Inspiration comes in so many shapes and sizes and sometimes it’s not complicated or even seems special enough to warrant a story. This cocktail happened in the simplest of ways. Someone asked a question about Saturday morning cartoons. I recalled how much I hated them when my kids were young. I thought they were just loud and irritating and wished my kids could enjoy some of the Saturday fare I recalled from my childhood. The Lone Ranger, Sky King, Fury and My Friend Flicka among them (I just loved horses when I was little…still do!).
A bit later that day I spied a cocktail on Liquor.com called ‘The Lone Ranger’ – can you blame me for feeling this was somehow prophetic, that I had to make this cocktail or risk forever being cursed by the ghosts of Lone himself and his sidekick Tonto? It didn’t hurt that it was so pretty but what did surprise me with this Tequila, Sparkling Rosé & Lemon Cocktail tequila was the mixing of tequila and rosé wine. To call those a unique combination would be the epitome of an understatement; I could not imagine them together which made me have to try it!
I admit that the wine I bought won out over others because I loved the color; a really gorgeous pink. I wasn’t looking for an extraordinary rosé; I was simply looking for a rose to mix with tequila and this worked perfectly for my tastes. An effervescent blend of Argentina’s signature Malbec red grape and Merlot; it’s a light alcohol wine with flavors of strawberry and raspberry. All of a sudden I could start to imagine why this would be good; tequila is used in margaritas all the time with fruit components.
Created by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, manager at the acclaimed Clyde Common in Portland, Ore, The Lone Ranger truly is simple and elegant; a combination of tequila, lemon juice, a bit of simple syrup and some brut rosé sparkling wine. I thought it looked pretty and sounded interesting but I was unprepared for just how much I would love it. Cool, crisp and refreshingly light with that little kick of tequila; it’s jumped way up the leaderboard for favorite summer cocktail!
This Lone Ranger needs no Tonto.
Serves 1
A light and summery cocktail blending tequila, sparkling rose wine and lemon juice.
10 minPrep Time
2 minCook Time
12 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1and 1/2 oz Silver tequila
- 1 oz Lemon juice
- 1/2 oz Rich simple syrup (two parts sugar, one part water)
- 2 oz Brut rosé sparkling wine
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a Collins glass with ice.
- Put the tequila, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Open the shaker, add the sparkling wine (do not shake) and strain into the ice filled glass.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
- Use a vegetable peeler to cut long strips from lemon rind. Trim edges with knife and cut ends on the diagonal. Wrap around a toothpick or a skewer and slide into beverage.
Notes
To make simple syrup, heat water and sugar over medium high heat, remove from heat as soon as all sugar has been dissolved. Chill.
I've found what really speeds up the process is to heat half the water with the sugar and then once the sugar is dissolved I add the other half as ice water and pour the mixture into a container to chill.
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