Whiskey and grapefruit juice pair together very well. The smooth, smoky taste of your favorite whiskey or bourbon mixes with the tart citrus of grapefruit for a killer combination and distinct flavor profile.

What is a Whiskey and Grapefruit?

In it’s simplest form, whiskey and grapefruit juice is a very simple drink. It is exactly how it sounds; some whiskey, some grapefruit juice, throw on a lime wedge garnish and call it a day. What’s awesome about this drink is that the flavors compliment each other so well that this drink has spun off a ton of other very good cocktails.

We’ll learn the recipe and a few variations in just a bit. Let’s first talk about where this drink came from.

Now, this exact combination of just whiskey and grapefruit is not really known. It has probably been around as long as we’ve had whiskey and bourbon. However, this drink rose to popularity with the creation of a drink called a Brown Derby, named after a diner in Los Angeles called, you guessed it, The Brown Derby. The Brown Derby cocktail includes honey syrup. But it’s creation sparked an interest in the drink without the added sweetener.

Fun fact: The Brown Derby Restaurant got it’s name because it was shaped like a brown derby hat.

How to make this drink:

Let’s start out with the simple 2 ingredient version of this drink and then move on to the more complicated variations, like the aforementioned, Brown Derby.

Equipment

highball glass

Jigger

Ingredients

2 oz Whiskey or Bourbon

4 oz Grapefruit Juice

1 Lemon or Lime wedge garnish

Step One

Fill your highball glass with ice.

Step Two

Pour in 2 oz of whiskey or bourbon.

Step Three

Top off the glass with about 4 oz of grapefruit juice.

Step Four

Put a lime wedge on the glass to garnish and enjoy!

Variations

Down here you are going to find several modified versions of this cocktail.

The Brown Derby

We know you’re curious about this one after talking about it earlier. This drink is served in a martini glass and requires a cocktail shaker and a Hawthorne strainer.

Fill your shaker with ice. Add in 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz of grapefruit juice, and between 1/2 and 1 oz of honey syrup, depending on how sweet you want it to be. Shake the shaker until the outside starts forming ice crystals. Then pour the drink into a martini glass through a Hawthorne strainer. Float a small grapefruit wheel as a garnish.

Old Fashioned Bourbon and Whiskey

This one is even easier than the Brown Derby. Just follow the main recipe above as written and add in a couple splashes of Angostura bitters.

Pink Grapefruit Whiskey Sour

This one follows the Whiskey Sour recipe. However, instead of using lemon juice, swap it out with grapefruit juice when making your sours mix. Easy peasy!

Whiskey Grapefruit Sidecar

This is another modification that can make a huge difference in taste. Make the whiskey and grapefruit juice cocktail as written above and just add in 1/2 of Triple Sec or Grand Marnier (or any orange liquor, really).

The extra tasty part of this cocktail is the rimmed glass. We make this drink in a rocks glass and rim it using grapefruit juice around the edge of the glass and then dip it in a mixture of grapefruit zest and sugar.

Ruby Smash

Last but not least is the Ruby Smash. Mix everything in a highball glass. Pour in 2 oz bourbon, 1 1/2 oz grapefruit juice, 2-3 oz of grapefruit schnapps, and another 2 oz of Ginger Beer. Serve over ice and enjoy!

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