Siesta
A fresh tequila cocktail with Campari, lime and grapefruit in fine bittersweet balance.
Ingredients
- Blanco tequila45 ml
- Campari15 ml
- Lime juice, freshly squeezed15 ml
- Grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed, ideally pink grapefruit15 ml
- Simple syrup (1 part Sugar, 1 part Water)15 ml
- Lime, to garnish (optional)1 wheel
Method
- Put a coupe in the freezer for at least 10 minutes so the drink stays cold for as long as possible.
- Squeeze fresh lime and grapefruit juice: fresh citrus is essential to the drink's brightness and balance.
- Pour the tequila, Campari, lime juice, grapefruit juice and simple syrup into a shaker filled with ice.
- Shake hard for 10–15 seconds, until the shaker feels icy cold.
- Strain through a fine sieve into the cold coupe for a silky texture.
- Garnish with a lime wheel, or express a strip of grapefruit peel over the drink for extra aroma.
Katie Stipe, Flatiron Lounge, New York City (2006)
About this drink
The Siesta was created by bartender Katie Stipe at New York's much-loved Flatiron Lounge in 2006. It builds on classics such as the Margarita and the Hemingway Daiquiri but sets itself apart by making room for the bitter, herbal depth of Campari. Within a few years it had become a fixture of modern cocktail menus around the world.
Questions and answers
What kind of drink is the Siesta?
A tequila sour with Campari and grapefruit, a bittersweet relative of the Margarita and the Hemingway Daiquiri, where a bitter edge meets the citrus acidity.
Why blanco rather than reposado tequila in a Siesta?
Blanco's clean, sharp agave holds up best against Campari's bitterness and grapefruit's acidity. A barrel-aged tequila can easily get lost among the other bold flavours.
