The Siesta Cocktail is a delightful combination of tequila, Campari and grapefruit juice. This drink isn’t too strong and gives you an extra boost of acidity and freshness with every sip.

Normally I am not a tequila girl. Save for the margaritas I love to down on Taco Tuesday, or anytime I dare to venture to The Rio in downtown Denver, I usually stay away from tequila.

I mostly attribute this to a particular friend who encouraged one too many tequila shots into my system throughout college and well into my mid-twenties. Tequila was 100% her go-to libation of choice, and it got me into trouble every single time.

I believe the most recent one was at her wedding in Mexico…. I’m sure you can only imagine where that led… *shudders* I remember the hangover very well.

I’m just starting to let tequila back in my life – slowly and not in the form of shots. Margaritas are one of my favorite cocktails in the summer, but I get a little tired of them after a while. I wanted to teach myself a new way to enjoy tequila and I just so happened to stumble upon the Siesta cocktail in the latest Bon Appetit.

I’ve been on a bit of a grapefruit kick lately (as seen in my recent sparkling grapefruit old-fashioned) so when I saw this guy had both tequila and grapefruit juice I was sold. Plus it gave me an excuse to haul out the Campari that I generally have no clue what to do with.

It took a few recipes and several iterations of tweaking to get this drink right where I like it, but this version is spot on in my opinion. It’s tangy, complex, and there are surprising layers of flavor. Plus you don’t actually taste the tequila, so I think it’s a good little stepping stone for my tequila journey.