Cocktail of the Week: Blood Orange Cosmo

I'm an impulse shopper. Especially at the grocery store. Luckily though, it's not the candy bars or tabloid magazines at the checkout stand that grab me. It's more likely to be a great piece of fish. A steak. An unusual cheese. Or a great produce find. That was the case for me at Central Market a couple of days ago. I was sticking faithfully to my shopping list until I came across a display of beautiful blood oranges. Having no idea what I would do with them, I bought a couple. I couldn't resist their gorgeous maroon-orange skin...knowing the wonderfully complex juice that was inside.

They sat on the counter for a couple of days. Until tonight. Used them to make this twist on a wonderful, traditional cocktail.

Blood Orange Cosmopolitan

1 ½ oz. Absolut Citron (or, even better, Absolut Mandarin)
½ oz. Cointreau
¼ oz. lime juice (one lime or so)
¼ oz. Fresh Blood Orange Juice (juice from one half of a blood orange)
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Splash of simple syrup

Shake well with ice and serve in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of orange.

Cheers!