City!
la domestique
Happy New Year! Your move sounds so exciting! I think I heard James Oseland of Saveur say that Kansas City is where it’s at food-wise for 2012 (on Today show).
Kim
Sounds like we had a fairly similar 2011! I am also hoping for a better year in 2012…good luck with yours!
Grace
Yay! Love end of the year reflections! I am so happy for you and excited about all your adventures to come :) Glad I got to visit your Norman spot one more time before you pack up for KC. Aaaand i can’t wait to visit your new digs and for you to check out Mpls! This all fits in nicely to my new years resolution (recycled from last year): Spend more time with friends! This time last year i was still very new to Mpls and just began a serious relationship, so I thought I better give extra conscious attention to investing quality time in my new and long time friendships. I didn’t really do as well as I would have liked, so that is why i am reasserting this resolution for 2012! Yay!
Also, me older sister (Mary) loves french 75s but unfortunately could not celebrate NYE because of Montezuma’s Revenge! Eeeps! Maybe I can make these to cheer her up once she feels better :D
SUSAN
My goals for this year are to lose weight. go to the doctor and do all those necessary tests, and have fun. I’d also like to branch out cocktail wise, so this book would be great.
Andrea
I love your blog! All of the great recipes and delish drinks !
New Years resolution: Have more fun. Life is ticking by….so fast. I’m going to start enjoying each moment, laughing more, instead of worrying about what needs to be done next.
Michelle
Happy New Year!
What a generous gift. Thank you so much for thinking of all of us.
I hope your New Year is filled with joy, and happiness.
Whitney
My New Years Resolution is to live in the present.
Elyse
Move to Kansas City!!!!! I left Des Moines, IA in 1984 for Washington, DC then Boca Raton, FL returning to DSM 22 years later to spend time with my dad. Your life will expand so much you have no idea. Go for it. Write down all your excuses and then cross each off realizing that excuses won’t get you any where. Good Luck.
Ramona
I’m resolute to be more aware! In living my life, loving my family & how I treat my friends. I think that is the best way to live in the moment for 2012.
Sada
I have (unofficially) resolved to make more delicious cocktails in 2012.
Cynthia
My resolutions are to be happy, and say yes to adventure more. No more excuses about time/money!!
Congrats on becoming unstuck. May 2012 be even more awesome than you could imagine!
Haley
my resolution is to drink more water!
Meryl
I’d like to give this book as a gift.
Nick
What a great giveaway! This year I’m looking forward to building traffic on my blog and getting into better shape! Love this drink; it looks delicious!
Emily
I don’t have a new year’s resolution but I love your attitude and your blog!!! and your dog…
Meg
Looks great! Interesting that you have committed to move. My plan for this year is to have an exit strategy from Vancouver by next New Year’s Eve. It all might move much more quickly than that, but at least having a clear plan will be a great step for me. Happy 2012! And I’m crossing my fingers for the giveaway!
nat@thesweetslife
my husband is WAY into cocktails right now–i would love to win this for him!
Sarah @ pão e queijo
Happy New Year! 2011 was a year of growth for me as well. Getting unstuck and learning what you don’t want are just as important as finding out what you do want. Also, stretchy pants and I have become best buds. I don’t really make “resolutions” but more like goals… this year I want to do more for others, as well as establish myself in my new home in Boston!
Kelsey
you’re great. i love these reflections, and so happy for you on the big move! i must have missed that somewhere along the way. Cheers to 2012, I do agree, I think it will be much more fulfilling than 2011 :) Here’s to you, friend.
Jennifer
You had me at blood orange!!
This looks delicious!
Happy 2012
: )
Jen
Sara
Cook more random meals in 2012!
Shelley
One thing I have learned from your posts… it seems I am missing a LOT by not drinking hard alcohol! All of the drinks have been looking amazing. I get stuck on drinking red wine, because it always seems like a safer bet… but I am slowly changing my ways about that. Had the all too rare cocktail made from scotch on New Year’s and it was SO good!
I guess that will be my answer to one of your questions… I would like the book, so I can expand my tastes and start experimenting with and enjoying more cocktails!
Happy New Year! It has been very fun getting to know you more over the course of the last few months. Thank you for your wonderful posts and pictures – always an inspiration! May this year be excellent! XO
beti
lovely pictures! it looks so refreshing and delicious
ophelie
My resolution is to enjoy Life as the most precious gift I received and which I am not allowed to waste. So I keep respecting myself and others and i throw away regrets and wrong choices. Life is Beautiful! Vita è Bella!
Kate
So pretty! I have a leftover bottle of champagne but can’t find blood oranges in my area! Weird since I live in boston! Last year I subscribed to all these great blogs and salivated over the recipes and pics- this year I need to start making the recipes I tuck away instead of just looking at them!
Danguscon
I’ve discovered stretchy pants also! They are awesome, except they have a snap button on them that keeps popping when I bend over… Oh well. Savoring every moment is something I am resolved to do this year. There comes a time in your life when you realize the time is now. You’re awesome! Have a great new year!
epsell
looks great
thanks for the share
Fashionably Bombed
I love Blood Oranges! Such a gorgeous fruit! Oddly enough, we haven’t made any new Blood Orange Cocktails around here recently! You’ve inspired me to start experimenting again… Cheers! ~Katherine
Arnel
Great! I’m going to try that!
Bernie Mayeux
Hi Kate,
This is my 5th try at leaving a comment but I was determined to let you know how I fell in love with your blog!! This has to be the best site I have ever come across. It is filled with awesome recipes, photos, ideas and information one could possibly ask for. I truly cannot say enough about your blog!! Thank you so very much for sharing your wonderful blog. You are very appreciated. Best wishes, Bernie
Kate
Bernie, I’m so sorry you had trouble leaving a comment! What was going wrong? I so appreciate your comment. You make my work worthwhile. :)
Sasha Jamison
These are just GORGEOUS! You can never go wrong with blood orange. :)
Kate
Thank you!