Don’t Judge Me Mondays: The Pink Maple
Today’s cocktail came about because I needed to use up some grapefruits we had (not sure why we had 5 of them laying around, but we did!). My friend Betsy was coming over and she loves scotch, so I though it would be fun to find a way to combine scotch and grapefruit into a cocktail. It turned out pretty well! I’m still not a person that will drink scotch straight like Betsy, but am definitely warming up to it in cocktails (aka “scotchtails”). It adds a nice smoky/peaty backbone to a drink like nothing else.
Let’s get to it!
Start by filling your shaker halfway with ice. Add your grapefruit juice, scotch, and maple syrup. I recommend real maple syrup for this drink to ensure you get that nice maple flavor. If you don’t want to invest in a whole bottle (I don’t blame you!), you can find mini bottles at several stores including Cost Plus.
For the scotch, I used the Balvenie Single Barrel 12 year, but Macallan 12 would also be a great choice. Both are on the sweeter end of scotch with notes of heather which pairs well with the grapefruit. The upside to the Maccallan 12 is that you can find it in small bottles at places like Total Wine and More.
Pop the top on your shaker and give it a good couple of shakes. Strain into your favorite martini glass and garnish with a small slice of grapefruit.
This really is a great cocktail. It’s a little sweet from the maple syrup but not cloyingly so and the scotch adds a nice smokiness. This drink is also easy to double or triple with little effort!
Enjoy!
What’s your favorite Scotchtail?
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pink grapefruit juice
- 1 1/2 ounces scotch
- 1/2 ounces maple syrup
- grapefruit slice for garnish
Instructions
- Fill shaker halfway with ice.
- Add grapefruit juice, scotch, and maple syrup.
- Pop the top on and shake a couple of times.
- Strain into your favorite martini glass and garnish with a small slice of grapefruit.