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Cocktail History
The Winter Paloma is a Novel Nightcaps original cocktail that was created as a winter-inspired variation of the Paloma. Inspired by a recipe in Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH, the recipe swaps out tequila for smoky mezcal, adding depth and complexity and, like the original, includes grapefruit and lime juices, along with soda water for a refreshing effervescence. What sets it apart is its replacement of the muddled sage leaves found in its inspiration with a homemade salted sage syrup that further enhances the savory and herbal elements for a unique seasonal flair.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Grapefruit Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe grapefruits that has a sweet-tart citrus flavor and light pink color.
Soda Water: This is a carbonated beverage made with water and dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which gives it a fizzy, neutral flavor.
Mezcal: This is a spirit made in Mexico with fermented agave and yeast, which are distilled after roasting agave hearts in underground pits to develop a smoky, complex flavor.
Salted Sage Syrup: This is a sweetener made with sea salt, sage leaves, white sugar, and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a savory, herbal flavor.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe limes that has a zesty, sour flavor and light green color.
Sage Leaves: These are the soft, gray-green, aromatic leaves from the sage plant.
Brands I Used
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Bar Mat: This is a rubber or silicone mat that’s placed on the bar surface and used for catching spills, providing grip for glasses and tools, and keeping the workspace clean and organized.
Jigger: This is a small double-sided tool with different volume measurements on each side that’s used for accurately portioning ingredients.
Boston Shaker: This is a two-piece cocktail shaker made with a large metal tin and a second tin or mixing glass that’s used for shaking and chilling cocktail ingredients.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is a flat metal strainer with a handle and a coiled spring around the edge that’s used for straining shaken cocktails from a shaker while holding back ice and solids.
Cutting Board: This is a flat, durable kitchen surface made from materials like wood or plastic that’s used for slicing ingredients and preparing garnishes.
Paring Knife: This is a small kitchen knife with a narrow, sharp blade that’s used for peeling fruit and trimming garnishes.
Electric Citrus Juicer: This is a kitchen appliance with a motorized reamer that’s used for quickly extracting juice from citrus fruits.
Fine Mesh Strainer: This is a mesh metal strainer with a tightly woven bowl and handle that’s used for straining out small ice shards and other solids while pouring cocktails from a shaker or mixing glass.
Measuring Cup: This is a kitchen tool with a handled cup and marked volume measurements that’s used for accurately measuring and pouring liquid ingredients.
Highball Glass: This is a tall, slim glass that’s used for serving mixed drinks made with a larger proportion of non-alcoholic mixers.
Tools I Used
- 🔗 A Bar Above 18×12 Premium Bar Mat
- 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Japanese Jigger
- 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Boston Shaker
- 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Hawthorne Strainer
- 🔗 OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Cutting Board Set
- 🔗 OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife
- 🔗 BLACK+DECKER 32 oz Electric Citrus Juicer
- 🔗 Barfly Silver Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Cocktail Strainer
- 🔗 OXO Good Grips 2 Cup Angled Measuring Cup
Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Pale pink-peach color with an ombré effect
• Aroma: Grapefruit and sage
• Taste: Tangy and sweet grapefruit following by slightly smoky mezcal and herbs
• Finish: Lingering earthiness and herbal-tinged fruit
Kendall’s Take: “When mezcal pops up in a template I already love, I’m always a little wary that I won’t enjoy it as much, but I was wrong in this case. This smokier version of the go-to grapefruit drink is quite delightful. I did change the ratio of the ingredients in the Winter Paloma quite a bit by adding more grapefruit and less simple syrup, and I think that’s what made the difference. Otherwise, the mezcal would’ve been too prominent and definitely would’ve overshadowed the grapefruit.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.
Winter Paloma
Description
The Winter Paloma is a Novel Nightcaps original cocktail that was created as a winter-inspired variation of the Paloma. Based on a similar recipe published in Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH, this version calls for smoky mezcal as the base spirit instead of tequila and pairs it with the classic's grapefruit, lime, and soda water. Instead of muddling sage leaves, however, this adds a homemade salted sage syrup for more savory and herbal flavors.
Ingredients
Method
Add mezcal, grapefruit juice, salted sage syrup, and lime juice to a shaker.
Fill shaker with cubed ice.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Add fresh cracked ice to a highball glass.
Using a Hawthorne strainer, strain into highball glass.
Top with soda water.
Garnish with sage leaves.
