Half Full

Can’t Decide Between a Cocktail and a Beer? Have this Drink

Bartenders At Home

Watch bartender T.J. Palmieri mix up his Montelobos® Mezcal, grapefruit and lager beer cocktail.

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Courtesy T.J. Palmieri

Thank you Montelobos® for partnering with Half Full on the Bartenders At Home cocktail video series.

What inspired you to create this cocktail? “Necessity is the mother of all invention and so I wanted to create a no-fuss cocktail that anyone can make without bar tools. I challenged myself to use only the ingredients I actually had in my house and this is what I came up with.”

When would you serve this drink? “This is definitely best served outside on a hot day. Extra points if there’s a grill going and double if you’re on the beach!”

What music would you pair it with? “Keeping with the outside on a hot day vibe, I’m feeling old-school rocksteady/reggae for this one.”

What food would you pair it with? “For me this is a no brainer, since I enjoyed the ‘research’ with a homemade meal of spicy grilled shrimp and guacamole tostadas with pickled onions. Delicious!”

Name the person (dead or alive) you’d like to make this cocktail for. “If I could make this cocktail for anyone, it would have to be Ernest Hemingway preferably after a successful fishing excursion and grilling up the catch of the day.”

By T.J. Palmieri

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 parts Montelobos® Mezcal (Order on Drizly)
  • 2 parts Grapefruit Syrup*
  • 4 to 6 parts Lager beer
  • Chili Lime Salt**
  • Glass: Pilsner beer glass
  • Garnish: Lime wedge

DIRECTIONS

Run a lime wedge along the rim of a pilsner glass. Dip the moistened rim into a dish filled with chili lime salt. Add all of the ingredients to the prepared glass and fill with ice. Stir with the knife used to cut the lime. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Add 1 cup of grapefruit juice and 1 cup of sugar to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Strain into a clean bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Add 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp sea salt or kosher salt and .5 tbsp lime zest to a resealable jar. Close the jar and shake.

You can find more Bartenders At Home cocktail tutorials here!

Interview has been condensed and edited.

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