Help! My toes are frozen. No, seriously. I walked to Whole Foods in downtown Chicago yesterday and my feet were literally in pain. Wherever you are, I hope you’re enjoying much better weather than we are in the Midwest.
Because most parts of the country are buried under blanket of snow during the month of February, I thought I’d share a few cocktail recipes you can make with winter citrus. While most fruits and veggies are out of season this time of year, there are a few plants that thrive and provide us with plenty of juicy goodness to hold us over until spring.
Lemon is easily my favorite winter citrus. It pairs wonderfully with everything from a steaming cup of hot tea to a bubbly gin and tonic. Other winter citrus include grapefruit, blood orange, clementine, cara cara orange, tangerine and pomelo. Of course, not every winter citrus is made for muddling into a cocktail. This is science, people!
Because the art of cocktail making can be somewhat complicated, we’ve provided you with a few step-by-step recipes that will guide you on your journey. After a few sips of one of these drinks, you’ll feel so warm and fuzzy you’ll forget about the blizzard happening outside.
Cognac French 75
By: Esquire
Ingredients
- 1 ounce cognac
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Splash of sparkling wine
Instructions
- Shake the cognac, lemon juice and simple syrup with ice.
- Strain into a champagne flute and top with Prosecco or another sparkling wine.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Bitter Salty Perro
By: Serious Eats
Ingredients
- The juice of 4 grapefruits
- 1 cup blanco tequila or joven mezcal
- 2 cups tonic water, chilled
- Kosher salt
- Angostura bitters
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, combine grapefruit juice and tequila or mezcal.
- Add tonic and fill pitcher with ice. Stir gently to combine.
- Rim four glasses with kosher salt. Divide cocktail between glasses, adding two dashes of bitters to each glass. Serve immediately.
Blood Orange Rosemary Fizz
By: Bowen Appétit
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces vodka or gin
- The juice of 1 blood orange
- ½ ounce Aperol
- ½ ounce rosemary simple syrup (see instructions, below)
- Sparkling water
Instructions
For Rosemary Simple Syrup
- Simmer equal parts sugar and water (for a small batch, start with ½ cup of each) and one large sprig of rosemary.
- Stir as you heat, until sugar is dissolved.
- Turn off the heat and let the rosemary infuse for at least 10 minutes.
- Pour into a jar or bottle for storage in the refrigerator up to 1 month.
For Cocktail
- Fill a shaker halfway with ice. Add the gin, blood orange juice, Aperol, and rosemary simple syrup.
- Shake and strain into a cocktail class. Top with sparkling water, to taste (about 1 ½ ounces). Garnish as desired.
Clementine Cocktail
By: The Kitchn
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 2 ounces fresh-squeezed clementine juice, peels reserved
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- Clementine segments, for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the vodka, clementine juice and simple syrup. Shake until your shaker has a frosty coating on the outside, indicating your cocktail is nice and chilly.
- Rub the clementine peel around the edge of a glass filled with ice, then discard peel. Strain the cocktail into the glass and add a couple of clementine segments for garnish.
Pomelo and Basil Cocktail
By: Serious Eats
Ingredients
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed pomelo juice
- ¾ ounce basil simple syrup
- 1 ½ ounces gin
Instructions
For Basil Simple Syrup
- Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil.
- Add basil leaves, reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely. Strain before bottling.
For Cocktail
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add pomelo juice, basil simple syrup, and gin. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with pomelo slice.
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