Grapefruit Gin Cocktail with Elderflower
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Full of fresh-squeezed juice and just enough sweetness, this easy Grapefruit Gin Cocktail with Elderflower is the perfect drink for your afternoon happy hour.
Elderflower liqueur is extremely sweet with a slightly floral taste, so it pairs very well with tart grapefruit and herbaceous gin. With only 5 ingredients, this cocktail is quick to shake up so you can get to enjoying your sip even faster. This delicious recipe is the perfect way to enjoy a hot day or celebrate any number of special occasions.
The color of your Gin Grapefruit Cocktail with Elderflower will vary a bit based on whether you use a red grapefruit (yielding pink grapefruit juice) or white grapefruit. Pick whichever fruit you prefer and/or is easily available in your local market. Red grapefruit are sweeter, so you may need to increase the simple syrup by 0.25 ounces if you use white grapefruit.
Ingredients
- Gin – I love using a gin with lots of flavor in this recipe. My pick is New Holland’s Knickerbocker Gin. Bombay Sapphire Gin would also be delicious in this recipe, but feel free to choose your favorite.
- Elderflower liqueur – I use St. Germain, which is easy to find in my area, but feel free to use whatever brand of elderflower liqueur you prefer.
- Simple syrup – Simple syrup is easy to make at home with white sugar and water. Be sure to make your simple syrup an hour or two ahead of time so it can cool completely before you’re ready to make the cocktail.
- Fresh lime and fresh grapefruit – Fresh juice is important in this drink. You’ll need about half of a lime and half of a grapefruit per cocktail. Bottled juices have additives, sweeteners, and colorings in them that change the flavor compared to squeezing the fruit. With only 5 ingredients – 2 of them being fruit juices – using fresh juice makes a big difference.
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How to Make a Gin Grapefruit Cocktail
Combine gin, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and fresh grapefruit juice in a cocktail shaker full of ice cubes.
Shake well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and/or a sugar rim. Sip and enjoy!
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Grapefruit Gin Cocktail with Elderflower
Ingredients
- 2 oz gin
- 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur
- 2 oz grapefruit juice, fresh squeezed
- 0.75 oz simple syrup
- 0.25 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed
Instructions
- Combine gin, grapefruit juice, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker full of ice cubes.2 oz gin, 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur, 2 oz grapefruit juice, 0.75 oz simple syrup, 0.25 oz lime juice
- Shake well for 10-15 seconds.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Sip and enjoy!
Notes
Video
Recipe Tips
Juice the grapefruit and lime into separate small bowls. Roll the lime on your counter, applying pressure with your palm, to release all of its juice before you cut into it. (You don’t need to do this with the grapefruit.)
You can strain the lime and grapefruit juices to remove all the pulp if that bothers you. If you don’t mind a little pulp in your drink, you can skip it.
How to Garnish Your Grapefruit Gin Cocktail
The simplest way to garnish a gin elderflower cocktail is with slices of grapefruit or lime wheels. For shooting this cocktail, I put decorating sugar on one side of the glass in addition to the grapefruit slices.
Want More Cocktails with Elderflower Liqueur?
Want to make more drinks using elderflower liqueur? Try these Elderflower Margaritas, my super refreshing Apple Orchard Cocktail, a Cucumber Vodka Martini, or this bright Cherry Blossom Cocktail with gin.
Looking for More Grapefruit Cocktail Recipes?
Want more drinks with grapefruit Use fresh grapefruit juice in so many drinks, like a classic Paloma cocktail, Brown Derby Cocktail, classic Salty Dog, or my Bourbon Grapefruit Cocktail. Or use the fruit to create grapefruit infused tequila or grapefruit simple syrup.
Love it, but I did change one thing. I used Ruby Red Grapefruit juice which is of course sweeter, since we didn’t have regular grapefruit juice. Tasted oh-so-good!!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!