Chef notes
The creation of this cocktail spawned from the mind of my colleague, the incomparable Dante Colicchio, and it takes some basic components and turns it into something complex and delicious. The key is a green chile vodka that combines the flavors of both sweet and hot peppers that pop when combined with the citrus in the cocktail. Even those who don't usually like grapefruit end up loving this elixir. Then the blue curacao, an orange-flavored liqueur, gives the drink both its distinctive look as well as part of the cocktail's name, which is also a reference to Dante's beloved dog, Piper.
Technique tip: Before you pour your cocktail, use the grapefruit wedge to wipe around the rim of the glass and press down into a plate of salt; the grapefruit serves as an adhesive for your salt rim.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3/4 ounce grapefruit syrup (equal parts grapefruit juice and white sugar by weight stirred together ahead of time)
- 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice
- 1/2 ounce blue curacao
- 1½ ounce green chile vodka
- grapefruit wedge, to garnish
Preparation
1.Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with 5 to 7 cubes of ice.
2.Put the lid on the shaker and shake until frost begins to form, about 7 seconds.
3.Take the lid off and strain liquid into a salt-rimmed double rocks glass filled with ice.
4.Garnish with a grapefruit wedge.
