This cocktail, The Scarlet Ruse, is part of my ongoing series of Tequila cocktails named after the Travis McGee novels of American author John D. MacDonald. This is the fourteenth novel in the series and like most of the Travis McGee stories its title is well suited to be also the name of great cocktail. In keeping with the theme of a ruse or trick, this cocktail is actually an altered version of the classic bar drink, the Tequila Sunrise. However the ruse or twist is that the mixed drink is made not with orange juice but with the juice of both the navel orange and the blood orange.
For those unfamiliar with the Tequila Sunrise, it is a simple bar drink made in an ice filled glass with just Orange Juice, Silver Tequila and Grenadine. I experimented with the juice from blood oranges in the recipe, and then I went a step further and used lightly aged Reposado Tequila instead of Silver Tequila. My new recipe, the Scarlet Ruse, tastes a little different from a typical Tequila Sunrise; it is not quite so sweet and carries that lightly earthy flavour which is typical of blood oranges.
However, it is delicious in its own right.
The Scarlet Ruse
1 3/4 oz 1800 Reserva Reposado Tequila
1 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
3/4 oz Fresh Squeezed Juice of Blood Orange
3/4 oz Grenadine
Ice
Build over ice in an Old-Fashioned Glass
Enjoy Responsibly!
If you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!
Note: My review of 1800 Reserva Reposado Tequila will publish tomorrow.
Chimo!
For my sweetener, I chose to add a touch of Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao to an equal amount of simple sugar syrup. I felt too much orange liqueur would take more than it would give to the spirit, and too little would not provide the enhancement I was looking for. Fees Cocktail Bitters were chosen for their overt cinnamon flavour which I felt worked well with the main flavours within the tequila as well as with the orange accent of sweetener and garnish.
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