St. Germain Grapefruit Margarita

Happy Friday! I am officially on vacation until August 18th and I am pumped. I've got a week at the beach followed by a week hanging around NYC before I start a new job! Hopefully during my at-home gap week I can attempt some of the trickier cooking experiments on my To Try list.

But first - let's talk about this drink. I actually think we should call this a DRANK. It's pretty, it's fruity, it smells like flowers and candy, and then you suddenly realize that it is BOOZY.

I found this recipe during a Pinterest browse session and knew it would be a hit. I love me some fresh grapefruit juice and I recently purchased a teeny tiny bottle of St. Germaine because it seems that all Fancy Delicate Girly Cocktails these days include it. I recalled this recipe at the grocery store and tossed a huge grapefruit into my basket.

Then, I got home and realized she uses bottled juice. And a lot of it. And fresh lime juice.

So I improvised.

Once squeezed, the grapefruit netted almost 6 ounces of juice. This is about half of what the original recipe calls for, but I also like my drinks to be DRANKS, especially when made with tequila. I poured two ounces tequila, one and a half ounces St. Germain (which was pretty much this entire doll-sized bottle), and the grapefruit juice (strained of seeds/pulp) into a cocktail shaker over ice.

It's phenomenal. The St. Germaine stands in beautifully for triple sec and adds a really wonderful floral fragrance. It's a perfect counter to the sharp and juicy grapefruit. I didn't use any salt, but I might use a little next time. I also might tweak and add either a shake or two of hot sauce or bitters. It was lacking one last flavor dimension but it was nonetheless delicious. And just make one of these - I immediately switched to water after I put this away.

The grin should indicate just how much I loved this cocktail, but also how happy I am to be off duty with work for a few weeks. I cropped the circles and bags under my eyes out of the photo, but those, too, were a good indicator that I'm due for some time off. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!