Why Trader Joe's Blood Orange Soda Is A Must-Have For Home Bartenders

If you're an avid cocktail connoisseur and enjoy hosting soirees where you can play the role of expert mixologist, don't overlook Trader Joe's Villa Italia Italian Blood Orange Soda for your home bar collection. Owing to Trader Joe's consistently low prices, you can find this sunset-hued, bubbly beverage at an affordable $3.49 a bottle. While you can enjoy the drink as is, TJ's blood orange soda makes for a remarkable addition to many a cocktail creation. Its delicate balance of sweet and citrusy notes, paired with its vibrant effervescence, allows you to put together delectable cocktails and mocktails with minimal effort.

What makes blood orange a particularly desirable ingredient to incorporate into your chosen drink is not only its gorgeous, ruby-like color but also its complex flavors. Also known as raspberry oranges due to their vividly red and juicy interiors, these fruits boast a sweeter, slightly floral taste profile and less acidity than many other orange varieties. Their striking array of colors — from crimson to maroon to almost purplish — comes from a pigment called anthocyanin, which is also an antioxidant with beneficial health properties. Whether you desire a spirit-forward beverage or a low-ABV drink that's perfect for a midmorning brunch, summer pool parties, or casual patio sipping with a good book, it doesn't take much effort to whip up a refreshing, tantalizing treat thanks to TJ's Italian blood orange soda.

While blood orange season is typically between December and April, with Trader Joe's bottle of bubbly, blood orange-packed goodness, you can enjoy a variety of innovative cocktails all year round. For starters, you can keep it simple with a spin on that classic, go-to brunch cocktail, the mimosa, by swapping out the OJ with a splash of blood orange soda. For patio summers, reach for your favorite tequila and shake up a refreshing blood orange margarita, or incorporate with muddled mint and rum for a blood orange mojito. Hosting a holiday party? Sparkling blood orange guava sangria is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Just prepare a large batch, and guests can serve themselves ladlefuls of this deliciously sweet and tart drink. For the Sex and the City aficionados, zhuzh up the show's beloved, iconic cocktail by giving Ina Garten's ingenious blood orange Cosmo an Italian soda upgrade.

Blood orange also pairs beautifully with other fruity flavors to deliver a sophisticated cocktail. Blend some with a quick three-ingredient peach sauce and sparkling wine, and you've got a unique mimosa-Bellini hybrid to up your brunch game, while mango puree mixed with blood orange soda makes a fantastic foundation for a margarita. You want to accentuate the uniquely rounded sweet-tart quality that makes blood oranges so desirable, while choosing ingredients that tone down the fruit's tartness without overpowering it. Whatever you decide to make, using Trader Joe's blood orange soda will allow you to mix up a lot of it — the fizzy Italian beverage is sold in 33.8-ounce bottles.