Gin and Grapefruit Salty Dogs

Let me introduce you to my new favourite summer drink.  This, ladies and gentleman, is the sour perfection of a Salty Dog.  Gin and Grapefruit juice mixed with fresh lime, poured over flakes of ice and sipped through a salt rim.

Summer cocktail?  Nailed it.

As for the summer statement, well, we can live in gleeful anticipation can't we!  I was reliably assured last night by Steve that our summers start AFTER longest day, something to do with Gulf Streams, but I am taking that to mean that I can go paddling in the sea down at Broadstairs from this weekend onwards. 

Now, I love a margarita - the salty sour tang is just perfection in a glass, but I am not a big tequila drinker.  If you love the idea of a margarita but don't like tequila, then this will most definitely tick the box.

It was also National Gin Day last Saturday, which means it is officially Gin Week so, basically, you have to drink one - it's the law.

You may recognise gin and grapefruit juice as a Greyhound and in all honesty it is only the presence of a salted rim which turns this dog into its peg leg cousin who likes to sail the high seas.  Either way it is seriously delicious.  It just exudes summertime and is a major step up from an Orange Blossom, which in my opinion is just harsh on the palate

All you need is some gin (I used Gordon's Cucumber for that extra fresh hit, but any good quality gin would work), some good grapefruit juice (golden, not pink if possible, pink is a little too sweet) and a fresh lime.

Add 200ml of grapefruit juice to 50ml of gin and squeeze some lime juice in.  Mix well.  That's it!  No mixology courses required here!

Salt the rim of a highball or martini glass by moistening it (the leftover lime is good for this) and rolling it in salt and add some crushed or flaked ice to the bottom of the glass.  Pour the cocktail over the ice and garnish with a slice of lime.

Enjoy whilst lounging indolently in the summer sun.

You could even freeze this and crush it for a very grown up, very refreshing slushy! 

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