Oh hiiiii. This one doesn’t contain alcohol.
It’s made with delicious grapefruit soda and plenty of lime. I won’t object if you add vodka, but this version is a refreshing mocktail.
The main element here is the flavored Italian soda, and you can use any flavor you like: grapefruit, blood orange, pomegranate, lemonade and more. Bottles from San Pellegrino, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or your local grocery all work well.
Confession: I still live by the rhythms of “school nights” and “summer vacation” even though I’m no longer in school and summer looks like the rest of the year. This year that feeling is magnified: I just finished photographing my cookbook and turned everything in right before Memorial Day, so it feels like the start of summer—finally.
Having that huge, year-long project wrapped up (well, pending edits) is a huge relief. It feels lighter and somehow calls for celebration.
Since I’m skipping alcohol right now, I decided to celebrate with mocktails.
This recipe came from my cousin Lacy. We both adore anything grapefruit-flavored and love those bottled Italian sodas at the store. They can be a touch sweet, so I like cutting them with seltzer to reduce sweetness and make the drink feel more like a cocktail. And of course: bubbles. Always more bubbles.
Finish the glass with lots of lime and a rim of salt (I used pink Himalayan salt for a pretty touch). The result is somewhere between a tequila-less margarita and a vodka-free salty dog: bright, fresh and perfectly drinkable.
If you’re pregnant, avoiding alcohol, or simply craving a light and fizzy drink, this is a great weekend mocktail. If you do want boozy options, you might prefer cocktails like rosé sangria, watermelon rosé margaritas or blueberry hibiscus margarita punch.
Grapefruit Lime Spritzer
Yield:
1
drink, easily multiplied
10 mins
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Ingredients
- 4 ounces grapefruit Italian soda
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2–4 ounces club soda citrus-flavored club soda works well
- plenty of crushed ice
- salt + sugar for the rim
Instructions
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Mix a little salt and sugar on a plate. Rim the glass with a lime wedge and dip it into the salty sugar. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Add the grapefruit soda and lime juice, stir gently, then top with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.
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Let’s drink it for the color alone.