Winter Paloma

Happy New Year! I thought I’d pop in and leave you with one last cocktail before the end of 2020. It’s been a long year with a lot of uncertainty and varying emotions. Here we are on the last night and I’m reminded once again how much I miss my friends and family. I wish I was serving up a batch cocktail to all my peeps! Instead, I’m raising a glass from my home to yours! Who knows what 2021 has in store but we’ve gotten through one hell of a year. I’d like to think I’m a bit stronger for it. Anyhow, let me tell you about my cocktail, the Winter Paloma! Who says Palomas are only for sunny days? With muddled sage, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and smoky mezcal, this hits the spot on a cold winter evening! I adapted the recipe ever so slightly from a recipe created by the editors of PUNCH and that was only because I did not have soda water! I did have grapefruit soda by Q, however, so I topped my cocktail with it and I must say, I’d recommend it. Cheers to a new year and more cocktails!

Winter Paloma, adapted from a recipe by PUNCH

Ingredients:

3 large sage leaves

3/4 oz simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)

2 oz mezcal (I used Del Maguey Vida)

3/4 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

grapefruit soda to top, such as Q brand

sage sprig and lime wheel, as garnish

Method:

Combine sage leaves and simple syrup in cocktail shaker and muddle to lightly crush herbs. Add the mezcal, grapefruit juice, and lime juice. Add ice and shake until well chilled and strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with grapefruit soda and garnish with sage sprig and lime wheel.