Cocktail of the Week: Punto Pomelo-Spiced Grapefruit Tequila Cocktail

It's grapefruit time again...the beautiful Rio Reds from South Texas are in stores. So of course my thought go to cocktails!


This one comes from a recent Food & Wine magazine article on a Mexican-themed meal. The recipe notes mention that mixologist Cyrus Keyhari created it for Socialista, a trendy Havana-themed nightclub iun Manhattan. The name of the cocktail means "the point of grapefruit," referring to the belief that citrus-based cocktails are great with spicy food.


I have adapated it slightly to highlight the delicious spiced simple syrup...seems to make it more appropriate for winter.


Punto Pomelo
From Food & Wine magazine.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cinnamon stick, broken
3 whole cloves
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Ice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
1/4 cup silver tequila
1 cherry, for garnish (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, cloves and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then strain.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the lime juice, grapefruit juice, tequila and 2 tablespoons of the spiced simple syrup. Shake well and strain into an ice-filled collins glass. Garnish with a cherry, if desired.