Four Pressed Juice Cocktails
Pairing tequila with the freshest fluid ingredients
Since the dawn of the pressed juice craze, our minds have strayed to its potential impact on the world of mixed drinks. Of course fresh lime juice adds a kick to almost any cocktail, and freshly squeezed orange juice lends flavor more potent than when poured from a plastic bottle—but a recent trip to NYC’s Tacombi at Café el Presidente (where they’ve built cocktails around the juice they press fresh daily) revealed something more. The following four tequila cocktails from Tacombi—two of which we suggest at-home variations of using cold-pressed products from our favorite juice houses—are zesty and bright.
Paloma
The result of fresh grapefruit juice met with powerful, potent newly squeezed lime, the Paloma makes for a refreshing summer cocktail. Grapefruit liquor supports the juice, while agave cuts the acidity. Naturally, tequila is the appropriate spirit to bind it all together.
1.5 oz tequila
1 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
.5 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz agave
.25 oz grapefruit liquor
Shake. Serve over ice with a half salt rim. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Rubio
This isn’t a frozen watermelon concoction. Rather, the Rubio uses fresh pressed watermelon juice, lending a vibrant, fruit-filled sip. Once again, tequila makes for the most appropriate base alcohol. Respectable watermelon cocktails are rare, but this one lands it.
2 oz watermelon juice
1.5 oz tequila blanco (Herradura is recommended)
.75 oz lime juice
.5 oz agave
Shake. Pour over ice and serve with a lime wheel garnish.
Spiked Hibiscus
As captivating as summer flowers, the Spiked Hibiscus cocktail employs mezcal, not tequila, but that smokiness is rounded out by hibiscus leaves steeped in water. We’ve found that replacing one of the two ounces of hibiscus water at home with Juice Press’ pineapple, strawberry, and shredded ginger Pink Punk truly packs a punch.
2 oz hibiscus water (or replace 1 of 2 oz with Pink Punk)
1.5 oz mezcal
1 oz agave
.5 oz lime juice
Shaken and served over ice. Garnished with an orange dipped in Piquin salt.
Flora Vera
When at Tacombi at Café el Presidente, they muddle three cucumbers for their delightful Flora Vera. Partnered with fresh lime and agave, it’s the epitome of freshness. When we whipped this cocktail up at home, we switched out the muddled cucumbers with an extra ounce of cold-pressed cucumber juice from Organic Avenue and found it was another perfect partner to the .5 oz of aloe vera liquor.
3 cucumbers muddled (or 1 oz of cold-pressed cucumber juice)
1.5 oz tequila
.5 oz lime
.5 oz agave
.5 oz aloe vera liquor
Shaken and served on the rocks, with a cucumber wheel garnish.
Images courtesy of Tacombi
