We have been having the coldest Winter for thirty years. I suppose my Canadian blogging friends would laugh out loud if I told them the exact temperatures, but after years of mild Winters even the need to wear warm gloves or hats is annoying.  I expected I would be craving hot tea, mulled wine, grog or other warm drinks, but I am surprisingly attracted to energising cocktails made with fresh Winter fruits. First I spent at least one weekend enjoying gin with Seville orange juice, then I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful Kiwi Rum. Last weekend, the coldest of this year, seemed a bit merrier thanks to the deliciously tangy Paloma.

I have already written about Paloma a long time ago, but I thought the unnoticed post should be given a second chance and this delicious cocktail merited more popularity. Paloma means “dove” in Spanish and the cocktail is not very well known outside of Mexico, where it’s usually made with grapefruit soda. The first time I made it I used a mixture of fresh juice and sparkling water instead and this healthy modification was so flavoursome, I have never bothered to look for grapefruit soda. Even though it has a light pink colour, it is not a sweet, delicate, girlie cocktail. Even if one adds a bit of syrup, the grapefruit tanginess remains and tequila’s strong taste is well perceptible.

This cocktail always reminds me of one of my acquaintances, whom I invited for the first time and who assured me she had no food allergies, dislikes and was happy to eat and drink everything. Then, when I proposed a grapefruit cocktail she started to laugh and said she hadn’t thought about it, but it was the only food item in the world she wasn’t allowed to touch. In fact, she had had an organ transplant and grapefruit juice inhibits the action of many drugs, for example the ones she takes daily. I would have never guessed the innocent looking grapefruit is not that innocent…

I have found the recipe on this Mexican website containing many Tequila-based drinks. I have also skipped the first step since I don’t always like to have a salty glass rim.

Preparation: 5 minutes

Ingredients (serves 1):

10 ml lime juice
pinch of salt
50 ml tequila
juice from 1/2 grapefruit +30 ml sparkling water (or 80 ml grapefruit soda)

(a couple of teaspoons syrup or confectioner’s sugar, if the grapferuit is very sour)

ice

(lemon juice+salt for the glass rim)

If you wish, moisten a big cocktail glass rim with a bit of lime juice and dip into a plate full of salt.

Combine the remaining ingredients, adding as much ice as you wish. Stir and serve.

When I saw the Peach Margarita on the Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide, an incredibly rich source of original food and drink recipes, I knew I had to try it. Most of you have probably seen this Margarita on Greg’s and Katherine’s blog last week, so at first I didn’t think about posting it. Then I changed my mind. Maybe it is due to the substantial modifications I made to the original recipe, maybe it’s the fact that it is my new favourite peach cocktail or the need to show you what I will be enjoying this weekend, but I simply felt an irresistible urge to present this drink today.

My modifications consisted in skipping the orange juice and substituting peach schnapps with Cointreau liqueur. I simply didn’t have either the first time I made it and then I simply stuck to this version, emptying my Cointreau stock (I have to put a new bottle on my shopping list for the weekend!). Thank you, Katherine and Greg for your inspiring cocktail ideas!

I have a tip for those, who, like me, often make individual cocktail portions: buy yourself a small, baby food mixer. I find its capacity perfect for mixing one long drink.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Ingredients (serves one):

1 big ripe peach

50 ml tequila

30 ml Cointreau (Grand Marnier, Triple Sec or another orange liqueur would give a similar result here)

1/4 of a lime

ice

Put the peach in a mug with boiling water for 5 minutes.

Pour cold water into the mug, wait 1 minute, take out the peach and peel it with your fingers or a knife.

Take out the kernel and put the peach in a blender.

Add the Cointreau and the Tequila.

Squeeze the 1/4 of lime into the blender and mix everything thoroughly with ice or put the ice at the end into your glass.

Stocking up on vitamin C, discovering a new tequila – based drink or testing a new beverage for New Year’s Eve… any excuse is good to try out Paloma with Fresh Juice. Meaning “dove” in Spanish, Paloma is not very well known outside of Mexico, where it’s usually made with grapefruit soda. However, since fresh grapefruit is now in season, a slight modification seems obvious and the vitamin C from freshly squeezed juice gives an additional excuse to have a drink! Apart from fresh juice, I added a bit of cane sugar syrup and sparkling water to substitute grapefruit soda.

I’ve found the recipe on this Mexican websitecontaining many Tequila-based drinks, and of course have modified it. I have also skipped the first step since I don’t always like to have a salty glass rim

Preparation: 5 minutes

Ingredients (serves 1):

10 ml lime juice
pinch of salt
50 ml tequila
juice from 1/2 grapefruit +30 ml sparkling water (or 80 ml grapefruit soda)

(a couple of teaspoons syrup or confectioner’s sugar, if the grapferuit is very sour)

ice

(lemon juice+salt for the glass rim)

If you wish, moisten a big cocktail glass rim with a bit of lime juice and dip into a plate full of salt.

Combine the remaining ingredients, adding as much ice as you wish. Stir and serve.

.