Grapefruit soda makes a great cocktail mixer, adding acidity, sweetness and slight effervescence to a finished drink. For this refreshing summer cooler, Las Perlas general manager, Raul Yrastorza, combines the tangy soda with blanco tequila, fresh dill and muddled cucumber.
2 oz. blanco tequila
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
1 bottle grapefruit soda, like Jarritos
1 fresh dill sprig
2 cucumber wheels
Tools: shaker, muddler, strainer
Glass: Collins
Garnish: kosher salt, dill sprig, 3 cucumber wheels
In a shaker, muddle the cucumber wheels and dill. Add the tequila and lime juice and shake with ice. Strain (do not double strain) into an ice-filled Collins glass. Place two cucumber slices against the walls of the Collins glass and then fill with soda. Top with two pinches of salt and then garnish with a long dill sprig and float the last cucumber wheel on top.
Raul Yrastorza, Las Perlas, Los Angeles
