As we transition into spring, the trees are just about ready to leaf out, the birds are chirping again, and a nice transitional cocktail is called for. A Palm Beach Special is just the ticket.
This is another time-tested recipe, dating back to the late 1930s, when people like Edsel Ford and Claire Boothe Luce were in Palm Beach for the winter, hanging out at places like Mar-a-Lago (when Marjorie Merriweather Post owned it) and the Breakers.
Like almost-spring – neither hot nor cold, and full of surprises – this one has a layered, bracing flavor – a little tart, quite gin-ny – and a pale blush color. It reminds me of chilly mornings that turn into warm days and turn back into chilly evenings. Perfect!
Shake up a few of these, sit on the deck, and bliss out on the coming of springtime.
Palm Beach Special
2.5 ounces gin
.75 grapefruit juice*
.5 ounce sweet vermouth
Combine the ingredients, shake until very cold, strain into a cocktail glass, and start sipping.
*About the juice: Any juice you put in a cocktail should be fresh-squeezed. This is an iron-clad rule with lemon and lime juice and highly recommended with orange juice. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice is certainly best, but you can get away with the bottled stuff if you get the all-juice, no-sugar-added, not-from-concentrate kind. That said, finding it on a grocery shelf may be more trouble than squeezing an actual grapefruit yourself. Best to invest in decent electric squeezer and squeeze all your citrus.