Mezcal Paloma

Once my wife and I sampled the smokey flavor of Mezcal in a cocktail at a local Mexican restaurant, we were hooked. We have since experimented with a number of different recipes and found this one to not only be our favorite, but also one of the easiest to make and remember (just think: 4, 2, 1 + 1). Other than the limes, there are no special ingredients and a full can of Fresca eliminates grapefruit or partial juice containers to spoil.

Combine in a 20oz or larger cocktail shaker:

4oz Mezcal (Vida is our favorite)
Juice of 2 limes
1oz simple syrup (more or less to taste)

Add ice to the shaker and shake for 5-10 seconds

Add 1 12oz can of Fresca grapefruit soda water, then serve over ice in a Tajin-rimmed glass (we like it better than salt).

Lauretta’s Sticky Rolls

1 bowl – cinnamon and sugar mixture (about 3 cups of sugar and 3-4 Tbsp cinnamon)
2 Loaves of frozen sweet dough.
1 bowl – warm water

Thaw dough until it doubles in size. (I take them out in the afternoon and make it in the evening)
Cut dough into slices (about 12-13 slices per loaf).
Put a few slices of dough in water, spread each slice kind of wide.
Take a slice out of water and dip it in cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Twist and put into a 9×13 pan, in two rows.
Sprinkle remaining cinnamon and sugar over the dough.
When you have all the dough in, sprinkle some of the leftover water over the dough to make it sticky.
Refrigerate overnight.
Take it out of the fridge until it rises (30 to 60 minutes).
Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.
After baking, let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soak up extra liquid.
Turn upside down on foil or in a container.