The Palm Springs Cocktail

The perfect cocktail to celebrate the groundbreaking writing of Esther McCoy, whose birthday was Nov. 18th.

Fiction writer, detective novelist, architecture draughtsperson, and finally architectural critic, Esther McCoy lived a rich and varied life. She was most well-known for her ground breaking writing on California modernism and Los Angeles, so the Palm Springs cocktail seemed the perfect cocktail to accompany a post on her life and career. From their smoke filled bunglow in Santa Monica, Esther and her bon vivant husband Berkeley Tobey entertained a vast array of lefty intellectuals and artists from Los Angeles, some of whom were accused of un-American activities during the McCarthy era. I can imagine Esther and Berkley entertaining in their plant filled bungalow as cigarette smoke wafted through the California sunlight. In a nod to Esther, we've modified the Palm Springs Cocktail slightly with the addition of a Mezcal float to add a little smokey flavor to this California classic . Thirsty for more about Esther? If you missed the post on her you can find it here

The Palm Springs Cocktail 1 grapefruit juiced 1 lime juiced 3 oz. vodka* 1 oz. Cointreau Mezcal float to taste Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake vigorously until chilled and well mixed. Pour into an old fashioned glass with ice, add a splash of club soda and top with a float of Mezcal. Garnish with a citrus twist, lime wheel or grapefruit wedge. Feel free to substitute a can of grapefruit soda for the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and club soda.

While in general I find flavored vodka absolutely disgusting, I really enjoyed the subtle flavoring of grapfruit and rose in Ketel One's Botanical series in this cocktail.

Don't judge me.