Greyhound (cocktail) facts for kids
| Cocktail | |
|---|---|
Two Greyhound mixed drinks
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| Type | Mixed drink |
| Served | On the rocks; poured over ice |
| Standard drinkware | Old Fashioned glass |
| Commonly used ingredients |
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| Preparation | Mix the gin and grapefruit juice in a shaker. Strain into a highball glass over ice. |
A Greyhound is a type of mixed drink that combines grapefruit juice with a special ingredient called gin. It is usually served over ice. If the rim of the glass is covered with salt, this drink is then called a Salty Dog. These are drinks made for grown-ups.
Contents
History of the Greyhound Drink
The first known mention of a mixed drink like the Greyhound was in a book called Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. This book was written by a bartender and author named Harry Craddock. He described his recipe as a different version of a "Grapefruit Cocktail." This suggests that mixed drinks with grapefruit were already common before his book came out. His original recipe used only gin, grapefruit juice, and ice.
A recipe for a similar mixed drink, also called "Greyhound," appeared in Harper's Magazine in 1945. This version used a liquid called vodka, sugar, and canned grapefruit juice. This drink was served at "Post House," a popular restaurant chain found at bus terminals run by Greyhound.
Before 1945, vodka was not a very common ingredient in mixed drinks. Many classic mixed drinks that we know today, which now use vodka, originally used gin. After World War II, vodka became much more popular, and gin became less so. Because of this, many popular mixed drink recipes changed to use vodka instead of gin. A famous example is the Martini, which was almost always made with gin before 1945.
In the past, especially around the time of Prohibition (when certain drinks were not allowed), the quality of some ingredients used in mixed drinks was not always the best. This is why people often added salt or sugar to the rim of the glass. Today, both the Greyhound and the Salty Dog are more often made with vodka instead of gin. This change is mostly because of different taste preferences and to appeal to more people.
How to Garnish a Greyhound
For a Greyhound, you can add a twist of lime or lemon peel to the glass. This adds a nice smell and a fresh look to the drink.
Different Ways to Make a Greyhound
There are several variations of the Greyhound recipe, using different ingredients or preparations:
- Vodka Greyhound: This version uses vodka instead of gin.
- Salty Dog: This drink has a salted rim on the glass. It also sometimes uses vodka instead of gin.
- Dalmatian: This variation includes black pepper syrup and vodka.
- Italian Greyhound: This recipe uses a special ingredient called Campari and vodka instead of gin.
Some similar mixed drinks use grapefruit soda instead of grapefruit juice. Two examples are:
- The Finnish Lonkero: This is a ready-to-drink mix of grapefruit soda and gin.
- The Mexican Paloma: This drink combines grapefruit soda with a liquid called tequila.
Images for kids
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Two Greyhound mixed drinks
See also
In Spanish: Galgo (cóctel) para niños
