Summer is arguably the best time of the year for drinking, partying and having fun in general. There’s no doubt about that, plus with temperatures constantly over 30°C, even just the idea of sitting down in front of my warm laptop makes me start sweating. This might be the reason for a lack of volunteer hosts for this month MxMo. But have no fear, my fellow bloggers, Mr. Yarm of Cocktailvirginslut is here to save us, hosting yet again another edition of this monthly happening. The theme chosen for July is a rather clever one, named Flip Flop, and you can read all about it here on Frederic’s announcement post.
Now, the idea of flipping a classic, or twisting it as some other people may say, is one of the concept in mixology that I prefer. First of all you have to start from knowledge, meaning that you must know few classics to be able to make a twist on anything: this inevitably leads to research. There is nothing better for me than spending hours on the web and over books, reading about cocktails from any era, getting to know many new and old styles of mixing. All this research leads of course to a lot of drinking, as one must put in practice what he has just learned in theory, and that’s when you start learning new techniques as well. Once you start realizing that many modern classics are spins from old classics, and that any kind of drink can be categorized in flavor, combos and techniques, well then you are becoming a true enthusiast of this trade, and that’s when you should start researching some more and never stop doing that.
As the theme of the month is flips, I decided to go for what has to be the millionth attempt to twist a Paloma, the Mexican national drink. Most of my documentation for this post comes from that great well of knowledge that is Camper English, and here’s a list of the most famous interpretation of Paloma

HUEVO DE PALOMA


Ingredients:
2 oz. Tequila Reposado 100% agave
1 oz. Fresh Ruby Grapefruit Juice
0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
0.75 oz. Egg White
0.75 oz. Cream
0.75 oz. Agave Syrup
5 Drops of Saline Solution

Garnish:
Top wheel of Grapefruit, crystals of Campari and nachos.

Prep:
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker, dry shake, then add ice and shake vigorously for a minute or so, pour in a chilled, emptied ruby grapefruit, and place in a basket with lost of spicy nachos.

Tequila and Campari are wonderful together in my opinion, and I always wanted to try a little bit of Campari in a Paloma. This is the result. It’s incredibly fresh and light, velvety, with that hint of herbs and bitterness that only Campari can add.
I have been wanting to make dehydrated spirits for quite a while, and I thought this was the perfect time to experiment. To make Campari crystals, just pull out of the oven the crystallized surface of the liquid as soon as it’s hard enough. Heat it up with a flame and then place it in a freezer for a bit. After an hour or so just take it out and turn it into little pieces. This is a step before dehydration, for which Camper has a great project on his website and so here’s the link .
This little hybrid of Paloma was a great hit with my guests and it definitely got me excited when the Campari was ready to be taken out of the oven.
Learning from the past is the best way to move forward and create innovations, and that is true for any facet of live. Without all those great cocktails of other times, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy a Trinidad Sour,
a Chartreuse Swizzle or a Penicillin, so if you haven’t started yet, get your reading glasses on, and lose yourself into booze history.

Ps. sorry for the pics but for some reasons I couldn’t get a decent one.. I think I better start taking a photography course.