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Grapefruit Cooler

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.

Ingredients

  • 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
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (1 serving)

      2337 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 575 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 568 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 12 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

1 drink

Preparation

Make honey syrup:

  1. Mix the honey with 1/2 cup water in a sealed container. Shake until integrated. (You will have extra syrup. Refrigerated, it will keep for a week.)

Make grapefruit syrup:

  1. 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.)

Make the drink:

  1. Place 1/4 ounce of the honey syrup and 1/2 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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