There were three cocktails I wanted this weekend. The Paloma. A Mojito. And a Moscow Mule. So I made them all into one perfect, boozy punch and called it a day.
It was a good day.
You're going to scroll to the bottom of this page, take one look at the recipe and be like:
WAIT! WHICH HERB DO I USE? Mint? Tarragon? Basil?
AND WHICH BOOZE DO I USE? Tequila? Vodka? Bourbon?
So let's talk you down from the question ledge. Because I'd be wondering myself.
Truth is, I couldn't decide. Any of the flavor combos sounded killer. So I tried all three.
YES. I TRIED ALL THREE.
And all three, any three of these combos are divine. Divoon. Totally approved.
So, it's kind of like: what you got in the fridge? Use that. You won't be sad.
Since I'm a fan of the kiss of licorice flavor in tarragon, I was all sorts of gung ho for that bad boy. The tarragon with the salty sweet, grapefruity bite of this cocktail punch is glorious.
But if you don't like tarragon, go for mint. Or basil.
As for booze: I'll forever be a fan of bourbon. And the caramelly undertones that bourbon brings to this punch mix beautifully with the grapefruit. But the color is a little more muddled than it is when you mix this drink up with a clear vodka or blanco tequila.
So, maybe we should call this one the "Choose Your Own Adventure" cocktail. Because whichever combo you choose is going to be an adventure you adore.
Mix. Match. Choose Your Own Mixology.
Any combo of these cocktail flavors is gonna your day.
Paloma Cucumber Mojito Mule Punch
Serves 6-8 | 10 minutes
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Maldon Smoked Sea Salt
- 2 1/2 Tbsp sparkling sugar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 English cucumbers (1 seeded, 1 sliced thin)
- 2-3 Tbsp freshly chopped tarragon, mint or basil
- 8 pink grapefruit, (5 squeezed, 2 sectioned, 1 sliced)
- 12 oz (eight 1.5 oz shots) vodka, bourbon or tequila
- 32 oz ginger beer
- lots of crushed ice
Mix together sea salt and sparkling sugar. Rim 8 large rocks glasses with honey, then dip in sea salt mixture. Set aside.
Slice one cucumber in half, lengthwise. Scoop seeds from the center, transfer to a large pitcher. Discard remaining cucumber. Add chopped herbs and any remaining sea salt/sugar mixture to the cucumber seeds. Muddle.
Add the grapefruit juice and grapefruit sections, and half of the sliced cucumbers. Add booze of choice to pitcher. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, fill glasses with ice, then halfway full with grapefruit mixture. Top off with ginger beer. Garnish with grapefruit wedges, cucumber slices and a sprig of mint, if desired.
Alternate serving options: pour all of mixture into a punch bowl full of ice, add ginger beer. Serve & enjoy..