pamplona

I wasn't quite sure what to call this one. With the addition of grapefruit it could be called a "black paloma". Without the soda it could be called a "brave bull". I like the latter. It reminds me of Hemingway, the twenties, that's always how I like to spend my summers. It started years ago with the original scroll of Kerouac's On the Road. Then I went further back rereading The Great Gatsby before The Paris Wife and the other half of that story, The Sun Also Rises. Each summer I shamelessly travel back in time to my favorite era. I had Z: A Novel of Zelda lined up for this week (it's actually been on my bookshelf and reading list for an embarrassing amount of time by now) but I forgot it at my apartment in the midst of packing up every last ounce of laundry to wash without charge at my mother's house. It's quite disappointing, but I'll get to it next week. I digress. 

My cousin Brett stopped by earlier in the week for a drink on his way home. This one was entirely his creation. I like to give credit where it's due, that's important. I wouldn't want to rip off someone else's paloma. 

We settled on tequila and coffee, which quickly turned into the liqueur version and a dash of soda with lime. I take my espresso with a lemon rind, but for some reason thought the addition of citrus might too much. Wrong. I was pleasantly surprised. 

This drink tastes like coffee and nothing at all like tequila. A nice replacement to your morning coffee while on vacation, the kind of thing Hemingway might sip while leaning over a hotel balcony in Pamplona to get a better view of the bulls rushing down the streets below. 

PAMPLONA
1 ounce tequila
1 ounce kahlua
a drop of lime juice
soda water

In a large glass combine tequila and kahlua. Pour over ice, add a drop of lime juice and top with soda water. Stir for good measure and enjoy.

Have a wonderful weekend! And if you're going to be in NYC, I highly recommend checking out the Del Close Marathon which starts today and goes through Sunday.