Blood and Sand

Add a barspoon of lemon juice to introduce a bit of tartness to cut this otherwise sweet cocktail. Alternatively, you could add a few drops of citric acid solution (citric acid dissolved in water at a particular ratio, akin to saline solution).

This cocktail is best made with fresh orange juice, as the bottled or canned varieties will often be too sweet.

The oldest publication we have of this cocktail is in The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930.

The cocktail is named after the 1922 film of the same name starring Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926). The film relates the story of a poor Spanish boy who grows up to become one of the greatest matadors. Drama ensues when, following his newfound popularity and fame, he is enthralled by a wealthy widow.

The film is in turn based off of a Spanish novel of the same name (Sangre y Arena, 1908) by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867-1928). His greatest success was The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1916), which was also turned into a film that starred Rudolph Valentino.

Italian actor Rudolph Valentino was nicknamed The Latin Lover and was a sex symbol from the early days of cinema. He died when he was 31 due to a misdiagnosis of apendicitis, which is now referred to as Valentino's Syndrome.