Around here, Halloween and tequila go together like tricks and treats. So it’s no surprise that this year’s cocktail (and the shots that followed it) showcased one of our favourite tequilas: Corzo (silver). It’s so good, in fact, that I considered not “wasting” it on cocktails. But as deliciousness would have it, the Corzo (in my opinion) made all the difference. And now I should probably tell you what we made: Strawberry Lime Paloma, which is a take on the Paloma Brava we enjoyed last Halloween. Here’s how we mixed the boos.
Ingredients (makes 4)
- 12 oz ruby-red grapefruit juice (Tropicana)
- 8 oz macerated strawberry juice (see recipe below)
- 8 oz silver tequila (Corzo)
- 6 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
- Italian strawberry soda, to top
- Strawberries, to garnish
Macerated Strawberry Juice
- 4 cups sliced strawberries
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Place the sliced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small pot, stir, and let macerate for 15 minutes. Next, place the pot over medium-high heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and let simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the mixture through a food mill to gather the juice (or use a potato masher and then pass the mixture through a large sieve to remove the seeds). Chill the juice.
Three hours before cocktail time, add the grapefruit juice, strawberry juice, tequila and lime juice to a pitcher, and place it in the fridge to chill. Once chilled, pour the mixture into tall glasses with ice, top with a splash of Italian soda, and garnish with a strawberry.
The verdict: So we knew we’d like it, but I was still blown away by how delicious and complex this cocktail is. The bitterness from the grapefruit juice, the natural sweetness from the strawberries, and that thing that lime does to tequila all made for a really dynamic profile. The tequila not only held its own in this tall drink, its intricacies could actually be pinpointed. Thumbs up from all.