Grapefruit & Jalapeño Paloma

Zipping up and down the dusty desert hills of western Colorado this weekend, I would occasionally remember – I have a blog post to write (two, actually). It was a passing thought, there one minute and gone the next as several rocks on the trail would steal my focus back. So, I didn’t write, not even back at camp. I was unplugged and it was glorious. What I did do, was think—between burms and turns- how refreshing a Paloma would be after a long day of mountain biking in the sun. Of course, I hadn’t planned that well, and there were no grapefruits, or ice cubes, and certainly no jalapeño infused tequila back at our campsite. (Maybe I’ll pack better next time?)

This version of the classic drink has a few twists and turns, the largest of which is infusing the tequila with jalapeño. This adds a savory and spicy note to the drink, making it a bit more complex and, if you ask me, more delicious. I first found this combo in the book, Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails (I recommended this one!), and have made a few tweaks over the last year, landing on my go-to mix.

Grapefruit & Jalapeño Paloma

Published April 15, 2021 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 1   |    Active Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the jalapeño tequila

1 jalapeño

2 cups blanco/silver tequila

For the simple syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

For the cocktail (quantities here are for a single cocktail, multiply by number of drinks to make a larger batch)

Salt, for rim of glass

Ice, for serving

2 ounces grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed

Juice from 1/2 lime

2 ounces jalapeño tequila (recipe above)

1/2 ounce Cointreau (Palomas typically just call for tequila, but I like the citrusy sweetness this adds)

1 tablespoon simple syrup (recipe above)

Dash of bitters (Optional, adds another layer of flavor)

2 ounces club soda (or grapefruit La Croix)

Garnish: lime wedges, jalapeño slices

Directions:

1. Infused tequila: Start infusing the the tequila at least 20 minutes before mixing your drinks: slice jalapeño, and place in a 16 ounce jar. Pour tequila over top. Place lid on jar, and allow tequila to sit for 20 minutes before straining out the jalapeño pieces. Save the infused tequila in an airtight jar until you’re ready to prepare your cocktails. This can be done several days in advance. You can also easily divide this recipe to make less (I often make just a few ounces, using just half a jalapeño)
2. Simple Syrup: Next, prepare the simple syrup: combine sugar and water in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. This can be made several days in advance. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
3. Now, mix the cocktail: Start by rimming your glass with salt (tip: to get salt to stick, rub a slice of lime on the edge of the glass before dipping it into the salt). Fill the glass halfway with ice.
4. In a shaker, combine: grapefruit juice, lime juice, tequila, cointreau, simple syrup, and bitters to combine. Shake, and then pour into prepared glass. Top with club soda to taste, and garnish with a lime wedge and/or a slice of jalapeño.

Tangerine Dream Smoothie

Our local grocery store (Alfalfa’s) has a smoothie bar and every once in a while they’ll set out samples. Recently they had not one but three flavors to sample, and I debated which brightly-colored mini cup to take. I finally landed on tangerine, even though orange is not typically my favorite flavor. Immediately, I was reminded of a story about Orange Julius I post to this blog years ago. It was creamy, with citrus punch and a touch of vanilla. It was a throw-back, a reminder of orange cream soda and orange creamsicles and childhood. It was nostalgia. But, flavor-wise, even better, because it was made with tangerines at peak citrus season. So, I took that inspiration and ran with it, adding a little coin of ginger because I couldn’t help myself.

Tangerine Dream Smoothie

Published February 20, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 1-2   |    Active Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 tangerines, 2 minneola tangelos, or 1 sumo citrus, peeled

1/2 cup plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 banana, peeled and roughly chopped

5-6 ice cubes

1 nickle-sized slice of ginger

Optional: 1 scoop plain, unsweetened collagen or whey protein powder

Optional: 2 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut

Optional: Small drop vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and secure lid on blender jar. Puree until completely smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses and enjoy cold. 

Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade

“That’s a lot of rhubarb,” the cashier said, as he picked up the bag and placed it on the scale. I shrugged. What is "a lot" of rhubarb, anyway? Rhubarb season is only so long and the rhubarb plants in my garden are so small, buying pounds upon pounds of it is the only thing to do. 

So why so much rhubarb? Well mostly, I wanted to make this rhubarb crisp over and over again. But also, I had dreams of a pink lemonade with tart rhubarb notes, and a rhubarb ice cream. This recipe is the result of the first dream -- the ice cream is still a work in progress. 

Rhubarb is pretty tart on it's own, so honey lends natural sweetness to this drink to balance out the lemons and rhubarb juice. The addition of ginger adds a bite, making this lemonade super refreshing and rounding out it's flavor profile. (I LOVE ginger in lemonade!)

And that color? It's totally natural! The batch of rhubarb I used to make this lemonade was super pink to start with, so if your rhubarb is a softer hue of pink, I would expect your juice to end up a softer shade of pink, too. 

Mix it up: There are a few twists you could pull on this recipe, including topping it off with sparkling water (spritzer, anyone?), or adding a shot of tequila for an springtime hard Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade. Give them both a try! 

Rhubarb Ginger Lemonade

Published April 19, 2018 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 3-1/2 cups water, divided
• 1-1/2 inch ginger root, minced
• 4-5 lemons (about 1 cup lemon juice)
• 1/3 cup honey

Directions:

1. Add chopped rhubarb, 1/2 cup water, and ginger to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, until rhubarb is soft.
2. Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour rhubarb mixture through strainer, catching water and juices with bowl. Using a spatula, press all of the juice out of the rhubarb chunks. Then, discard rhubarb pulp.
3. Juice the lemons. Strain lemon juice to remove any seeds. Pour lemon juice into the bowl with the rhubarb juice. Add honey and remaining 3 cups water, and stir until honey is dissolved. Chill before serving, and pour over ice in glasses.
4. Note: you can also top off your glass with sparkling water or add a shot of tequila!