Citrus is generally thought of as a summer fruit, but one member of this sour bunch flourishes in the winter just after the holidays. The grapefruit, which is often considered to be the red-headed stepchild of the citrus family that must be topped with sugar to become even remotely tolerable, is actually a useful ingredient in cocktail crafting. It’s praised for its unique color that makes for an eye-catching drink, and it’s combination of sour, tart, sweet and acidic flavors that can make for an interesting balance in the mix.
One of the most popular and well-known cocktails using this ingredient is the Greyhound (vodka + grapefruit juice), but it’s also used in a handful of other lesser-known drinks and can be incorporated into an improved drink to harmonize sweeter elements and mellow out the taste of alcohol. Below are seven cocktails that use grapefruit from a variety of sources, from classic recipes to regional craft distilleries suggestions and even a complex, award-winning cocktail.
Blushing Betty – Fremont Mischief
Ingredients:
1 ounce fresh juice
1 ½ ounces Fremont Mischief Whiskey
½ ounce simple syrup
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Ginger Sour – Crater Lake Spirits
Ingredients:
1 ounce Crater Lake Sweet Ginger Vodka
2 ounces bourbon
2 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice
½ ounce lemon juice
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes, strain into a lowball glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Grapefruit Divine – Oregon Spirit Distillers
Ingredients:
2 ounces Distiller’s Choice Dry Gin
½ ounce Cointreau
1 ½ ounces fresh grapefruit Juice
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
2 dashes of Fee Bros Grapefruit Bitters
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes, strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
Hemingway Special – Traditional
Ingredients:
2 ounces white rum
1 ½ ounces grapefruit juice
½ ounce maraschino liqueur
1 ½ ounces fresh lime juice
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes, strain into a chilled martini glass.
Nevada Cocktail – Traditional
Ingredients: 2 ounces light rum
2 ounces grapefruit juice
1 ounce lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
A dash of bitters
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes, strain into a chilled martini glass.
Paloma – Traditional
Ingredients:
1 ounce tequila
Grapefruit soda (or fresh grapefruit juice and club soda)
Directions: In a highball glass with ice and a salted rim, add tequila and top with grapefruit soda (or fresh juice and club soda).
Sweet Dream – Juan Pablo Santiago’s 2012 IBA Flair Competition winning drink
Ingredients:
1 ounce Bacardi Carta Oro
¾ ounce Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
½ ounce Finest Call Mango Puree
½ ounce Routin 1883 Lychee
¾ ounce orange juice
½ ounce grapefruit juice
Directions: Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes, strain into a Durobor Norway or lowball glass. Garish with a cocktail cherry, grapefruit, orange and a pineapple leaf.
