Header image of boozy blood orange sorbet in a coupe glass garnished with an edible flower and a wedge of blood orange.

Boozy Blood Orange Sorbet (Vegan, Gluten Free)

This might be a controversial opinion, but I prefer sorbet to ice cream. That’s right, I said it. I know ice cream is generally the more beloved treat, but I just love fruity desserts so much. And anyway, you can spike sorbet. I guess technically you can also spike ice cream, but mixing alcohol with massive amounts of dairy just doesn’t sit well with me. Especially when it’s hot out (which, I realize it is not currently, but that’s beside the point).

For this sorbet, I had a couple of goals. The first was to utilize blood orange for a beautiful, vibrant color and a punchy taste. To do this, I juiced about 8 blood oranges and then strained them through a mesh sieve in order to avoid pulp. I also added 2 tsp of blood orange zest in order to boost the citrusy flavor profile of the sorbet even further.

My second goal was to incorporate blood orange liqueur. A little while back, I acquired 6 bottles of Fabrizia limoncello and blood orange liqueur via an Instagram contest. While I was delighted by this win, I was also unsure of what to do with that much citrus booze. But if there’s one thing I love, it’s a frozen boozy treat. And since I was already planning on making blood orange sorbet, I figured why not spike it with some blood orange liqueur? Definitely don’t feel like you need to use Fabrizia’s blood orange liqueur here, though. If there’s another brand that you prefer, use that!

Let’s talk ratios

When it came to my liquid ratios, I ended up using 1 cup of blood orange juice, 1 cup of blood orange liqueur, and 1 1/4 cups simple syrup. I wanted the liqueur to be assertive, and assertive it was. I decided that it’d be silly to include alcohol if it didn’t play an active role. So yeah, you can definitely taste the blood orange liqueur. If that’s not appealing for you, feel free to decrease the liqueur and up the blood orange juice. You could use 1 1/2 cups blood orange juice and only 1/2 cup blood orange liqueur. You can also omit the liqueur completely! This is your sorbet, so you do you.

Special Equipment?

Unfortunately, you do need an ice cream maker for this recipe. I recently got the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer, so that’s what I used. I’m truly a sucker for a mixer attachment, but they rarely lead me astray. Seriously – I’m loving it so far. So if you don’t have an ice cream maker but you do have a KitchenAid stand mixer, I’d recommend that attachment. If you have another ice cream maker you like, though, feel free to use that!

Note: the above link is an affiliate link. That means that if you click through and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission at no cost to you. Don’t worry, though – I’m legitimately a fan of the product!

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Boozy Blood Orange Sorbet (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Course Dessert, Snack
Keyword blood orange, blood orange liqueur, blood orange sorbet, boozy blood orange sorbet, orange, sorbet

Equipment

  • Ice cream maker

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Blood orange juice (freshly squeezed – this was about 8 blood oranges for me)
  • 1 cup Blood orange liqueur
  • 2 tsp Blood orange zest (from the oranges you'll be juicing)
  • 1 1/2 cup Water
  • 1 1/2 cup Sugar

Instructions

  • Zest and then juice the blood oranges. Strain the juice and set to the side.
  • Make a simple syrup using 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar. To do this, put both ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has all dissolved.
  • Combine the zest, blood orange juice, blood orange liqueur, and 1 1/4 cups simple syrup in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. You'll also want to freeze the bowl or your ice cream maker overnight.
  • The next day, attach the ice cream maker to your mixer (or do whatever setup your ice cream maker requires) and pour the refrigerated liquid into the frozen bowl. Set to stir for 12-18 minutes or until it reaches the desired consistency and then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least a few hours (or overnight) before serving.

Once the sorbet is nice and frozen, it’s ready to be enjoyed! I found that freezing overnight worked best, but this may vary depending on your freezer. I can also tell you from experience that bringing a cup of this into a piping hot bath is an excellent idea.

If you give this recipe a go, let me know in the comments or on Instagram! And if you’re looking for more citrus based desserts, check out the recipe for these grapefruit bars with pink peppercorn.

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