Here in Austin, the weather has been bright and glorious. Birds chirp, and the sun shines through my home office window beckoning me to “come outside,” “relax on the patio,” “have a drink.” If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, then this is the cocktail you’ll want to make. Blue agave tequila mixed with the sweetness of kumquats and the bite of ginger. It’s refreshing, smooth, and way too easy to drink.
If you’ve never had a kumquat, it’s like packing all the flavor of an orange into a small bite-size orb. Then it finishes with a potent sour zing that’ll make your lips pucker. So delish. If eating them straight up, you’ll want to remove the outer skin – which like an orange is a bit bitter. When mixing with this drink, however, we leave the skin on because that bitterness adds complexity and balance.
Here’s the recipe, adapted from the Speakeasy cocktail book.
Ingredients (makes 1 good sized drink or 2 smaller ones)
- 4 thin slices of peeled ginger root
- 4 whole kumquats (I took care to slice off the little stem)
- 2 tsp superfine sugar
- 2.5 oz Silver Tequila
- 2 oz Gran Marnier (or if you can find it, use the more complex Rhum Clemente Creole Shrubb)
- 1.5-2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
Directions:
Muddle the ginger, kumquats, and sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Make sure you’re doing a good job on the smashing part of this recipe, releasing the juices and oils of the kumquat and ginger. It’ll look marvelous, but don’t sip just yet…ok, I won’t tell anyone if you lick the muddler.
Then add in your spirits (tequila, gran marnier (or Shrubb)) and lime juice. Top that shaker with ice, and give it a good rigorous shake down until it’s nice and cold.
Pour unstrained into a glass and enjoy it outside under the sun. Want a little fizz too? Then top off with a touch of Topo Chico. It’s your drink and your life, make it grand.
