red grasshopper

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Lunazul)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a light dusting of cayenne chili powder.

Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing the recipe section in Eric Alperin's Unvarnished book when I spotted an interesting riff on the Honeysuckle (a white rum Bee's Knees). That drink was the tequila-based Red Grasshopper crafted by Michael Madrusan of The Everleigh that worked the red angle by including a piquant garnish of cayenne powder. Moreover, the idea of a tequila Bee's Knees reminded me of the 1940 Juschu Cocktail that I morphed into the Wheel in the Sky Collins in 2015.The Red Grasshopper jumped to the nose with an agave, red pepper, honey, and floral bouquet. Next, lime and a viscosity from the honey on the sip climbed to tequila, floral, and spicy heat elements on the swallow.