Greyhound Cocktail Recipe

Tart and refreshing, the Greyhound is a simple, two-ingredient classic made with grapefruit juice and a choice of vodka or gin.

The drink likely came together with the emergence of grapefruit juice as a mixer in the early 20th century. Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930, is often cited as the first published mention of the cocktail. The recipe is a variation of the Grapefruit Cocktail, a concoction featured in the book, combining gin, fresh lemon juice, and grapefruit jelly, and is much closer to the one we know today.

“The following cocktail, although apparently harmless, is sometimes liable to be snappy,” writes Craddock in the book. “It is a variation of the Grapefruit Cocktail: Take three and a half glasses of gin and the juice of 1½ good-sized grapefruit. Sugar to taste, plenty of ice. Shake and serve.”

The drink adopted the “Greyhound” moniker in the late 1930s when it was featured on the menu across the country at Greyhound bus terminals’ company-run restaurant chain called The Post House, as their signature cocktail. The snappy drink’s popularity grew from there. 

Around the 1950s, vodka became the preferred spirit used in the Greyhound. Up until then, gin was predominantly used.

Why the Greyhound works

Two-ingredient cocktails are a favorite of bartenders and home mixologists alike for their quick and easy construction and cost-effectiveness. They can also be surprisingly complex, depending on the ingredients used. 

Because of its simplicity, the key to an excellent Greyhound is quality ingredients. Whether it’s vodka or gin, the base spirit should be well-made. Gin will lend more complex botanical notes and enhance the citrus qualities in the juice, while vodka packs an alcohol punch without contributing very much flavor.

The grapefruit component does a lot of the heavy lifting in this drink, and the juice should be freshly squeezed. The ratio of spirit to juice can be made to taste.