Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Greyhounds, with a tiny twist

A greyhound is my safe drink. You have a safe drink, right? For when you go to a bar where you're expected to order a drink without a menu and there are no artisanal cocktails (the horror!). Airport bars, for instance. Every bar in my hometown for another. My mind goes blank and I start feeling hopelessly dorky immediately. I think a gin and tonic is usually the cooler option, but I'm still not entirely on board with tonic water. A greyhound is vodka and grapefruit juice and it is nearly impossible to screw up. Of course, there's a wide range of deliciousness, with canned sweetened grapefruit juice on one end and squeezed-at-the-bar on the other (The Layover in Oakland does this and it is amazing).

cocktail hour
{cocktail hour}

Someone will undoubtedly complain that you cannot call this a greyhound but I'm too lazy to make up another name for it right now. Chow calls it a bichon frisé but let's be honest, I'm never going to say that. Too fussy.

grapefruit cocktail
{grapefruit cocktail}

It's essentially a greyhound, but with a tiny bit of lemon juice and a splash of St. Germain. You can swap in gin and you can leave out the lemon but it adds a nice brightness. The St. Germain, even in a tiny dose, does wonders at mellowing out cheap vodka. And, if you are in the market for budget friendly vodka, I'm actually a fan of that Vodka Monopolowa from Trader Joe's. I bought it the first time for the label, obviously, but it's decent in mixed drinks and it's potato based so safe for gluten free friends. I'm not a big vodka drinker in general but I keep it around for some summer cocktails.

Greyhound with a twist (original recipe here - makes 1)
1 1/2 oz. vodka or gin
1/2 oz. St. Germain
2 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 lemon wedge
:: Pour the alcohol and the juice in a shaker over ice. Squeeze the lemon wedge in and then toss the wedge in as well. Shake well. Strain and serve, with an additional lemon wedge if desired.

The original recipe has less vodka and more St. Germain. I love St. Germain but it's very sweet and floral and expensive, so I vastly prefer it in smaller amounts. Sometimes I'll even cut it down a touch more, using 1/2 ounce for two drinks. This will also be heavily impacted by what type of juice you're using. The recipe is written for unsweetened ruby red grapefruit juice. If you're using sweetened juice, you might want even less St. Germain. If you're using freshly squeezed white grapefruit juice, which is more tart, you might want a bit more.

PITCHER VARIATION: If you're making pitcher greyhounds, which I did for the fourth of July this year, you can go even lighter. Combine nearly equal parts vodka and grapefruit juice and then add in just a bit of St. Germain. We're talking maybe 3 cups grapefruit juice, 2 cups vodka (taste and adjust to your preference at this point) and just mix in 2 or 3 ounces of St. Germain at the end. The effect will be so subtle that you might not pick up on it if you didn't know it was there, but if you tasted the drink before and after, you'll notice how much more nuanced it is. I didn't bother with lemon juice in these, although I'm sure it would have been good. You'd probably only want 1 ounce.

25 comments:

  1. My safe drink is a bay breeze! Vodka, cranberry juice, and pineapple. Usually very difficult to mess up. This sounds good though - I will definitely try it!

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    1. Oh, never heard of that one! Sounds like a safe back up.

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  2. Isn't beer a safe drink...?

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    1. It should be, but I'm a beer snob - I'll drink a cheap beer at home sometimes but I hate paying for one in a bar. : )

      So I end up choosing subpar cocktails over beer.

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    2. i feel that. i ordered a bottle of ye olde domestic beer at a rooftop bar here in nyc several summers ago and was charged twenty, two-zero, dollars for it. i have not yet recovered.

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  3. This makes me want a cocktail so badly. I love a greyhound, too... Only a couple more months until the cocktail consumption can begin again!

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  4. I'm in Pennsylvania, so there's no such thing as "vodka at Trader Joe's" ;)

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    1. Me too, Iris! Too bad for us--it would be terribly convenient. Maybe too convenient...

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    2. That always makes me so sad! Stupid liquor laws. TJ's alcohol is great.

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    3. I never even knew Trader Joe's sold liquor in some other states! (I'm also in PA)... Mind blown.

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  5. These sound good. I don't make cocktails for myself all that much, but lately I've been making them at the hotel I work for, and it's enticing me to try some new things. I'll put this on the list :)

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    1. I literally NEVER used to make cocktails. We didn't even keep any hard alcohol in the house, because we'd never use it up. We still drink a lot of beer at home, but during the summer I love a good cocktail.

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  6. Ha, I saw the ingredients you were using and thought, "wow! she's making, oh what are those, the ones with grapefruit and St. Germain, I love those, but they have that really strange name, I can't remember!"

    ...I do kind of agree, naming a drink like this after a little yippy fluffy dog is kind of ridiculous. I tried to think greyhound/flower/winner/something, but then realized there has got to be a winning greyhound with an awesome name out there, and sure enough, there are some doozies:

    Fitbaw Willie
    Chaotic Jasmin
    Droopys India
    Dobbythehouseelf

    But nothing really stuck with a pretty pink drink. Then I got to thinking about the color, and the fact that it's grapefruit, and the band Pomplamoose popped up, so maybe that? Ha, I don't know. I'm not so good at this naming drinks thing.

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    1. Ha, those are so funny! I have an aversion to saying names that are overly long or silly. I feel like I'll trip over my tongue before I get the name of the drink out.

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    2. I know, right? Some drink names are so good...and others are a bit ridiculous.

      Also--I forgot to mention, but there's an elderflower liqueur producer here in Somerville called St. Elder (one town over from Cambridge, MA) - 750mL costs $15 to St. Germain's $33. I don't think they sell it in California yet, but for you local Massachusetts folks, it's a great bargain.

      Also - the producer's favorite way to use it is in a modified Greyhound, so we're all in good company!

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    3. Boo. Looks like it isn't available in CA yet. I'll keep looking - maybe they'll get distribution!

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  7. i've always sort of liked "greyhound" as a drink name; it makes me think of the bus line, so i imagine it is durable and vaguely shady. i was deeply impressed, rachel, when you ordered a paloma at the cha cha the other night and the bartender just knew what it was; i should've known that would work in LA, but most places are still wrapping their heads around, like, micheladas out here.

    i will try this! i have declared 2013 The Summer of the Slightly Floral Cocktail, based on my new fondness for aviations and my perennial affection for grapefruit margaritas with habanero.

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    1. Yes, I approve of greyhound. Easy to say, hard to misunderstand. One of my phobias is having to repeat myself over and over in a loud bar.

      I was fairly certain that the bartender would know a paloma, given the general vibe. But I figured if he didn't, at least I could easily explain it and not look like an idiot!

      Social anxiety, you are a cruel mistress.

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  8. This is my go-to drink too! I call it a Pinkhound. :)

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  9. I would love it if someone walked up to the bar and ordered a "Bichon Frise." Ha! This drink sounds so freaking refreshing for the heatwave we've been having in London!

    Best,
    Anne

    www.bentonandtilley.com

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  10. As I drove to BevMo this weekend, I desperately searched your blog for the rattler recipe (for some reason, I had the name "snakebite" in my mind, so the search was a bit more difficult). I was, unfortunately, not down to wait to infuse my tequilla so I just went with some cayenne instead. Just wanted to share that I dig your taste in drinks - strong, not sweet, and a tad snobby (at least when it comes to beer - I'm fairly strictly on craft IPAs at this point in time). Very similar to mine, so I always trust your cocktail recipes and beer recommendations! I will have to give the greyhound a try, although my go to is a gin and tonic - although if the ratio is off (too much tonic = barf), can be screwed up by an inept bartender. Keep on sharing your drink suggestions!

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    1. Snakebite would have been a good name too! I love that.

      Sounds like we're kindred drinking spirits.

      Fair warning - this greyhound is a touch sweeter than my usual drinks, because of the St. Germaine. Make sure you stick with the scaled back version since you prefer less sweetness. I vary it based on my friends' preferences but I like the smaller amount I mention - 1/2 oz for two drinks. Perfect.

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  11. huge mistake trying to circumvent the grapefruit by using Absolute Vodka. Just for the lazy bones out there. I gave it a second try and did not sway from the recipe. Lesson learned and the most perfect one. Will be putting this one in steady (not too steady, don't worry) rotation.

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