5 Winter Citrus Cocktails To Ward Off Winter Doldrums
Vibrant and juicy produce lightens and brightens drinks in the dead of winter.
photo by Denny Culbert for Effervescence
You might think we’re all hard-pressed to find any seasonal fruit right now, but you’d be wrong. Sure, we might be a long ways off from red-till-the-center strawberries and plump peaches, but next time you go shop for produce, look closely. You’ll come across stalls filled with ruby red grapefruit, blood oranges, kumquats and even funkier fruits like Buddha’s Hands, just waiting to be plucked, squeezed and peeled. Who says this is the dreariest time of year? Here are some drink recipes to make the most of winter citrus.
The Patient Husband
Recipe courtesy of Effervescence, New Orleans, LA
Owner Crystal Hinds first made this drink for her husband, who used to love grapefruit martinis when they grew the fruit at home and had been asking for one since the Crescent City bubbly bar opened. Staff had to wait until they were in season; now he sits at the bar sipping on one while she finishes up at the restaurant so he can walk her home. “There is absolutely no substitute for fresh ingredients, [and] it’s the least I could do—name a drink after him,” she says.
1 oz. rum (the bar uses local favorite Roulaison)
1 ½ oz. fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
½ oz. simple syrup
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Sparkling wine, to top
Wedge of fresh grapefruit, for garnish
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with the wedge of fresh grapefruit on the rim of the glass.
photo courtesy Banker’s Hill Bar
Grapefruit Collins
Recipe courtesy of Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant, San Diego, CA
“Being that [in San Diego] we are lucky enough to have the perfect climate for multiple varieties of citrus, it’s not out of the question to even have a few trees in your backyard,” says bartender Elizabeth Farrell. “The simplicity in this bright cocktail allows you to utilize what can seem like an overwhelming harvest and turn it into a relaxing and refreshing [sip].”
2 oz. dry gin of choice
1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
½ oz. lemon juice
½ oz. simple syrup
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Add the first 5 ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice, and garnish with an expressed grapefruit peel.
Fortunella Daiquiri
Recipe courtesy of Jovanina’s Broken Italian, Denver, CO
photo courtesy Jovanina’s Broken Italian
The name of this drink refers to the genus classification of these olive-sized fruits that taste like a cross between an orange and a lemon and are meant to be consumed whole. “Kumquats add a beautifully subtle citrus note to cocktails, not as acidic or tart as lime juice, but with a little more complexity of flavor than lemon,” says beverage director Sean Keipper. It’s important to de-seed winter citrus and double-strain the juice though, lest you mask its beautiful flavor.
2 oz. aged rum (such as Black Bear Distillery Colorado Rum, gold medal winner 2018 NY International Spirits Competition)
1 oz. kumquat puree (see Note)
¾ oz. vanilla syrup (see Note)
Crushed pistachios, for garnish
Add the first three ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Double strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice and garnish with the crushed pistachio.
For the kumquat puree:
Combine ½ cup water, 30 kumquats, 2 tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp. powdered ginger, 2 drops vanilla extract in a food processor and blender and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the vanilla syrup:
Add 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and the contents of 1 scraped vanilla bean to a small saucepan. Allow it to come to a boil, then simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove the mixture from the heat, allow it to cool and refrigerate for up to a week.
King’s Ransom
photo by Kira Anderson for Coda di Volpe
Recipe courtesy of Coda di Volpe, Chicago, IL
“Most winter citrus fruits are versatile and are also accessible (they can be found at your local grocery store), which makes them easy for the home bartender to use for a variety of different drinks,” says bartender Michael Cruz. Here, blood orange juice pairs nicely with Scotch while cardamom drives home the spice and lends a hint of lime. Reserve oil-rich and aromatic peels for a syrup or to use as a fragrant garnish, he suggests.
1 oz. blended scotch whisky (such as Dewar’s White Label, gold medal 2018 NYISC)
½ oz spiced rum (the bar uses Sailor Jerry)
½ oz. Aperol
¼ cardamom- and blood-orange infused simple syrup (see Note)
¾ oz. blood orange juice
Dash orange bitters
Blood orange wheel, for garnish
Add all ingredients except garnish to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with the blood orange wedge.
For the cardamom- and blood orange-infused syrup:
Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, the peels of a blood orange (with as little pith as possible) and 5 cracked cardamom pods in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer until the sugar dissolves and remove from the heat. Steep for 10-15 minutes or until desired flavor is achieved. Strain out solids, and store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to a week.
I-Paloma
Recipe courtesy of The Grocery, Charleston, SC
photo by Katelyn Hudson for The Grocery
“The bright citrus notes drive the drink and round out the richness of the reposado tequila,” says bar manager Sean O’Brien. When it comes to using winter citrus fruits in libations, he has one piece of advice: “Keep it simple and let the citrus shine.” This sip mashes up the classic Paloma with a beer-tail; IPA hoppiness matches the bitterness of grapefruit juice and is offset by the sweeter grapefruit liqueur.
1 oz. tequila reposado (the bar uses Goza)
½ oz. grapefruit juice
½ oz. Giffard Pamplemousse Liqueur
¼ oz. lime juice
4 oz. IPA (such as 2018 NY International Beer Competition gold medal winner Lenny Boy Brewing Citraphilia IPA)
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice, top with the IPA and garnish with the grapefruit peel.