Paloma

It has been far, far too long since we've posted a cocktail. Please, don't think that I've become a teetotaler all of a sudden. Goodness, no. But lately, I've reached for either red wine or bourbon on the rocks, and that does not leave much to write about. (I wish that I could write about red wine, but I also don't want to go down that road. It is hard enough now that my liquor tastes have been elevated well above what my income should allow.)

But here we are teetering on the edge of February, and grapefruit has been calling my name. I've done plenty of mixing with gin and with vodka, but today tequila comes into play. Say hello to Paloma.

I stumbled upon this lovely lady while flipping through the pages of Bon Appetit. They were using this cocktail to tout one of the trendiest liquors of the year, mezcal. Well, mezcal has not yet graced my liquor cabinet, but I have plenty of tequila which palomas are typically made with, so here we are. Fresh grapefruit, tangerine, and lime juice, tequila, sparkling water, and just a touch of sugar. This Mexican drink is traditionally made with grapefruit soda, but is there anything more lovely and refreshing than fresh grapefruit juice?

I added some tangerine because my grapefruit just wasn't yielding the amount of juice I wanted it to, and I love the natural sweetness that it imparts. While this drink is perfect for winter with all that happy citrus, I can see sipping this one all summer long.

Paloma

adapted from Bon Appetit

• kosher salt

• 1 grapefruit, juiced

• 1 tangerine, juiced

• 2 tbs fresh lime juice

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 cup tequila, divided

• ice

• 1/2 cup sparkling water, divided

1. Put some kosher salt on a place. Dab your finger into some grapefruit juice and then run it around the edge of two highballs. Dip the rim of each glass into the salt.

2. Combine juices and sugar into a small pitcher and stir together. Then divide equally among the two highballs.

3. Stir 1/4 cup tequila into each glass, and then add ice. Top off each glass with 1/4 cup sparkling water.