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Outer Sunset

Outer Sunset cocktail in a highball glass garnished with grapefruit slices.
Photo by Rachel Weill

Grapefruit has a natural affinity for other bitter flavors. In this cocktail, earthy, vegetal Cynar adds a bitter complexity to the usually lighthearted Paloma. The final touch? Rim the glass not just with salt but with a grapefruit-​zested salt that adds another dimension of flavor.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Every Cocktail Has a Twist' by Carey Jones and John McCarthy. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

For the Grapefruit Salt

1 tsp. grapefruit zest
4 tsp. kosher salt

For the Agave Syrup

4 oz. water
4 oz. light agave nectar

For the cocktail

Grapefruit Salt, to rim
1½ oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
½ oz. Cynar
¼ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. Agave Syrup
2 oz. club soda

Preparation

  1. Make the Grapefruit Salt

    Step 1

    Stir together grapefruit zest and kosher salt until well mixed.

  2. Make the Agave Syrup

    Step 2

    In a kettle or microwave, heat the water until nearly boiling. Add the agave nectar and stir until it dissolves completely. Let cool to room temperature before using. Makes 8 ounces.

  3. Make the cocktail

    Step 3

    Rim a Collins glass with the Grapefruit Salt. Set aside the prepared glass. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila blanco, grapefruit juice, Cynar, lime juice, and measured agave syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and seal it. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with the club soda and stir gently and briefly.

Every Cocktail Has a Twist-COVER.jpg
Excerpted from Every Cocktail Has a Twist by Carey Jones and John McCarthy. Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or WW Norton.
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