Grapefruit Crush

Made from fresh-squeezed juice, the grapefruit crush is the ultimate refreshing summer cocktail.

I first tried this grapefruit crush cocktail at a pool party at my neighbor Tracy’s house, and I’ve seen it pop up on restaurant menus all summer long. It’s super refreshing and dangerously easy to drink. Made with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, vodka, triple sec, and lemon-lime soda, the cocktail is a riff on the popular orange crush drink that originated on Maryland’s Eastern shore at Harborside Bar & Grill, where the bartenders squeeze the juice to order using an old-fashioned citrus press. The name of the cocktail comes from “crushing” the fruit.

What You’ll Need To Make a Grapefruit Crush

For best results, I recommend using fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice with a bit of pulp — you’ll need two large grapefruits to make two cocktails — but if you’d rather use store-bought, look for 100% fresh-squeezed bottled juice with no sweeteners or preservatives.

Instructions

Begin by squeezing the juice from the grapefruits. I use a citrus juicer like this one.

Pour the grapefruit juice, vodka, and triple sec into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Top with the lemon-lime soda and garnish with a grapefruit slice.

Alternatively, if you’d like to prepare a pitcher instead of making individual cocktails, adjust the quantities for the number of drinks you need. Mix the juice, vodka, triple sec and lemon-lime soda in a pitcher, keep cool, then pour into prepared glasses over ice when ready to serve.

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