I admit it; I'm obsessed. At this very moment I have Limoncello, Rosemary Meyer Limoncello, Kumquat, Buddha's Hand Citron, Blood Orange, Ginger, Bergamot Citron, and Oro Blanco Grapefruit liqueurs infusing in my basement. I also have finished batches of Walnut liqueurs; Nocino and Orahovica (the Vin de Noix is gone) Chocolate, more Buddha's Hand Citron, and "Brad and Darryl's" Grapefruit liqueurs. I call my little obsession "Artemesia;" I guess giving it a name says something, eh? I try to grow as much of the fruit as possible, which is challenging, as our entire lot, including the 1,200 square feet occupied by our house, is about 1/32nd of an acre. So far, I have crammed in a lime tree (the Bearss variety grows really well here in Berkeley, and yes, that really is how you spell it) a Buddha's Hand Citron (because you just can't buy them organic) and newly planted Fuyu Persimmon, Blenheim Apricot, Meiwa Kumquat, and Feminello Santa Teresa Lemon trees (because the Feminello Santa Teresa is the rare sub-cultivar grown in Sorrento and on the Amalfi Coast for Limoncello.)
Since my obsession far outstrips my available land, last year I started harvesting from what I have dubbed "NIMBY" fruit trees; "Not In My Back Yard." Nina lets me gather her Meyer Lemons, Bob lets me pick his mystery lemons (Eureka or Lisbon? Don't know...) neighbors let me gather green walnuts from a street tree growing in a secret cul de sac, and Brad and Darryl invited me to pick their grapefruits - another unknown varietal. They have a big old tree, with lots of fruit...perhaps I did get a little carried away...
Anyway, it's all quite delicious on its own, but sometimes a gal wants a cocktail, and I love a good Margarita. A Margarita is typically made from tequila, fresh lime juice, and triple sec, in a myriad of proportional possibilities; 2:2:1, 3:2:1, 1:1:1... Triple Sec is a liqueur flavored with three different types of oranges; I have yet to find one that I really like - mostly they taste kind of, well - cheap. Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Citronge all make decent substitutes. After experimenting, ahem, quite a bit, I decided that I like 3:2:1, i.e. 3 parts tequila, two parts fresh lime juice, 1 part orange liqueur.
Of course, I got to thinking.... why orange? Why not some other citrus? Obviously, I have a number of fine options available to me. Grapefruit "Brad and Darryl" immediately came to mind; assertive, clean - and completely different from lime. So I decided to start there, and, well, yum! (Otherwise, you wouldn't be hearing about it, right? I will only share recipes which are worthy of the ages here in this blog. Should I waste your precious time describing disappointing results from a new recipe? I think not!) So get out your cocktail shakers, and let's get this party started!
Artemesia Grapefruit Margarita
Makes 1 big or 2 smallish drinks; make each pour a generous one if you want bigger drinks
3 ounces Tequila (Your choice)
2 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 ounce Grapefruit "Brad and Darryl" liqueur
1/2 tsp or so agave nectar or sugar, to taste
Squeeze your limes; you will need from 1-4 of them, depending on how juicy they are. Put a little kosher salt on a plate. Measure everything and pour the ingredients into your cocktail shaker. Add a little additional sweetener, stir it up and taste it; adjust as needed. Using any leftover lime juice, smear some lightly on the outside of the rim of your chosen glass(es)- I use Martini glasses - and roll the outer rim in the salt. Add a few ice cubes to the cocktail shaker, put on the lid, and shake away until it feels really cold; I usually count to "20 Mississippi." While you're shaking, make sure to hold the lids on! Now take off the cap and pour out every delicious drop.
Cheers!
p.s. If you would like some Grapefruit "Brad and Darryl," drop me a line!
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