Greyhound Cocktail

The Greyhound Cocktail is an old fashioned cocktail with just two or three ingredients; vodka, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup if you need it sweeter. It makes for a lovely refreshment that is fantastic all year round.

I want to make everything possible that incorporates lemons, lime, oranges, and grapefruits. The first three get their due in my kitchen but I admit I too often forget the grapefruit but I’ve had it on my mind and today’s the day to introduce the Greyhound Cocktail.

I do love grapefruit but if I’m honest I’ve also hate that business about cutting all those sections before serving it and that has kept them at the bottom of the totem pole of citrus fruits. Not today; today all that was necessary for this luscious Greyhound Cocktail was juicing and slicing and I can do that!

I’m surprised I’ve never included the basic Greyhound in these pages since I do have a sort of round about history with them. A lifetime ago, when I was newly married, my ex and I had moved to Raleigh, NC for his job. I didn’t have the luxury of a pre-made job ready for me, so I took some time to figure out what I wanted to do.

Our neighbors, surprisingly and gratefully, had also moved to Raleigh from St. Louis and we became fast friends. Bob was the regional manager for food services for Greyhound, the bus company, and while I was in the process of doing that ‘figuring out’ he hired me to help him with their restaurant.

I did some interior decorating to spruce up the offices but I wasn’t involved in any food prep. North Carolina was a dry state, so it wasn’t until I went on a trip with Bob to Virginia that I discovered that cocktails were served in other locations but we didn’t imbibe and that was that.

It was only when I researched this simple cocktail that I learned it was named after the bus company where it was served in their Post House restaurants located in each bus terminal.

A recipe for a cocktail with the name “Greyhound” first appeared in Harper’s Magazine in 1945: “The cocktails were made of gin, sugar, and canned grapefruit juice. Over the years that has been modified to include fresh squeezed juice and either vodka or gin…although I’ve never had one with the more herbaceous gin and I think vodka is far more poplar.

Some prefer no sugar but I’ve included simple syrup in mine occasionally, it all depends on how tart the grapefruit is.

While I did rim this drink with cake decorating sugar, which may not be standard practice, it’s simply sugar and often, that’s the only touch of sweetness needed. If it were rimmed with salt it would be called a Salty Dog.

The truth is, Wilton Cake Decorating Sugar (affiliate link) is decorative but also more than just another taste element; it doesn’t melt in your mouth like regular sugar; it has a nice mouth feel and it sure does look pretty doesn’t it? I have several jars of different colors…and I’m not sure I’ve ever used them on a cake but they are fantastic for decorating cocktails and my favorite sugar cookies too.

I had actually planned to make this a Greyhound Cocktail with a hint of rosemary and rosemary sprigs for garnish. Oops…my cocktail has none but I do have a good excuse! I saved the little, charming rosemary plant someone gave me for Christmas shaped like a Christmas tree. I’ve re-potted it, cut it back and it’s thriving but it doesn’t quite have sprigs yet; the way they shape those plants into trees makes for VERY short branches. I’ve got tons for using in recipes but nothing quite long enough for a nice garnish.

So I went back to the original; probably a good idea since I had never included it in these pages and I love this cocktail. If you enjoy grapefruit, you will too. I’ve included a couple of variations in the recipe card below if you want to experiment, including the rosemary version.

As for the grapefruit? Try to find some of the Red Ruby variety; they add such beautiful color to the Greyhound Cocktail and they are sweeter than some varieties. I love using my citrus juicer (affiliate link) for juicing them too; makes for quick work and I’m sure extracts more juice too.

Now go grab some of those luscious grapefruits at the market; this Greyhound Cocktail should be a regular in your cocktail rotation and of course, Cheers!

More Grapefruit Cocktail Favorites

• The Paloma Cocktail
• Citrus Rum Punch
• Grapefruit and Raspberry Margarita

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