Lone Ranger Cocktail

published Jul 10, 2024
summer
lone ranger cocktails on surface
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Ben Weiner

A bubbly citrus cocktail made with tequila, lemon, and sparkling rosé wine.

Makes1 drink

Prep5 minutes

Jump to Recipe
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lone ranger cocktails on surface
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Ben Weiner

Summer is the season for sparkling cocktails because they’re light and refreshing, especially when the weather is decidedly not. I’ve spent summers sipping on mimosas and Aperol spritzes, but this year I’m shaking up the Lone Ranger, a variation on the French 75 that features my favorite spirit: tequila. 

Famed bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler riffed on the classic French 75 cocktail by replacing the gin with tequila and sparkling wine with sparkling rosé wine to create the Lone Ranger. The result is a light and refreshing cocktail that’s perfect for sipping at brunch or as an after-dinner drink. Here’s how to make it at home. 

Why You’ll Love It

  • It’s perfect for summer. This cocktail is light and refreshing because it is made with fresh lemon juice and tequila. Finish with a splash of sparkling rosé to give it a bubbly, barely there sunset effect. 
  • It’s so easy to make. All you need is tequila and sparkling rosé wine, plus some lemon juice and simple syrup, to make this cocktail. 
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Ben Weiner

Key Ingredients in a Lone Ranger

  • Lemon: Remove a slice of the fragrant peel for garnish before juicing the lemon. Bartenders often use a channel knife for this, but a sharp vegetable peeler also works for a wider piece of zest.
  • Tequila: Choose 100% agave blanco (or silver) tequila to highlight the cocktail’s light and fruity flavor. (Not sure about the differences between types of tequila? We’ve got you covered.)
  • Simple syrup: This liquid sweetener is simply 1 part granulated sugar and 1 part water heated until the sugar dissolves. I like to use rich simple syrup, a 2:1 sugar to water ratio, for a cocktail with slightly more body.
  • Sparkling rosé wine: Pick a sparkling rosé wine that’s fruity but not too sweet. Most rosés give the cocktail a barely there pink hue, but if you can find a darker rosé, the color will intensify.

How to Make a Lone Ranger

  1. Shake the ingredients. Shake freshly squeezed lemon juice, tequila, and simple syrup with ice until completely chilled.
  2. Strain and top with rosé bubbles. Strain into an ice-filled stemless wine glass or Collins glass. Top with sparkling rosé wine and garnish with the lemon peel. 

More Sparkling Cocktails to Serve

Lone Ranger Cocktail Recipe

A bubbly citrus cocktail made with tequila, lemon, and sparkling rosé wine.

Prep time 5 minutes

Makes 1 drink

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • Ice

  • 1

    medium lemon

  • 1 1/2 ounces

    blanco tequila

  • 3/4 ounce

    simple syrup

  • 2 ounces

    chilled dry sparkling rosé wine

Instructions

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  1. Fill a stemless wine or Collins glass with ice. Using a channel knife or vegetable peeler, peel a long strip of peel from 1 medium lemon. Juice the lemon until you have 1 ounce.

  2. Place the lemon juice, 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila, and 3/4 ounce simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker halfway with ice, seal, and shake until the outside of the shaker is very frosty, about 20 seconds.

  3. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into the glass. Slowly pour in 2 ounces chilled dry sparkling rosé wine. Hold the lemon peel over the cocktail and twist the peel to express the oils onto the surface of the drink. Run the outside of the peel over the rim of the glass, then drop the peel into the cocktail.

Recipe Notes

Ingredient variation: 1/2 ounce rich simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) can be substituted for the simple syrup.