Mid-February can feel like the dull, gray days of winter are never going to end, but one bright spot amid the gloom is that it's time for winter citrus — in particular, grapefruit, which I've always maintained adds a little something extra to many cocktails.
Citrus juice is often a vital component of cocktails in need of the zing of acidity or the brightness of flavor from these fruits, but step beyond lemon and lime for grapefruit’s sweet, tart quality. It’s got a clear presence in both of these cocktails from local bars that have been taking advantage of the fruit now being in season. February, in fact, is the prime time to pick up the round, juicy orbs from the grocery store.
In Throwing Shade, you’ll find the fresh grapefruit offsets the bite of ginger and the spice of the Scotch for a striking, savory drink, while the Lonesome Dove is the cocktail for tequila drinkers who want to go beyond a margarita. With the cinnamon syrup and vanilla, it’s a sweet and boozy after-dinner tipple with the lightness of an aperitif.
Throwing Shade
1 1/2 oz. Cutty Sark Prohibition Scotch
1/2 oz. Zucca Amaro
3/4 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. ginger syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice. Fine-strain the drink into a chilled coupe.
— Austin’s Drink.Well
Lonesome Dove
1 1/2 oz. tequila (Cimarron)
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. lime juice
1/2 oz. cinnamon syrup
4 dashes vanilla extract
Garnish rose petal
Short shake and single-strain into a crushed-ice-filled Collins glass. Garnish with 3 sprays of rose water (over the drink and on the glass) and one rose petal. Serve with a straw.
— Austin’s The Roosevelt Room
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