The Perrito de Sal: Sotol, Chartreuse, Grapefruit, Lime, Simple

I revisited the Texas issue of Imbibe Magazine (April 2013) this week because I was looking for cocktails that used fresh grapefruit juice. I came across the Perrito de Sal cocktail from La Condesa, an Austin restaurant, and I knew I had to try it. I am a fan of the Salty Dog highball, which I love for its simplicity and surprising balance, so the Perrito de Sal had to be mine. I was right. If you're wondering, perrito means little dog, so perrito de sal is little dog of salt. The Mexican variation of the Salty Dog. Sweet.

To make one, rim a highball glass with grapefruit and salt. The original recipe calls for dehydrating grapefruit peel, grinding it, and mixing it with sugar and salt, but I think the simple grapefruit/salt rim works fine. Then combine with ice:
shake it well, and then dump the whole thing into the prepared highball glass. Put a grapefruit peel in it, too. Class.

The result is an even more balanced cocktail than the Salty Dog. The Chartreuse and sotol of the Perrito de Sal add complexity that the vodka of the Salty Dog just can't match, and the mixture of grapefruit and lime is perfect. It's a margarita variation, as well, but I think the combination of grapefruit and salt make it more similar to the Salty Dog. The cocktail is both sweet and tart with a hint of spiciness from the Chartreuse.

So if you're looking for something to do with that seasonal grapefruit, try this one. Thanks for the great cocktail, La Condesa