Pale Boxer

Humor me as I create a few “Yellow Boxer” cocktails to enjoy with this fine puzzle box.  The Yellow Boxer is thought of as an odd “tiki” style cocktail, that typically rum soaked concoction associated with Polynesian themed décor and tiny paper umbrellas.  I love tiki drinks, which you may have deduced from the many which have been featured here.  The Yellow Boxer simply appears in many old cocktail books in the tiki section, and no one seems to know exactly where it came from originally.

The original Yellow Boxer and the Pale version - maybe it’s a little paler?!?

What makes it odd is that it uses tequila rather than rum.  So after adding lemon, lime, orange juice, and a hint of the anise flavored liqueur Galliano which adds a subtle layer as well, it strikes me as more like a special margarita.  Maybe it just got misplaced in the wrong section years ago.  Maybe there was a cirrhotic pugilist who loved them, who knows.  I decided to tinker with it slightly.  I swapped out the Galliano, which is bright yellow, for yellow Chartreuse, the French herbal liqueur which is a paler yellow (still not exactly maple wood in color, but closer…) and I used a freshly made lime cordial rather than the Rose’s lime juice called for in all the old recipes.  We’ll get back to Rose’s lime soon, I promise.  The resulting “Pale Boxer” aka “Yellow Boxer No. 4” is a refreshingly light summer sipper which compliments the Clutch Tile Box rather well.  Cheers to a finely crafted collaboration.

Clutch these tightly, they're incredible!

The Pale Boxer (aka Yellow Boxer No. 4)

1 ½ oz reposado tequila

¾ oz fresh lemon juice

¾ oz fresh orange juice

¾ oz lime cordial (I used the simple recipe from Death and Co.)

¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse

Shake over ice and strain into a glass full of crushed ice.  There are plenty of complicated lime cordial recipes but a simple infusion of lime zest with lime juice and sugar works well.