Happy Friday, everyone!
I have a cocktail to share with y’all today that I am super pumped about! Before I get into the recipe, let me tell you how this cocktail came to be…
So my friend Brian, who is just super creative and has a great eye for design, just launched a new business in Nashville called The Aero Bar. The Aero Bar is simply gorgeous. Brian designed it! Nashville friends, TAKE NOTE! You can check out photos of Henry (that is the first Aero Bar’s name) here!
Anyway, Brian posted a recipe on The Aero Bar’s blog for a Mezcal Paloma. The recipe sounded very intriguing, so I headed over to Colony Wine Market to get the spirits needed to create what promised to be a killer cocktail! I went in for Mezcal and Cocchi Americano, a wine aperitif, both of which the recipe called for. While I was there talking to the always-helpful wine guy Chad, and we was telling me about a close cousin to Mezcal called Sotol (which are both cousins with Tequila, I learned. All are Mexican!), we decided that it would be a tasty switch to use Sotol in the recipe rather than Mezcal (just to try something different!) The kind of Sotol Chad told me about was Sotol Por Siempre, which is a more boutique-y distillery with the batch and bottle numbers hand written on the back labels 🙂
Chad also was showing me the aperitif wines and my eye was drawn to the one cool looking bottle (because I’m shallow and love a pretty label! No shame!) After doing a little research (which was so sweet, and above and beyond of Chad to do!) he told me that the pretty bottle of South African aperitif wine called Caperitif would be excellent in this recipe with the Sotol.
So I went in for two things, and after a very fun and educational convo, left with two different (better?) things! ha! But y’all, I’m SO glad I got what I got because… This Sotol Paloma turned out SO GOOD. It’s super smoky and not really sweet at all. It would be really good with a cigar on a humid summer night outside. 🙂 (Take my word for it!)
Ok so now that you have the background… Here’s the recipe!
>> WHAT YOU NEED <<
1 ounce Sotol Por Siempre
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 1/2 ounces Caperitif
1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice Pinch of salt (I like 2 pinches!)
Ice
1 1/2 ounces mineral water or seltzer
1/2 grapefruit wheel
>> WHAT YOU DO <<
In a cocktail shaker, stir the Sotol with the honey until it dissolves. Add the Caperitif, grapefruit juice, lime juice and salt. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Fill a large glass with ice and add the seltzer and grapefruit wheel. Strain the cocktail into the glass and serve.
So I’m curious! Have any of you ever used either the Sotol Por Siempre or the Caperitif before? I never had before this but now I’m a serious fan!
If you’re curious to try these for yourself, head on over to Colony Wine Market in Madison and get what you need to really have some fun with some cocktail mixing!
Thank you SO much for stopping by today. Y’all have a fantastic weekend! XOXO!
Supported by Colony Wine Market. All opinions are my own, as always!