6 Grapefruit Cocktails to Get You Through Winter

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My high school has an annual grapefruit sale to raise funds for the exchange student program. What Texas grapefruits have to do with bringing German exchange students to our Oregon high school (and sending Oregonians over to France to learn to properly eat croissants and cheese) isn't quite clear to me, but I'm grateful to those grapefruits for helping the program to go on. Though I'm more years out of high school than I'd care to remember, my mother still goes down to the school to buy a big box every year, and winter visits always mean morning grapefruits, full of tangy, puckery sweet-sour flavor.

If you've done your breakfast duties and you're looking for more ways to use up this awesome winter citrus, the answer is clearly a cocktail or two. Here are six of our favorite grapefruit cocktail recipes to get you started.

Bitter Salty Perro

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Heather Meldrom

This simple pitcher cocktail goes to the savory side if you use mezcal. If you don't have mezcal on hand, silver tequila works fine, too. It's mixed with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice and your favorite tonic, and served in salt-rimmed glasses. A great brunch drink!

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New Brunswick

New Brunswick
Wes Rowe

Fresh juice grapefruit works well here with rich and earthy Rittenhouse Rye, sweetened up with a bit of Carpano Antica vermouth. This cocktail really showcases the citrus as much as the whiskey.

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Long Faced Dove

long faced dove campari cocktail
Maggie Hoffman

This recipe will help you mix up grapefruit cocktails for a crowd, spiked with tequila and a little bittersweet Campari. The fresh grapefruit juice shines, though there's also a squeeze of lime to brighten the drink further. Spicy ginger beer adds fizz to keeps things light.

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Great Gatsby

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Robyn Lee

This one's an easy-drinking crowd pleaser, made with vodka and fresh grapefruit juice, plus a little Lillet Blanc to add richness.

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The Storm Cloud

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Nick Guy

If you're feeling a little more adventurous, try playing up the bitterness in your favorite winter citrus with a little Fernet and Cocchi Americano. The result is not too boozy, but plenty entertaining.

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Grapefruit and Ginger Sparkler

Grapefruit and Ginger Sparkler
Kelly Carámbula

We find it hard to resist a ginger drink, and this is an easy sell: festive sparkling wine (it doesn't have to be fancy), tart grapefruit juice, and a touch of Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur for sweetness. Easy and elegant.

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