The tangy Paloma gets a sweet addition with pineapple juice and simple syrup. Enjoy for Cinco de Mayo, because the weather’s getting warmer, or because there are days where could all benefit from a little bit of tequila!
Hey there, folks, and happy Monday, and happy almost Cinco de Mayo, and happy May the Fourth Be With You! I celebrated the latter of those by running a virtual 10K with a girlfriend from work and while there was some sweet Baby Yoda swag involved, it was honestly just awesome to catch up in person with a friend.
We’re all about a gradual return to normal, and not just normal but a new normal, one that lets us protect our at-risk family members and learn some valuable productivity lessons from this distributed work and telework that we’ve been doing. However, when we can, I think porch parties and driveway parties will definitely become part of our routine. I miss having a table packed full of people and hosting summer barbecues and all of that.
In the meantime, I’ve been hosting a virtual happy hour with my team at work every Friday. It’s been a fun opportunity to catch up with everyone in as close to in person as we can {we Zoom, like just about every other human in the country right now}, but it’s also a fun look into just who people are at home.
We wear uniforms to work all the time, and 19 years of Army service have taught me that people don’t just put on the uniform, they put on a persona. But it’s also taught me that an important part of working with your team is knowing who they are beyond the persona. And with Zoom, it’s a unique opportunity to see someone hanging out at home on their back porch with their kids or kicking back on the couch.
It’s fun to see who has a fully set up office and who doesn’t mind taking their laptop onto the easy chair or the patio. I love either meeting everyone’s family virtually if I haven’t met them already or seeing what they’re up to now if I have met them. And I love seeing what everyone chooses to enjoy at the end of the workweek.
I’m usually true to my California roots and enjoying a glass of hometown wine. We have a few beer drinkers, a few Bourbon drinkers, and a few I’m coaxing into the world of mixed drinks. We share drink recipes, smoker recipes, hints on where to get the best pizza delivery {which I still haven’t tried yet – we haven’t gotten delivery of anything but a few groceries since this all kicked off}, and lots and lots of gardening tips. A few folks have put in a full garden like I have, but I think pretty much everyone has a couple pots of fresh herbs or at least some tomatoes going.
Occasionally I get into mixed drink mode. My fall go-to is an Old Fashioned {you can see one of my favorite variations on that theme over here} but in the spring, I trend toward the fruity drinks. Margaritas and smashes. Tall, cold, fruity, and icy. These Strawberry Pineapple Daiquiris and Sweet Strawberry Mimosas. When the summer weather hits, I’m looking forward to breaking out these Watermelon Blueberry Mojitos.
And lately, we’ve been loving these delicious and sweet Pineapple Palomas. This recipe just takes the classic Paloma, cuts down on the amount of syrup and gives it a sweet pineapple riff. But it’s amazingly tasty and easy to make, and you can vary the amount of tequila to your liking so it doesn’t put you down for the count. It might be Cinco tomorrow, but there’s work on Wednesday and I don’t know about you guys, but I discovered the first sign of being 40 is that one tequila drink is your limit if you want to be functional!
Psst…if you want a mocktail version of the Paloma, I made a version I call the White Poppy, and you can find it over here!
[lt_recipe name=”Pineapple Palomas” summary=”The tangy Paloma gets a sweet addition with pineapple juice and simple syrup. Enjoy for Cinco de Mayo, because the weather’s getting warmer, or because there are days where could all benefit from a little bit of tequila!” servings=”2″ total_time=”5M” print=”yes” image=”https://homefrontcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pineapple-Palomas-0681-1024×683.jpg” ingredients=”4 oz tequila;4 oz grapefruit juice;1 oz fresh lime juice;6 oz pineapple juice;2 oz sparkling water or club soda;1 tsp sugar;ice, crushed or otherwise;salt for the glass rim;fresh pineapple or lime or grapefruit slices for garnish” ]Rub the rim of each of 2 glasses with a lime and dip into the salt. Add ice to the glasses until they’re at least 3/4 full.;In a large pitcher, add tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, and sugar, and give a quick stir. Pour the mixture over the ice in the glasses. Top up as needed with sparkling water or club soda.;Garnish with fresh pineapple, lime, or grapefruit. Or all of the above![/lt_recipe]
Our Cinco de Mayo celebration might not be a table full of people this year, but we can still pour a couple of these, mix up some guacamole, make some tasty shrimp tacos, and enjoy an evening out on the back deck.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
