Bloody Margarita is the perfect Halloween cocktail, it’s dark red and is drunk with black lava salt, giving your margarita an earthy, salty and tangy flavour.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Bloody’s not a Bad Word, Is It?
You have no idea how much juvenile fun I have every time I talk about this particular margarita, or Bloody Margarita, I should say.
I hate to admit it, but bloody is one of my favourite adjectives, has been for as long as I can remember! When I was in my late teens, my older brother used to chastise me whenever I used it, which was a lot! But in my defence, it really was, and still is, pretty much the only non polite word I habitually use.
It encompasses so many degrees of characterisation, that it’s a catch-all word for me. But not when there are kids present, of course!
Bloody Margarita
So, this Bloody Margarita was not only super delicious but extremely emancipating in so many ways!
I got to swear without any pain of punishment!
In my previous cocktail recipe, the spooky looking Witch’s Brew, I mentioned something about last Halloween, a client and a rejected blackberry syrup.
That blackberry syrup is what led to the making of today’s cocktail. It really is amazing how blackberry syrup looks so much like blood! Maybe it’s because having recently introduced my kids to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, we’ve spent the last few months catching up on all the episodes, and I have blood on my mind!
As soon as I’d made the blackberry syrup last year, I knew immediately that it was something I should be using in a Halloween cocktail, given its colour and viscosity.
Blackberries have a pretty high pectin level, resulting in a thick and dense syrup, which gets even thicker as it gets colder in the fridge.
So many Margaritas, so little Time
I love Margarita! 8 margarita recipes on LinsFood now! But who’s counting. I mean, just take a look below. And I promise you that each recipe has had thought put into it, not just one ingredient like say mango juice and calling it mango margarita.
You’ll find more on the Drinks page.
Ingredients in the Bloody Margarita
It’s funny how sometimes, I start with a name, then come up with the recipe. That’s exactly what happened here. I started with the word bloody, then thought that it would be interesting coming up with a new margarita, and that was that.
Blackberry Syrup
This was our starting point. The amount of syrup we make here is very generous, you’ll have just under 1 cup of syrup. Use what you need and keep the rest in the fridge for up to a week, and use it in cordials, on ice cream and over pancakes. Basically, treat it like jam or honey. Or you could always halve the syrup recipe.
The syrup is fairly sweet, but not overly so. It also does depend on how tart your blackberries were, to begin with. I like my drinks, and certainly my margaritas, a little on the sweet side. So I add the same amount of blackberry syrup as the lime juice. You can halve the syrup if you like, that’s up to you.
Note: the blackberry syrup wants to be made hours ahead or even day/s ahead and chilled.
Tequila
To me, a margarita is just not a margarita unless it has tequila in it. That part of the equation is just non negotiable, no matter what else you put in it! So I always cringe at non alcoholic margaritas! But that’s just me being fussy!
What tequila to use? Tequila Blanco is perfect for this; young, fairly inexpensive, strong and full of agave flavour with perhaps hints of citrus and apple. Tequila Blanco is bottled straight after distillation and is perfect for mixing (although my favourite for mixing is the reposado).
Aperol
For many people, Aperol, the Italian orange coloured liqueur, is synonymous with summer time. But here on LinsFood, we do like to go against the grain, and I decided to try it in this autumnal drink.
I think it works rather well, the colour orange helps to maintain the final red colour. Aperol is a little similar to Campari but not as bitter. It also has less than half the alcohol content of Campari. It is made of bitter oranges and a secret blend of herbs and aromatics.
Here’s my global Amazon affiliate link for it:
No Aperol? Campari would make a good substitute. If you don’t want to buy a whole bottle, look for miniature ones.
Otherwise, just go with the usual triple sec you like, I’m not going to judge. You know Blood Orange Cointreau has a hint of lingering bitter orange, so that’s a good triple sec for this margarita.
Lime Juice
The first time I made it, I left the lime juice out. But just like the Tomatillo and Jalapeño Margarita, the lime juice just completed the puzzle, as if bringing all the flavours and aromas together into a seamless whole. This just reaffirms my believe that lime juice makes everything better – whether it’s in cocktails or noodles!
Black Lava Salt
Black Lava Salt is a dark inky colour when in granules which turns a little grey when in powdered form. It is salt that has been infused with activated charcoal and made in Hawaii, and to a lesser extent, Cyprus. It is apparently good for you, helping your body get rid of toxins, and is great sprinkled on just about everything!
Rather than dye some salt or sugar black, I chose the black lava salt option. You can do whatever you like here, leave the salt rim out if you like, it’s a matter of preference. But I definitely think salt, and not sugar rim with our Bloody Margarita.
What does our Bloody Margarita taste like?
As you lift the glass, you get definite hits of citrus and something sharp. The first taste to hit you as you take a sip, is that of the tequila, there’s no getting away from that, and to me, that’s a good thing; the mark of a good margarita.
Then, as you savour that first sip, there is sweet and sour from the syrup, the latter also from the tequila I am using. And right at the back of it all, the Aperol calls out to you with its unmistakeable flavour of bitter orange.
You’ll immediately reach out for a second sip, if only to reaffirm that the exquisite assault on your senses was not imagined, that the experience is indeed within your reach all over again.
Boo!
Are you feeling it? I am! This Bloody Margarita has become one of my favourite drinks, I love that I now have a margarita just for autumn! It’s a great way to use up the aperol too!
Top Tip
Make it early and place it in the fridge. Not only will the flavours develop and work together, the drink will thicken ever so slightly as well, given the pectin from the blackberry syrup.
Shall we get our aprons on?
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Lin xx
Bloody Margarita with Black Lava Salt | a Halloween Cocktail
Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) tequila
- 30 ml (1 fl oz) aperol
- 30 ml (1 fl oz) blackberry syrup (recipe below)
- 30 ml (1 fl oz) lime juice (keep the lime to prep the glass)
- some black lava salt in a saucer or regular, coloured black
Blackberry Syrup
- 300 g (10.5 oz) blackberries
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
- 125 ml (½ cup) water
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
A cocktail shaker would be great, if not, just stir it all up well in a glass/jug.
Instructions
Blackberry Syrup (needs to be made earlier and chilled)
- Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil.
- Lower the heat right down and simmer for 15 minutes, by which time the fruit will be soft and falling apart. Squash the fruit with the back of a spoon or a fork to release more juice.
- Strain into a jug/bowl with a strainer double lined with muslin/cheese cloth. Or strain in twice with a fine sieve. Basically, we want a clear syrup with no bits.
- Place in the fridge to chill.
Let’s make the Bloody Margarita
- Run a lime slice all around the rim of a glass.
- Dip the glass rim into the black lava salt, coating well.
- Place everything into a shaker and shake to mix and chill. Start with 1/2 part blackberry syrup.
- Taste and add more syrup if you like it sweeter. I do.
- Pour into the glass, minus the ice cubes, and start sipping!
Fancy another EASY Halloween Cocktail?
- Just 3 ingredients – Prosecco, Chambord and Grape Juice!Click here for Witch's Brew
Do you have the recipe to make a pitcher full?
Hi Mel, depending on the size of your pitcher, it’ll serve about 10 – 12 people generously. Since I add ice cubes to the pitcher when I make a huge batch, I tend to multiply all the actual cocktail ingredients by 10. Not the blackberry syrup, which you only need to double. And even that, is still on the generous side.
So, instead of 60ml tequila, you’ll want 600ml.
I know that seems like a lot, but it’s for a crowd. You’ll find a variable serving tool on the recipe card. Choose your measurement (metric or imperial), then change the number of servings.
ps: I also just use Cointreau (or any Triple Sec) if I haven’t got any Aperol. Cointreau is much stronger, at 40% abv, fyi.
I hope that helps.
But ignore the huge amounts for the blackberry syrup – you only need to double it.
Spectacular catchy pic Azlin.will love to try blackberry flavour for the combo so bloody inviting ;)!! need a glass now .. Cheers!!
Haha, thank you, Swaty, glad someone enjoyed the humour!
Halloween spirit is shown in that glass of Frozen bloody Margarita. It looks almost like real blood lol!
It does, doesn’t it?
Oh my! Now THIS is a margarita! I love that you used blackberry to make this. Blackberry is one of my favorite berries to use in recipes. They have so much flavor.
They certainly do!
Wow, that blackberry syrup is the coolest thing I’ve seen all day! It does look like blood! Can’t think of a better cocktail to celebrate Halloween! I wonder if I can make this alcohol-free? Otherwise, I will have to wait until baby is born to drink it!
Thank you! Just top with with sparkly water.
I love margaritas and this one is oh so perfect for Halloween!
My husband would so love this! He’s a big fan of margarita’s! So spooky and dark too! Love it. These would be a huge hit at Halloween parties!
I love this idea! The flavor combinations sound wonderful, and the look is stunning. I’ll be trying this one out on some friends next Halloween!
Oh wow! Such a gorgeous color on this cocktail. I love that black lava salt rim. So perfect for Halloween.
What a gorgeous and perfect Halloween cocktail! The usage of black salt is excellent! Giving this one a go for sure. Nice shots too 🙂
This is such a neat idea for a grown-up Halloween party! 🙂 I love the blackberry syrup idea – looks yummy 🙂
Thank you Stephanie!
Oooh, thanks for the margarita recipe and all the description and recommendations, always appreciated!! Spooky, yet delicious bloody Margarita much more depth of flavor.
Thank you so much!
This is a super cool recipe! I love everything about it, and I think that black lava salt is just genius! Great pictures!
Thank you John, I rather thought that myself about the salt!
Wow, you astound my with your mixology ideas and concoctions! This is really BLOODY marvellous! I’ve looked at all your margarita recipes and I am really excited about all of them! I like that you keep them all straight and narrow, with a couple of changes. That way they are still recognisable as margaritas but with a difference! I am making this tonight! Who cares about Halloween!
Haha, thank you so much for the effusive praise! So how did it go, what did you think of it?
It was simply awesome! Really interesting because it definitely tasted of margarita, I guess probably because of the tequila, but everything else was different and just perfect, exactly the way you describe it! Thank you!