Li Hing Mui Palomas by Sheldon Simeon

If you live on the mainland, Palomas aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but here in Hawai‘i we like to add li hing mui (salted sour plums) … a spot-on match for the tart and sweet flavor of the cocktail.

This is one of three featured recipes from this week’s guest, chef Sheldon Simeon, via his debut cookbook Cook Real Hawai’i. Paid subscribers can also find recipes for Chicken Hekka and Chocolate Birthday Cake Butter Mochi.

Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

Excerpted with permission from Cook Real Hawai’i by Sheldon Simeon:

One tip for any aspiring restaurant owners out there: Always get to know your liquor distributor. It was my buddy Keli‘i, a professional booze suer that I’ve worked with for years, who turned me on to the Paloma, a tangy grapefruit and tequila cocktail that has become my favorite mixed drink.

I realize that if you live on the mainland, Palomas aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but here in Hawai‘i we like to add li hing mui (salted sour plums) that are a spot-on match for the tart and sweet flavor of the cocktail. Made with a nice bottle of tequila (mahalos, Keli‘i), the flavor combination creates a thirst-quenching beverage that is dangerously easy to drink. Or to put it another way: First sip, you fall in love. Last sip, you fall down.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup tequila reposado

• 16 sweet red li hing mui (see below)