While lemon, lime and orange juices are consistent cocktail staples, grapefruit is generally less common – possibly even seen as a little old-school, especially when compared to its more exotic counterparts like passionfruit, lychee and kumquat.
However, it can lend a wonderfully bittersweet note to sweet, sour and savoury drinks, so don’t underestimate its appeal. Here are a few of our favourite grapefruit cocktails.
Seabreeze
A classic combination of vodka with cranberry, grapefruit, and lime juices, this citrussy cocktail has a refreshingly tangy finish. Shake equal measures of vodka and grapefruit juice with twice the volume of cranberry and a squeeze of lime, strain into an ice-filled highball glass.
Paloma
This Mexican favourite is perfect for summer. The Paloma blends silver tequila with pink grapefruit juice, lime and a little agave nectar, served over ice in a Collins glass, topped with soda water (grapefruit flavour for preference) and garnished with a citrus slice. You could save yourself some time by ordering a box of Edmunds’ Paloma cocktails and simply stocking up on soda.
Grapefruit Margarita
Sticking with the tequila theme, you could introduce grapefruit juice to your classic Margarita for a refreshing, super-citrussy hit. Shake a large measure of reposado tequila with grapefruit juice and lime juice in a 4:2:1 ratio, adding a dash of agave nectar before straining into a salt-rimmed coupe.
Salty Dog
To all intents and purposes, this is a tiny variation on the classic Greyhound with the subtle, but important, addition of a salted glass rim. Likely dating from the mid-twentieth century, 1950s, it combines vodka and grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed pink grapefruit for preference) served over ice in a tall, salt-rimmed glass.
Hemingway Daiquiri
And, talking of salty dogs, here’s an homage to the big dog himself. This super-strength daiquiri-style cocktail – originally branded the Papa Doble – was created for him at El Floridita in Cuba and is generous enough to serve two. Shake 100ml of golden rum and 20ml of maraschino liqueur with 30ml each of grapefruit and lime juice (and a little sugar syrup to taste) until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Brown Derby
A sweet and zesty blend of bourbon, grapefruit juice and honey syrup (honey and water) that likely dates back to Los Angeles in the 1930s. Blending the three ingredients in a 3:2:1 ratio produces a delicately balanced drink that nicely unites the different flavour profiles and is a hit even with whiskey-sceptics. Shake with ice, strain into a coupe and garnish with a twist of grapefruit.
