(Note: this post was originally published on September 10, 2020. It has since been updated with a few tweaks.)
Feeling stuck between summer and fall? This unique cherry cocktail is perfect for the transitional season, and especially for September, since it unites sweet summer stone fruit with cozy cinnamon.
Palomas (tequila + grapefruit cocktails, more on this below) are fabulous vehicles for seasonal flavors because bitter grapefruit pairs well with a wide variety of ingredients. Here on the blog I also have a Blueberry Ginger Paloma and a Coconut Paloma, both of which are great summer sips. But neither of those feel quite right for late summer or early fall, so I also created this unique cherry + cinnamon cocktail to follow them.
There are two big flavor powerhouses in this fall paloma. One is cinnamon simple syrup, which you can make easily at home. It keeps for weeks in the fridge, so make a big batch and use it for other fall cocktails too. The other big flavor punch comes from Luxardo cherry liqueur, which provides earthiness and deep cherry flavor.
The paloma is a well-known cocktail involving tequila and grapefruit; it's a cousin of the margarita. Palomas are refreshing, well-balanced, quick to shake up, and can be made with no added sugar because grapefruit is sweeter than lime. They're also easy to vary seasonally since grapefruit pairs beautifully with such a wide variety of flavors, as evidenced in this unique cherry cocktail recipe.
Good news: the paloma is a very simple drink to make. Just mix up the few ingredients (tequila, grapefruit, any other flavors you want to add) and enjoy. The grapefruit element of a paloma is interpreted differently by different people; while some mixologists prefer grapefruit soda, I much prefer fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Using juice (instead of soda) is more flavorful, fresher, and allows you to avoid the added sugar that soda generally has.
For this cherry + cinnamon cocktail in particular, you'll muddle cherries and cinnamon simple syrup right in the bottom of a serving glass. Next, you'll pour a tequila, grapefruit, and cherry liqueur mixture gently over the top so that the two layers mix partially but not completely. However, if you want to make this fall paloma even easier, you can certainly just shake all of the ingredients together without creating the layers.
This cinnamon cocktail relies upon a simple syrup to get all that wonderful, cozy flavor into a drinkable form. If you've never made a simple syrup before, don't let the name intimidate you. It's easy to do at home, and a simple syrup keeps great in the fridge for weeks.
A simple syrup is just a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water, cooked down until it becomes thick and syrupy. It's a great way to capture flavors that are difficult to get into a liquid form otherwise. Because cinnamon is a solid, you can't readily add it to a cocktail; it won't dissolve. That's why the simple syrup is a very powerful tool in mixology.
The recipe below will walk you through making a cinnamon simple syrup using whole cinnamon sticks. But this concept will work for just about anything you can dream up, so don't be afraid to experiment. Herbs, other warming spices, and edible flowers all yield wonderful simple syrups. You could also use this simple syrup to experiment with other cozy cinnamon cocktails throughout the fall and winter (for example, it would be great in an Old Fashioned).
Here's what you'll need for this cherry cocktail recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.
This cherry cinnamon cocktail is September in a glass. It unites one of late-summer's greatest treats (stone fruit) with an iconic fall flavor (cinnamon), so it's perfect for bridging between the two seasons. Because it's simultaneously refreshing and cozy, it works well for anything from a warm evening in late August to a chilly night in October.
Are you guys having fun with these seasonal paloma variations? I hope so. Let me know if you try this fall paloma or any of the others I have here on the blog. I could easily come up with a seasonal one for every month of the year. Maybe I should do a Paloma of the Month calendar??
It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.
As with all my cocktail recipes, please enjoy responsibly!
Margarita-Inspired Mexican Cauliflower
This cozy fall paloma riff features warming cinnamon and sweet cherries for a delightfully unexpected mix of flavors. Plus look at those stunning colors!
For the Cinnamon Simple Syrup
For the Cocktail
Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.
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