Skip to main content

Outer Sunset

Outer Sunset cocktail in a highball glass garnished with grapefruit slices.
Photo by Rachel Weill

Grapefruit has a natural affinity for other bitter flavors. In this cocktail, earthy, vegetal Cynar adds a bitter complexity to the usually lighthearted Paloma. The final touch? Rim the glass not just with salt but with a grapefruit-​zested salt that adds another dimension of flavor.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Every Cocktail Has a Twist' by Carey Jones and John McCarthy. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

For the Grapefruit Salt

1 tsp. grapefruit zest
4 tsp. kosher salt

For the Agave Syrup

4 oz. water
4 oz. light agave nectar

For the cocktail

Grapefruit Salt, to rim
1½ oz. tequila blanco
1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
½ oz. Cynar
¼ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. Agave Syrup
2 oz. club soda

Preparation

  1. Make the Grapefruit Salt

    Step 1

    Stir together grapefruit zest and kosher salt until well mixed.

  2. Make the Agave Syrup

    Step 2

    In a kettle or microwave, heat the water until nearly boiling. Add the agave nectar and stir until it dissolves completely. Let cool to room temperature before using. Makes 8 ounces.

  3. Make the cocktail

    Step 3

    Rim a Collins glass with the Grapefruit Salt. Set aside the prepared glass. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila blanco, grapefruit juice, Cynar, lime juice, and measured agave syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and seal it. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with the club soda and stir gently and briefly.

Every Cocktail Has a Twist-COVER.jpg
Excerpted from Every Cocktail Has a Twist by Carey Jones and John McCarthy. Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of the publisher, Countryman Press. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or WW Norton.
Read More
This chicken salad nails it—creamy, herby, and endlessly riffable.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
With black pepper, toasted sesame oil, and Castelvetrano olives, this margarita is for the savory drink lovers.
This spicy blackberry margarita gets its heat from a chile de árbol, shaken with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.
Muddled melon lends a hot pink hue. Call it the drink of the summer if you must!
Use summer’s ripest offerings to make this Mexican party bev.
A strip of lemon zest balances this refreshing spring classic.
Fresh celery juice gives this margarita a savory, vegetal edge and makes it exceptionally refreshing.