Grapefruit Cooler

Recipe from Audrey Saunders

Adapted by Robert Simonson

Published December 9, 2014

  • Tina Fineberg for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
2 minutes, plus 24 hours to make syrup
Rating
4(59)
Comments
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This is a rare vodka drink from Audrey Saunders, who was once famous for eschewing the flavorless spirit at her celebrated New York cocktail bar, Pegu Club. In keeping with her exacting style, the drink has been painstakingly workshopped down to the last dash of bitters. The combination of grapefruit-flavored vodka, a special grapefruit syrup and a grapefruit twist produces a bright complexity of flavor that one doesn’t expect from a vodka cocktail. And the honey syrup adds a sweet note familiar to anyone who has ever drizzled a line of honey onto her morning grapefruit. —Robert Simonson

Featured in: Vodka Comes In From the Cold

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink

  • ½ cup honey

  • 2 cups sugar

  • Zest of 1 small grapefruit, plus a twist of rind for garnish

  • 2 ounces grapefruit-flavored vodka, preferably Belvedere

  • ¾ ounce lemon juice

  • 1 dash Angostura bitters

  • 1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

  • 1 sprig mint

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

556 grams carbs; 2261 calories; 2 grams fiber; 12 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 552 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. MAKE HONEY SYRUP:

    1. Step 1

      Mix the honey with ½ cup water in a sealed container. Shake until integrated. (You will have extra syrup. Refrigerated, it will keep for a week.)

  2. MAKE GRAPEFRUIT SYRUP:

    1. Step 2

      Heat the sugar with 2 cups water over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Mix this syrup with grapefruit zest in a container. Cover, shake briskly, and refrigerate for 24 hours. Strain out zest and store syrup in refrigerator. (You will have extra syrup. Refrigerated, it will keep for a week.)

  3. MAKE THE DRINK:

    1. Step 3

      Place ¼ ounce of the honey syrup and ½ ounce of the grapefruit syrup in a cocktail shaker with the vodka, lemon juice, bitters and mint. Muddle the mint at the bottom. Fill the shaker halfway with ice. Shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with grapefruit twist.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
59 user ratings
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Comments

Laura

I couldn’t find grapefruit vodka without added sugar, so I put the peel of a ruby red in a bottle of Tito’s for a month. It’s really fragrant and the cocktail is lovely.

Molly

Used all grapefruit syrup instead of honey it was great. Also added two dashes of Orange bitters which complemented it well

Laura

I couldn’t find grapefruit vodka without added sugar, so I put the peel of a ruby red in a bottle of Tito’s for a month. It’s really fragrant and the cocktail is lovely.

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Credits

Adapted from Audrey Saunders, Pegu Club, New York

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