
I only had one grapefruit and since we were having a party I decided to make a cocktail! I used to be the family bartender since I am a graduate from the Crescent City School of Gaming and Bartending (true story) and I usually make a pitcher or two of a signature cocktail when I host dinner parties but it’s been a while since I invented a recipe from scratch. I surfed around the internet and came up with some ideas. I was definitely going to use bubbles because I love bubbles and nothing says “let’s celebrate” like drinking out of a champagne flute. I had made lemon syrup as part of my Food Swap experience and decided to make grapefruit syrup for the cocktail. I didn’t want to have to buy any extra ingredients so I looked around to see what my mom had. She had rose water because it’s used in a lot of Persian cooking and I thought “that works”. This recipe made a big pitcher which was empty by the end of the night. I would say it serves 12 regular people and 6 members of my family.
Delightful Recipe
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- Juice from one grapefruit (should yield about 3/4 to 1 cup)
- Equal amount of sugar to grapefruit juice
- 3 two inch trips of grapefruit zest
- 2 Tablespoons rose water
- 2 cups of vodka, chilled
- 2 bottles of dry champagne, chilled
- With a veggie peeler, peel off 3 two inch strips of zest from the grapefruit then cut the grapefruit in half and juice it in a citrus juicer. Measure juice in a measuring cup and then measure out the exact same amount of sugar.
- Pour grapefruit juice, sugar and grapefruit zest into a small saucepan and put it on medium high heat, stirring often, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the zest starts to look a little translucent, a few minutes. Take it off of the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once the syrup is cool, pour in the rose water and stir to combine.
- Pour the syrup mixture into a glass pitcher and then pour in the chilled vodka and stir. Taste it and add more vodka if you want to get super hammered.
- Slowly pour in the 2 bottles of champagne, trying not to let it foam too much. You don’t want to lose all those bubbles.
- Pour into champagne flutes and serve immediately.

Ellen
This is amazing. I am going to make this. Which makes me want to ask you – shouldn’t we have the second champagne and cake party? I will bring 4 bottles of brut.
Scheherezade
Yes we should! I will enlist Megan into making some cake 🙂