This rich, approachable cocktail is a marriage of two of my favorite classics, the Whiskey Sour and the wildly popular Paloma. Meaning “Dove” in Spanish, the Paloma hails from Mexico, and it’s a balanced cocktail that’s simultaneously sweet and sour with just the right amount of bitterness. When I visit my family in New Mexico, the only cure for the heat of the high desert sun is to tip a couple of these back and chase it with some blisteringly hot hatch green chili enchiladas. Lucky for me, Tesuque Village Market in Santa Fe, NM is the best place to go for both. Made from lime, grapefruit, blanco tequila, and ice, this Paloma is dangerously easy to drink, but something about the grey weather of winter makes me crave something a little thicker –– something I can sip on.
Enter one of the oldest cocktails known to mankind, the Sour. Originally used by sailors to fight off the effects of scurvy, they would combine spirits with citrus into Grog, hence the term groggy. From there the beverage was adapted into several drinks such as the Gin Fix, the Brandy Sour, and then eventually the Whiskey Sour. I got to know the Whiskey Sour well at The Collins Bar during the winters in Birmingham, Alabama where the knowledgeable bartenders took the time to explain how to shake, rattle, and roll the perfect sour. When you perfect this cocktail, it’s tart but creamy, sweet but sour, and pretty much perfect to sip by the bar’s virtual fireplace.
These two cocktails then almost seem incompatible, but in actuality, they work quite well together. Like most whiskey’s, reposado tequila is aged in oak barrels, and the spirits are imbued with a smooth, complex characteristic that compliments the bright citrus of a sour. Combining these recipes leads to a cocktail that is balanced and refined but decadent and velvety in its texture. This is the ideal cocktail for when there are strange clouds overhead and you have weekend plans that you aren’t exactly thrilled about. Poetic justice is a literary term used when a character in a book, movie, or play gets exactly what’s coming to them. With bright flavors, creamy texture, and a hefty kick, this cocktail is a fitting end to any long week.
Poetic Justice
Prep Time: 5 min
Makes: 1 Serving
Ingredients
- 0.5 OZ. AGAVE NECTAR
- 1 EGG WHITE
- 1 OZ. FRESH LIME JUICE (ABOUT 1 RIPE LIME)
- 2 OZ. FRESH GRAPEFRUIT JUICE (ABOUT ½ RIPE GRAPEFRUIT)
- 1.5 OZ. REPOSADO TEQUILA (BLANCO ALSO WORKS WELL)
- Garnish: GRAPEFRUIT PEEL TWIST
Directions
Pro Tips
To separate the yolk from the white, crack the egg in the center against the side of the shaker. Keeping the egg straight up and down over the mouth of the shaker, separate the halves. Transfer the egg yolk from shell half to shell half, making sure the egg white is landing in the shaker.
To easily create the lime peel twist for the garnish, I use a potato peeler and twist the garnish around my index finger. If you find the peel you made is too wide, that’s okay. You can always trim the edges with a paring knife. This cocktail is so thick that the peel should stay right on top of the foam.
If you want to make this cocktail even prettier, you can dash a drop of Peychaud’s or Angostura bitters on top of the foam and use a toothpick to drag the center out and away, creating small colorful hearts on top of the foam.
