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I’ve officially declared the Salty Dog as my official summer cocktail! It’s a simple mix of grapefruit juice and vodka (or gin), served in a glass with a salted rim – and it’s my new favorite, summertime drink!
I had my first Salty Dog last month while dining out with some neighbors at The Chart Room, located on Cape Cod in Cataumet, Massachusetts. It was the first warm weekend of the summer, and this restaurant – a favorite of both locals and tourists – is a great place to take in some gorgeous sunsets overlooking Red Brook Harbor, and a great place to enjoy some delicious, fresh seafood and cocktails on the patio.
For some reason, that night I decided to stray away from my usual glass of wine at dinner and instead, I ordered a Salty Dog. I loved the salty-sweet-tart flavor combination! And while the version I drank that night used the common, yellow grapefruit juice – we decided to change up our homemade version by using the sweeter Ruby Red grapefruits instead!
If you know your cocktails, a Salty Dog is actually a variation of a “Greyhound” cocktail, just with a salted rim – and that’s how the Salty Dog got its name! The traditional proportions for this cocktail are 2 parts vodka or gin, to 3 parts grapefruit juice – which I will warn you – does make a fairly strong drink! Feel free to increase the grapefruit juice if (like me) you prefer a less ‘stiff’ drink. 😉 Cheers!
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Salty Dog
Ingredients
- Coarse kosher salt
- Ice cubes
- 2 parts vodka (or gin)
- 3 parts freshly squeeze ruby red grapefruit juice
- Slices of grapefruit, cut into quarters for garnish
Instructions
- Pour kosher salt onto a small, flat plate. Wet the rims of a highball glass (we use edge of the slices of grapefruit that we cut for garnishing), then gently dip the rim of the glass in the plate of salt – spinning slightly to coat the rim with salt.
- Carefully fill the glass with ice cubes – being careful not to knock the salt off the rim of the glass.
- Pour 2 parts vodka and 3 parts grapefruit juice over the ice. Stir gently to combine and serve.
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Made them last night! My sister and I both loved them, but both agreed they needed either a bit of simple syrup, or sweetened grapefruit juice.
Really good though, will def make them again!
★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Andrea – I suppose the sweetness level all depends on the grapefruits you buy…but sure, you can sweeten this drink if you’d prefer!
My favorite, but what’s even better is a salty chihuahua on less formal occasions!
★★★★★
Oh yes – another great cocktail! Thanks Karen!
This is my favorite drink! Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re welcome Paula! Cheers! 🙂
This is one of my favorite cocktails! I should make these tonight!
I think that’s a great idea Jordyn! 🙂
I LOVE Salty Dogs!! They make for a great summer cocktail! I also enjoy tequila, so I substitute it for the vodka, and then you have, a Salty Chihuahua!!
★★★★★
Sounds delicious Milissa!
Hi Martha,
I love grapefruit!!!. I love the balance of sweet, sour and bitter. I also love this post. This would be the perfect drink to sip on while enjoying a great book. Do you have any more cocktail recipe that have grapefruit?
Sorry Anna – Just this recipe!
I would love to anything with grapefruit juice in it but am not supposed to drink grapefruit juice when taking cholesterol meds. Also, people that take blood pressure meds are not supposed to have it either.
Thanks for sharing Cindy!
My Doctor told me to just don’t take the cholesterol pill that (one) day. So you CAN enjoy that drink once in a while.