A Grapefruit Salty Dog is such a fun and simple cocktail. So refreshing! Grapefruit Juice. Vodka. And salt. All coming together to make my new favorite Summer cocktail!
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Easy Grapefruit Cocktail
I found lots of new favorite things on my recent trip to San Diego. Favorite year round temperature, favorite homemade tortillas, favorite loaded fries, and most definitely favorite new Summer cocktail.
Grapefruit Salty Dog; refreshing, delicious, and SUPER EASY.
This drink is best. If you love grapefruit, you will LOVE this cocktail.
Be sure to try my Salty Dog Sangria too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Quick and easy: It takes no more than 5 minutes to make up this cocktail, it’s so simple and very effective!
- Simple ingredients: You only need 3 main ingredients and some salt and ice, you’ve got no excuses not to try this!
- So refreshing: This is the perfect summer drink! It’s fresh, tangy and salty, and every sip is truly delicious!
- Healthier: While I wouldn’t ever suggest that alcohol is healthy, this cocktail is low in calories and made with no added sugar.
How to make a grapefruit salty dog cocktail
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Rim your glass with salt.
- Fill with crushed ice.
- Shake together the vodka and grapefruit juice.
- Pour and enjoy!
Can you make it ahead of time?
This cocktail takes minutes to make, but if you are serving a crowd, you can definitely get ahead of things.
You can rim the glasses with salt ahead of time so that they are ready to go, and if you are hosting, you can shake together the vodka and grapefruit juice and keep it in a pitcher in the fridge. Just give it a stir before pouring.
How to garnish
Just like a margarita, the salt rim is key. Use a coarse sea salt that has large grains. When you take a sip you get a hint of salt with the tangy and sweet grapefruit juice. I like to add a slice of fresh grapefruit to the rim, and you can add a sprig of thyme or rosemary for a pop of color if you like.
Recipe Variations
Grapefruit juice is they key ingredient in a salty dog cocktail, but you can totally make this with another fruit juice like orange or pineapple. Vodka is the commonly used spirit, but gin will work well too.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can shake the grapefruit and vodka together in a sealable mason jar.
- Shaking helps to blend the vodka and juice together and is preferable over stirring.
- Use fresh grapefruit juice for the best flavor.
This grapefruit salty dog is hands down one of my favorite summer cocktails. So quick and easy to make, it’s one delicious way to cool down!
More Easy Cocktails
Grapefruit Salty Dog
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed red grapefruit juice
- 2 tablespoons good quality vodka I love Pearl!
- course sea salt for rim
- grapefruit slice for garnish
- 1 cup crushed ice
Instructions
- Wet the rim of your glass with water or the grapefruit slice. Dip in sea salt.
- Fill glass with crushed ice.
- Combine juice and vodka in shaker and shake or stir to combine.
- Pour over glass.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can shake the grapefruit and vodka together in a sealable mason jar.
- Shaking helps to blend the vodka and juice together and is preferable over stirring.
- Use fresh grapefruit juice for the best flavor.
Nutrition Information
Love a good salty dog! Beautiful pictures & I love the glasses…can you tell me what kind they are? Thanks!
Once again, stunning photos. These are truly some of my faves and the drink sounds delicious. Great job!!
Thanks mom!
The pictures are lovely.
Clarification: A Salty Dog is a Greyhound with salt around the rim. With that said, the juice base is grapefruit. However, the liquor may change from vodka to gin with vodka being predominant. As a former bartender I needed to comment.
On a funny note, years ago a friend started bartending and reached out while working asking “What’s a Greyhound?” I explained, but had to ask how she responded to the customer. Fast thinking as ever she said “I told him the bus didn’t stop here.”
Ha, thanks for stopping by!!
I love San Diego. Next time I’m in town, I’ll have to stop there. Your pictures are gorgeous and I’ve got to give this drink a try!
Yes!!!!! You’ll love it :)
Wow, I LOVE these pics! And I feel like grapefruit is such an underutilized fruit, this drink looks so light and refreshing.
Thanks Sara!!I need to use it more for sure…love it!
I am HUGE on grapefruit cocktails. This one is right up my alley!
Yay!!! Thanks for stopping by Kim :)
this cocktail looks so yummy, but I can’t have grapefruit due to certain medications I have to take. Do you have another vodka based drink I could try? And I love grapefruit
Hey Jo, thanks for stopping by! So sorry to hear you can’t have grapefruit! Here is a link to my other cocktails, most of them are vodka based. A couple of my faves are the red berry sangria and the raspberry lemon drop! https://www.thecookierookie.com/category/recipes/drinks/
Jo, talk to your doc about the grapefruit. Hubby also takes meds that clash with grapefruit. However, his doc said (A) it’s okay to eat grapefruit in the AM since he takes the meds in the PM and (B) the benefits of the grapefruit outweigh whatever the negative effects are. So, ask your doc about it. Hubby now enjoys his morning grapefruits again!
I absolutely love grapefruit and this looks like a signature summer drink – such awesome photos, girl!
THANK YOU!!!!!!! Muah!
Okay, don’t laugh at me but I didn’t know what a Salty Dog was so at first I thought you had done something really creative with a hot dog and a grapefruit! :) But this drink looks amazing! I have to give this a try!
Thank you Annie!! Oh and I totally thought it was a hotdog too when I saw the sign in San Diego! I was pleasantly surprised!!! lol
What a beautiful drink! Your photos are stunning!
Thank you so much Shelby!!!