According to nautical legend, the grapefruit originated in the mid-1600s when the seafarer Captain Shaddock brought pomelo seeds to the shores of Barbados and hybridized them with the local sweet oranges. And while it is rumored that the so-called Captain may have been more pirate than he was officer, without his citrusy matchmaking skills, there’d be no Paloma, no Greyhound, and no National Grapefruit Month! So, here are three of our favorite recipes dedicated to this most adventurous of botanicals. Cheers, and down the hatch!
MODERN SPRITZ
Did you know that the more crimson a grapefruit is on the inside, the sweeter it will taste? And more importantly, the more eye-catching the cocktail will be! While our eponymous Modern Spritz calls for just a splash or two of ruby red grapefruit in its sparkling wine base, in our experience it’s usually enough to make the whole table want one.
1½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
½ oz fresh grapefruit juice
3 oz sparkling wine
Pour Pomp & Whimsy and grapefruit juice into a wine glass filled with ice, top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a grapefruit peel.
WHIPPET
Can’t quite decide between a greyhound and a gin and tonic? Try the Whippet, a fluke recipe that has turned out to be one of the most magical combinations we know. And as luck might have it, the juice of one grapefruit should cover up to four pours, making it the perfect accompaniment to some spring-time backyard hosting. Time to dust off those Badminton rackets because warmer weather will be here again in no time.
1 ½ oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 ½ oz fresh grapefruit juice
1 ½ oz tonic
lime wedge
Pour Pomp & Whimsy and grapefruit juice over ice in a highball glass and top with the tonic. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime.
BRIGHT SHINY MORNING
Originating in the 1930s, the Grapefruit Diet (aka The Hollywood Diet) advocated for every day to start with a grapefruit. And while the weight loss benefits of the regime have long since been debunked, our cultural penchant for fresh citrus in the morning has thankfully stuck around. What is surely not a fad is the delightfulness of this brunch-inspired cocktail. The Bright Shiny Morning is low in ABV, rich in vitamin C, and we find, remarkably complementary to all manner of breakfast toasts.
1 oz Pomp & Whimsy Gin Liqueur
1 oz Cocchi Americano (or dry vermouth)
¾ oz lemon
¾ oz grapefruit
½ oz simple syrup
Shake ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker to wake the juices, and strain over fresh ice in a lowball to serve. Garnish with a long twist of rolled grapefruit peel.
Recipe credit: @cucinarestaurants
Photo credit: @stacykeck