5 amazing drinks to make with absolut grapefruit

Some bottles sit on the shelf waiting for a special occasion. Absolut Grapefruit isn’t one of them. Its delicious grapefruit flavor makes it one of the most versatile, easy-to-use flavored vodkas you can keep in your home bar.

From twists on a Paloma and Singapore Sling to a grapefruit-charged Sea Breeze makeover, Absolut Grapefruit slots into classics with ease. And when you let the grapefruit take center stage on its own, it more than holds its own.

Here are five of our favorite Absolut Grapefruit cocktails:

1.  The Greyhound
A classic cocktail that dates back almost a century, the Greyhound is a solid example of how two ingredients – vodka and fresh fruit juice – is sometimes all you need to make one of the best drinks around.

The Greyhound is traditionally built in a highball glass with vodka and grapefruit juice. However, using Absolut Grapefruit instead of a standard vodka amplifies the citrus from subtle to full‑on, adding depth of flavor that makes every sip brighter and more defined.

Ingredients:

• 45 ml Absolut Grapefruit
• Aerated Grapefruit Juice

How to Make The Greyhound:

1. Place a large ice cube in a rocks glass.
2. Use a jigger to measure and pour 45ml Absolut Grapefruit into the glass.
3. Use a centrifugal juicer to juice a fresh grapefruit — the aeration process creates a lighter, frothier juice that gives the drink a better mouthfeel.
4. Pour the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice over the top.

Watch Ricardo ‘Rico’ Dynan, bartender and Absolut Global Brand Ambassador, show you how to make The Greyhound with Absolut Grapefruit:

2. Absolut Grapefruit Vodka Tonic
The Vodka Tonic is a timeless cocktail but when you use Absolut Grapefruit as the base, it suddenly becomes a talking point.

The delicious taste of grapefruit from our grapefruit flavored vodka plays beautifully against the crisp bitterness of the tonic, resulting in a drink that’s, well, simply perfect.

Ingredients:

• 45 ml Absolut Grapefruit
• 120 ml Tonic water
• Grapefruit wedge, to garnish

Here’s how to make an Absolut Grapefruit Vodka Tonic:

1. Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
2. Pour in 45 ml Absolut Grapefruit.
3. Top with 120 ml tonic water and stir gently.
4. Garnish with a grapefruit wedge. Sip and enjoy!

3. The Swedish Paloma
Mexico’s favorite cocktail gets a Scandinavian makeover. Introducing The Swedish Paloma, a vodka twist on a classic Paloma.

Where a traditional Paloma leans on tequila, this version lets Absolut Grapefruit take the wheel, adding a clean, vodka-smooth backbone to the ruby grapefruit juice and fresh lime.

Ingredients:

• 45 ml Absolut Grapefruit
• 10 ml Lime Juice
• 45 ml Ruby Grapefruit juice
• Soda Water
• Salt, to rim the glass

The salt rim isn’t just for show, it sharpens every sip and works so well with grapefruit.

How to Make The Swedish Paloma:

1. Add 10ml fresh lime juice, 45ml ruby grapefruit juice and 45ml Absolut Grapefruit to a cocktail shaker.
2. Fill the shaker with ice and shake briefly to combine.
3. Run a grapefruit wedge around the rim of a highball glass, then dip the rim in salt.
4. Fill the glass with ice.
5. Place a Hawthorne strainer over the shaker and strain into the prepared glass.
6. Top with soda water.
7. Dip a grapefruit wedge into salt and place it in the glass to garnish.

Watch Rico show you how to make The Swedish Paloma:

4. The Swedish Sling
The Swedish Sling is a vodka twist on a classic Singapore Sling. “Bartenders are going to hate me for saying this…but I kinda prefer it,” admits Rico.

The Singapore Sling is complex, unapologetically theatrical and features no less than four spirit types. The Swedish Sling takes that blueprint and rebuilds it around Absolut Grapefruit, adding a citrus sharpness that cuts brilliantly through the sweetness of cherry liqueur, grenadine and pineapple juice.

French herbal liqueur, triple sec and a dash of aromatic bitters bring depth and intrigue, while soda water gives it an effervescent crispness. This is the one to make when you want to show off a little, and it earns every bit of the reaction it gets.

Ingredients:

• 7.5 ml Grenadine
• 7.5 ml French Herbal Liqueur
• 7.5 ml Triple Sec
• 15 ml Cherry Liqueur
• 15 ml Lime Juice
• 120 ml Pineapple Juice
• 30 ml Absolut Grapefruit
• Soda Water

How to Make The Swedish Sling:

1. Add 15ml fresh lime juice, 15ml cherry liqueur, 7.5ml French herbal liqueur, 7.5ml triple sec and 7.5ml grenadine to a cocktail shaker.
2. Add 30ml Absolut Grapefruit and 120ml pineapple juice.
3. Fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously until the outside is frosty.
4. Fill a highball glass with ice cubes, place a Hawthorne strainer over the shaker and strain into the glass.
5. Top with soda water and garnish with a pineapple leaf.

Watch Rico show you how to make a classic Singapore Sling and one made with Absolut Grapefruit:

5. Easy Breeze
The Sea Breeze is a bona fide classic, and the Easy Breeze somehow makes it even easier to make while staying every bit as delicious.

Where a Sea Breeze mixes vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice, the Easy Breeze keeps the cranberry juice but skips the grapefruit juice, using grapefruit‑flavored vodka instead. Easy breezy!

As we’ve said many times, sometimes the simplest drinks are the best ones.

Ingredients:

• 45 ml Absolut Grapefruit
• 45 ml Sweetened Cranberry Juice
• Orange wedge, to garnish

Here’s how to make an Easy Breeze:

1. Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
2. Pour in 45 ml Absolut Grapefruit.
3. Add 45 ml sweetened cranberry juice and stir gently.
4. Garnish with an orange wedge. Sip and enjoy!

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Looking for more drink-spiration? Discover more cocktail recipes.