Most of the cocktails this blog will feature will be 100% credited to Ross… but there are TWO cocktails that I actually created (with a tiny bit of help from Ross) and submitted in a workplace cocktail competition and won BOTH times. The first was the Passionfruit Paperclip.

Passionfruit grows rampant in my neighborhood. It hangs over fence lines and my kids either grab it or neighbors drop it off in hopes you can put it to good use. ‘Good use’ in my house is building a cocktail around it. Passionfruit is tropical and tart so it was a quick decision to pair it with tequila and I wanted to add a bit of vanilla bean paste to add depth and compliment any notes from the tequila’s barrel aging process.

When we shook this cocktail and served it up in a coupe, I took a photo for the competition and noticed later there was a “paperclip” on the counter next to the glass. My favorite cocktail is a Paper Plane, though this drink is completely different - I love alliteration and thought it would be a fun riff given the accessory in photo and dubbed it the Passionfruit Paperclip.

I shared my recipe in a few Teams chats and my campaign was off to the races. I had triple the amount of votes of the next nearest competitor and won by a landslide. Only then did I notice my mistake… the item in my photo was not actually a paperclip. It was a clothespin… I’m not sure whether this mistake was due to tired mom-brain or aggressive cocktail creative sampling but it made for a good laugh with my team at work. Unfortunately for you, I can’t find that original photo (and my company chose to create their own glossy recreation for the corporate channels!) but the photo featured here is where I batched the recipe at work to celebrate victory with my full team.

2oz Casa Noble Blanco tequila

1oz fresh squeezed lime juice

1oz simple syrup

1tbsp passionfruit pulp

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Lime wedge or dehydrated orange slice (for garnish)

Ice cubes

1. Combine tequila, lime juice, simply syrup, passionfruit pulp and vanilla bean paste in a shaker with a few cubes of ice.

2. Shake vigorously

3. Serve up in a coupe glass (straining ice cubes) or over fresh rocks in a bucket and garnish with lime or orange