One of my favorite parts of moving to a new neighborhood is finding all of my new “spots”. A new bar, a new café, a new corner store – I enjoy choosing one of each and visiting them all regularly. But because of Covid, I couldn’t mingle with my new neighbors as usual.
On the one hand, I can count the number of local facilities I’ve physically been to since moving to Lents (the same Portland, OR neighborhood as Woody Guthrie), and each visit has been (obviously) masked and (necessarily) purposeful. Rather than dwell on the citrus choices at Portland Fruit, I recently darted down the small aisles and tossed the items on my list into my basket without stopping to rummage. Without the bowl of small, lightly squashed grapefruit at the checkout, I would have completely missed the two-for-one dollar deal – and I wouldn’t be sipping this surprisingly subtle chartreuse and tequila cocktail right now.
Nothing about grapefruit, green chartreuse, or tequila tells me “subtle”. Most people find grapefruit too bitter without sprinkling sugar. Tequila – or at least cheaper tequila – needs salt. And the intense green Chartreuse is full of botanicals and alcohol. Yet somehow, when combined, the three transform into something that is almost too understated. The grapefruit reads more juicy than bitter, the tequila goes down smoothly and the chartreuse is noticeable without dominating the cup. It’s so enjoyable that at first I wondered if it was too comfortable before I remembered being someone whose idea of a “nice drink” is equal parts Campari and Fernet (tasty but barely enjoyable ).
If I had to change one thing, I’d add a strip of grapefruit peel as a garnish to bring back just a touch of bitterness and to emphasize how enjoyable a throuple of assertive components can be (and to consume every piece of that precious grapefruit). To do it you will need:
- 1 1/2 ounces of white tequila
- 3/4 ounce green chartreuse
- 3/4 ounce of fresh ruby red grapefruit juice
Put everything in a shaker filled with broken ice and shake until it is very cold. Strain into a coupé glass, garnish with a strip of grapefruit zest and enjoy.
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