Since we’re tiptoeing into fall, I thought I’d look for a recipe that married some of my favourite summer flavours (grapefruit and tequila) with a few of my favourite fall ingredients (cardamom and rosemary). There were lots of recipes to be found, but after coming across this beautiful inspiration, I decided to make some tequila adjustments and concoct a version of our own. Now let’s see if it turned into a Frank’n Drink or the elegant transition I was hoping for…
Ingredients
(makes 4)
- 12 oz cardamom-infused gin/tequila mix
- 8 oz rosemary simple syrup
- 2 cups freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
- Sparkling dry rosé, to taste (about 1 ounce per glass)
- Curls of grapefruit peel and sprigs of rosemary, to garnish
For the Cardamom-Infused Gin & Tequila
- 12 cardamom pods
- 1 cup gin
- 1 cup silver tequila
Place the cardamom pods in a Mason jar, and pour in the gin and tequila. Secure the lid, and let steep 24 hours.
For the Rosemary Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 rosemary sprigs (each about 2” long)
Bring the water, sugar and rosemary to boil in a small pot, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer 2 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool completely. Discard the rosemary, and store the syrup in a jar with a lid until needed.
To a small pitcher, add the infused gin and tequila, rosemary syrup and grapefruit juice. Mix to combine, cover with a plate or plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to chill for 3 hours. When it’s cocktail time, fill 4 tall glasses half-full with ice, and evenly divide the boozy mix among them. Top each drink with a splash of rosé, garnish with a curl of grapefruit peel and a sprig of rosemary, and serve.
The verdict: So delicious. But before I get to the details, I should disclose/warn you that I inadvertently broke our 3-ounce-max rule. It’s not that I didn’t think the “splash” of rosé would count; it’s that I forgot how tall ounce # 4 is when it stands on the backs of ounces 1, 2, & 3. As for the flavour, this cocktail was really dynamic without feeling scattered or undecided. The gin and tequila married beautifully, and the bitterness from the grapefruit remained but was rounded out by the sweetness of the rosemary syrup and effervescence of the rosé. Dinner, from what I remember of it, was also spectacular. A great evening was had by all.
The Menu
Appetizers
Grapefruit Cardamom Fizz
Sage roasted chicken wings
Demi baguette w/ balsamic & herb olive oil
Dinner
Garden carrots (in the raw)
Tomato & onion salad w/ apple cider vinaigrette
Sirloin baseball steaks
Oven roasted potatoes