The Recipe Card

Blood Orange & Star Anise Spritz

Winter's answer to the Aperol spritz.

• fresh blood orange juice3
• star anise syrup0.5
• sparkling water3
• ice

1. 1.Squeeze the Blood Oranges. Roll each orange hard under your palm first, then juice — about two per glass. Fresh-squeezed is the whole drink; the color alone tells you why.
2. 2.Syrup the Anise. Two pods in a simple syrup at a bare simmer for five minutes, then off the heat to steep twenty more, strained. Two pods is perfume; three is cough syrup.
3. 3.Build in the Wine Glass. Juice and anise syrup over a full glass of ice, stirred once from the bottom.
4. 4.Bubbles Last, Pod Afloat. Sparkling water poured gently down the side, then lay the star anise pod on the surface — placed, never dropped, so it floats.

Spritzes · Wine glass · A blood orange wheel and one floating star anise