Drink of the Week: Tarragon Vodka with Oro Blanco Grapefruit Juice

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Mmm. Deep summertime bliss.

When life hands you grapefruit, make a greyhound! (That's a grapefruit-vodka cocktail...)

Isn’t that the expression? No, it isn’t. But it sure is a nice thing to do!

While on a casual visit other day, my dear friend The Hostess could not get over how abundant my herb garden (of delights) has become. I do admit, it seems as if I have six kinds (in varying states of verdant health) of everything.

Except tarragon. I just have the one. Classic French.

And I have a lot of it. A gang-load. A whole passle. The fragrant fronds are taking over. (Pop by any time if you need a sprig!) Which of course got us talking about all of the things a clever kid can do with an assertive herb such as tarragon. Herbed chicken, tarragon-lemon sorbet, and this being us, well, the talk led to infused vodka. (Refreshing!)

So we hatched this cocktail recipe not only so we could use up some tarragon, but also as an excuse to throw a dash of Fee’s Brothers Grapefruit bitters in to the mix. (What with having a bottle on hand, it seemed like a quality idea.)

It did take a week to infuse the vodka, but if you want to cut right to the chase, there is tarragon infused vodka on the market, you just need to suss it out.

Now…we made this with locally grown (and locally “developed.”) Oro Blanco grapefruits, which happen to be amazingly sweet. If you don’t have them around, I suggest either using a sweetened juice or adding a touch of simple syrup, to taste. It shouldn’t be cloying. This is a grown-up drink afterall.

When it was done, we sat in the shade of a tree, and quietly contemplated the perfection of the drink. A sweet-tart concoction that had us smiling all day long.

Now try this my peaches, and taste the joy.

(This should be enough ingredients to create two drinks. More grapefruits would equal more drinks.)

1 (750ml) bottle, tarragon infused vodka
1 large Oro Blanco grapefruit, juiced
1 each passionfruit, juiced
Fee's brothers grapefruit bitters (or any bitters you may have)
Soda water
A few sprigs of tarragon for garnish

In a large glass, combine 1 1/2 ounces (a shot) of vodka, 4 ounces grapefruit juice and 1 teaspoon passionfruit juice, a dash or two of bitters. Stir. Top with soda water. Pour in to a tall glass with ice. Garnish with tarragon sprigs.

© 2009 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2009 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com If you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.

The Oro Blanco grapefruit was developed by the University of California in Riverside, California.

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The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree grown for its bitter fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Jamaica. When found in Barbados it was named the "forbidden fruit";it is also called the "shaddock", after its creator. - Wiki