Last updated on April 8th, 2019
Our glassware cabinet is filled with mason jars and a few mismatched Ikea glasses that haven’t broken yet. The great thing about mason jars is that they’re virtually indestructible – if only I had a dollar for every time my slippery fingers dropped a glass in the sink. The paper-thin glasses holding this blood orange and sage sparkling soda are on the exact opposite end of the spectrum; dangerously lighter than disposable plastic crystal cut cups, they threaten to crumble if you grab just a little too firmly.
My non-rational side couldn’t resist their delicacy, so I bought a pair and immediately filled them with something lovely before I had a chance to crush them with my superhuman grip.
Don’t expect to see them again. There’s a reason I can’t have nice things.
As an inexplicably clumsy person, I’m breaking all the rules drinking something so crimson in such a fragile glass. Back in high school, I earned a reputation for spilling food and drinks all over my best friend’s carpet. If it could stain, I’d instantly turn into a bumbling oaf. After one too many Hawaiian Punch puddles on her bedroom floor (and bed), her parents bought me a sippy cup and banned me from taking drinks out of the kitchen without it. And they weren’t joking.
To this day, I drink water out of a lidded cup with a straw and still manage to spill it down my shirt.
While this vibrant red soda looks a whole lot like Hawaiian punch, I assure you it’s way more grown up and ambrosial. This is no youthful sippy cup soda. This deserves a delicate cup (with a straw so I don’t actually have to pick it up). It’s bright and tart, with a bit of bubbly. The sage simple syrup softens each sip with an unexpected earthy sweetness. To finish it off, I candied the sage from the simple syrup as an aromatic garnish.
Dear Fruit, meet your new best friend Sage. (Scroll down for the recipe)
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Blood Orange and Sage Sparkling Soda
Ingredients
Instructions
A Taste Of Madness -
February 2, 2015 at 6:30 amThis drink is gorgeous! I could drink this all day!
Tina @ Just Putzing Around the Kitchen -
February 2, 2015 at 7:07 amGorgeous and mouthwatering! I want. NOW!
mira -
February 2, 2015 at 9:30 amI love blood orange soda and it is time to make it myself! Looks fantastic!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely -
February 2, 2015 at 9:50 amI am super clumsy with drinkware too. I purposely bought double sets of all my glasses, because I knew I would break them. Now I’ll just grab a replacement from the shed. I have the worst luck with wine glasses. I’m constantly snapping the stems. I’ve already broken 3 of my own set!
This might be the prettiest cocktail I have ever seen! I just love that blood red orange color. And that sparkling sage? Amazing!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 1:41 amThat is the most genius idea ever! I actually considered that when I just bought a set of clearance dishes. I got home and thought, “why didn’t I buy replacements for when I chip/break these?!”
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter -
February 2, 2015 at 12:18 pmI am such a clumsy person which is why my husband insists that a lot of our dishware we buy is shatterproof haha. This is the prettiest drink ever! I love the gorgeous color from the blood oranges and it looks so so refreshing!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 1:43 amHaha – I brought home the glasses and my husband was like “I’m not washing those. I will not touch those fragile glasses!” (Thank you!)
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom -
February 2, 2015 at 1:14 pmThese blood orange sparkling sodas are gorgeous!!! and the candied sage?! oh my gawd, I love these!!!
Alice @ Honestly Fitness -
February 2, 2015 at 3:09 pmThank you for this recipe! I have always wanted to find a way to use sage in my cooking but haven’t been able to yet (read: too lazy to find a good recipe and experiment haha). Your story about being clumsy is adorable yet hilarious!! I feel you though, whenever I have white clothes on I feel like it’s fated that I will spill something on me (and it will probably be red, of course)!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 1:45 amYes! My white pants are some of my favorites, but they’re always smudged with food! ;) I hope you enjoy using sage in a sweet dish!
Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life -
February 2, 2015 at 5:18 pmI love this new use for sage! I’m guilty of resigning it to only savoury dishes, but I love this use in a drink.
While I’m getting better at not breaking glasses and dishes, I was notorious for knocking over my water glass at dinner every night. Even now when I eat pasta I end up flicking sauce all over what I am wearing, which is probably why I wear a lot of black and navy blue!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 1:47 amHa – I love how we get reputations for our clumsiness! The sauce thing ALWAYS happens to me – I need to start wearing a bib;)
Nancy -
February 2, 2015 at 5:50 pmOh my GOSH. The colours (and your gorgeous photography) in this post. I lovvvvvvvvvvve it.
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 1:47 amYou’re so sweet, Nancy! Thank you so much! xo.
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl -
February 2, 2015 at 9:22 pmWhat an incredibly refreshing drink! And I love that little sugared sage leaf. Gorgeous photos too + the gif!!
Isadora @ she likes food -
February 2, 2015 at 9:55 pmMy cabinet is also filled with a bunch of mason jars and mis-matched glasses! Unfortunately, my husband always seems to break my favorites! These blood oranges are gorgeous! I’ve never used them before but now I want to buy a dozen of them! This sparkling soda sounds awesome too :)
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 1:55 amHa – that’s precisely the reason why my husband refused to wash these glasses when I brought them home;) Every time he breaks one of my beloved dishes, he feels SO TERRIBLE, so now he lets me wash all the ones I love.
Sarah@Whole and Heavenly Oven -
February 3, 2015 at 4:38 amThis is seriously THE most gorgeous drink ever! I love love the color and the fact that it’s booze-free, so I can drink it all day long! WIN.
Lynn | The Road to Honey -
February 3, 2015 at 8:03 amMmmm! This looks so refreshing. And the blood orange reminds me of a giant burst of sunshine powerful enough to melt this 18 inches of snow we just had (on top of the 3 feet from earlier in the week).
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:03 amOH MY GOSH. Can you mail some of that snow over to California???
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance -
February 3, 2015 at 8:05 amI joke all the time that nobody taught me how to eat a sandwich because when I try it is just alllll over me! This drink looks insanely refreshing. I love all things blood orange and the fact that you threw sage in the mix I mean hello new favorite combination!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) -
February 3, 2015 at 9:09 amWow, I saw these photos on facebook and my mouth dropped! SO beautiful! That color! I’m hosting a baby shower next month and think these need to be on the beverage menu! I love that you combined blood orange and sage! AMAZING! And love the giveaway- so thoughtful!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:04 amAwww – thank you so much. Oh man – I’d be so honored if you had this on your baby shower menu! :)
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files -
February 4, 2015 at 4:41 amBlood orange deserves to be in everything and this drink is no exception. Stunning!!!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen -
February 4, 2015 at 5:32 amThis is sooooo beautiful. I can’t take my eyes off your photos. The color is just stunning. And I can see how you couldn’t resist those glasses.
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:05 amThank you so much, Liz! I searched for the most vibrant red blood oranges I could find.
Amy | Club Narwhal -
February 4, 2015 at 10:14 amOh, good grief, this is one gorgeous soda! The colors are so perfect and makes me believe that winter might truly, someday, end :)
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:07 amAww – maybe you need a trip to California to cure you of your winter blues?? ;) ;)
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog -
February 4, 2015 at 10:48 amGorgeous photos as always, Sarah! Looks like a glass of summer and I’m totally needing that right now! It’s currently a balmy 34 degrees right now… which is actually “warm”.
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:08 amEep! I’m sending warm thoughts your way!
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West -
February 4, 2015 at 12:18 pmI don’t think I’ve ever heard “ambrosial” used in that way, but I like it! Good work!
Jessica | A Happy Food Dance -
February 4, 2015 at 1:48 pmSaw these on Foodgawker and had to stop by and tell you how GORGEOUS they are! Love the candied sage too! I have a fiancé that is a notorious spiller so I’m not contemplated a sippy cup for him. Although, I don’t think beer will taste too good out of it!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:09 amThank you so much, Jessica! I bet you could find some pretty stylish adult sippy cups these days (the one they bought me was pink and had animals on it hahaha). Beer through a straw? HMMMM hahaha.
Tessa | Salted Plains -
February 4, 2015 at 2:19 pmThese photos are beautiful!! Yay for candied sage! The sage simple syrup sounds so good. I just recently invested in some decent looking don’t-look-like-plastic plastic cups because I have broken wayy too many glasses. So far so good. ;)
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:10 amAh – where’d you get them?! I just broke another glass this morning, so I think it’s time I go plastic;) Also – thank you!
Tessa | Salted Plains -
February 6, 2015 at 9:02 amWorld Market! They have all different colors, too!
Maryanne @ the little epicurean -
February 4, 2015 at 5:06 pmWhoa. My mind is blown with the sage. These photos make me oh-so-happy. They’re sooooo pretty! (P.S. I buy all my glasses and stemware from thrift shops so I’m not devastated when I accidentally break them.)
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:12 amI’ve been snacking on candied sage all week! It confuses my tastebuds in such a good way. (You = so smart!)
Oana @Adore Foods -
February 4, 2015 at 7:07 pmOh Sarah, you are just so funny! I think my daughter will be just like you :) This is one fabulously looking drink, I love its vibrant color. Cannot wait to try it!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:13 amHa – aw thats sweet of you to say. My mom texted me tonight, “I hope you have a daughter JUST LIKE YOU” after I gave her a bit of sass;)
Pang @circahappy -
February 5, 2015 at 9:34 amWow!!!! look at those photos, esp. the pouring motion!!!! I <3 <3 <3 them, Sarah.
This drink is perfect for me. I need to make it like RIGHT NOW.
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:15 amThanks Pang! I used the tips for focusing on the middle of the cup we learned from the pro the other day! I feel so lucky to have so many talented people (like you) inspiring me to keep trying to improve my photos!
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
February 5, 2015 at 12:13 pmHahahaha, oh Ikea glasses. My collection is slowly dwindling as they chip, crack, and break. I totally laughed out loud at that. Asheley and I are having another couple over tomorrow for dinner and I’m totally making this. They are absolutely stunning!
Sarah Menanix -
February 6, 2015 at 2:17 amSo I read your comment. Then I stacked up two ikea glasses to carry them from the bedroom into the kitchen and one of them cracked seconds later. It’s like they knew I was talking crap about them! Oh my gosh – please tell me if you end up making this and how you like it!!
Annie -
February 7, 2015 at 11:51 amjust entering all your giveaways ;)
Eden Passante -
February 25, 2016 at 2:23 pmThat color! It’s so beautiful and I love the idea of mixing blood orange and sage! Sounds amazing!
Marlene @ Idle Hands Awake -
June 23, 2017 at 7:17 pmOh WOW this drink looks absolutely incredible!! I would love to make it for a dinner party, do you think it would be easy to double/quadruple the recipe? By the way I was a terrible klutz in high school too — not as much with breaking dishes but I TWICE walked into a MIRROR. Yikes.
Sarah Menanix -
June 24, 2017 at 8:56 pmThank you so much! And also – I’m glad I’m not alone on the klutz front;)
This recipe would be super easy to double or quadruple and still turn out just as delicious! Best of luck!
Marlene @ Idle Hands Awake -
June 26, 2017 at 5:08 pmAwesome, thank you thank you! I’ll let you know how it goes! :)