Spicy Paloma

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/2 fresh jalapeño, sliced, plus more for garnish
• 4 ounces tequila
• 1 1/2 cup (from 5 ruby red grapefruits) fresh grapefruit juice, strained and pulp discarded
• 1 lime
• Squirt soda (or any other grapefruit-flavored soda or soda water)
• 2 tablespoons cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

1. 1
   In a small saucepan, mix together the water, agave nectar and jalapeño. Cook on medium-low until the agave is dissolved. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to steep for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding the jalapeños (or alternatively you could use them as the garnish), and set aside the spicy simple syrup.
2. 2
   In a small plate, mix together the cane sugar and sea salt. Run a lime wedge around each glass and dip the rim in the sugar/salt mixture. To assemble one cocktail, drop few ice cubes in a cocktail glass. Add 1 ounce of tequila, 1 ounce of spicy simple syrup, 3 ounces of grapefruit juice, a squeeze of lime juice and a splash of grapefruit soda; mix and garnish with a few slices of jalapeño. Repeat until the remaining 3 cocktails are made.