My two weeks of self isolation down at Forward Operating Base Cape Cod are finally over! I’m healthy and back in Boston with my fully armed and operational home bar. 

So, I’ve been trying to keep the drinks here as seasonally relevant as possible (with the exception of last week, that was more of a ‘need to use an ingredient scenario’). The issue with that master plan this week, was seasonal went out the window, since the temperature touched eighty degrees here. So, a “seasonal” drink was back to more of a summer lightness and refreshment . Enter the New England Sour.

I found this one when searching by ingredients, because I ended up bringing back the grapefruit juice I bought when I was isolating for the Don’s Mix (as well as a greyhound or two, but more on that at a later date) as well as the falernum. The New England Sour required the grapefruit so I’ll be coming back to the falernum at a later date. Plus, it has maple syrup in it, so it technically is a seasonal Fall drink!

New England Sour:

2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce maple syrup
4 ounces grapefruit juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Garnish: lemon wedge

Build the ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve with a straw.

The color is a nice ruby red, thanks to the 4 ounces of grapefruit. There is no strong aroma here, which leads me to believe this will be deceptive in its alcoholic strength. 

Upon sipping, my hypothesis has been proved correct. The vodka flavor is absolutely non-existent here. Vodka has a strong flavor, but even that can’t compete with double the amount of grapefruit and the sweet tones of maple syrup. 

The grapefruit flavor comes out of the gate strong. However, any sharpness is kept in check by the maple syrup. The maple sweetness helps balance this out quite nicely. It doesn’t completely drown out the grapefruit though, as that flavor carries all the way through the sip.

The lemon garnish might be the sneaky best ingredient at play here. The lemon juice subtly steals the show by almost tricking your taste buds into thinking you’re drinking straight pink lemonade. It brightens up the entire flavor palate and would be missed if omitted. 

I’m pleasantly surprised with how complex tasting this simple drink is. I didn’t expect it to be as well balanced as it is, as well as how easy drinking it is. It is perfect for those eighty degree November days.

(Banner image found here)