Grapefruit Gin Cocktail with Elderflower

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. 

Jump to:

• Ingredients for Grapefruit Gin Cocktails
• How to Make a Gin Grapefruit Cocktail
• Recipe Tips
• How to Garnish Your Grapefruit Gin Cocktail
• Looking for More Cocktails with Elderflower?
• More Delicious Cocktail Recipes You'll Love
• Print the Recipe Card
• Grapefruit Gin Cocktail with Elderflower

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 for Grapefruit Gin Cocktails

• 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. 

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 it up! 

Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

Garnish with a slice of grapefruit. Sip and enjoy! 

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.

Looking for More Cocktails with Elderflower?

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.

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