The Salty Dog started its cocktail life as a Greyhound—a simple blend of vodka or gin and grapefruit juice. Presumably, someone took one sip, thought, “My god that smacks strongly of grapefruit,” and decided to improve upon it by adding the missing flavor component: salt. Grapefruit doesnt sneak up on you. It wallops you head on. For the sake of palate balance, that third ingredient makes a heap of difference. Plus, it gives you electrolytes, which brings us to the where and when of drinking a Salty Dog—during the day, when the suns at its sweatiest, preferably on a deck under an umbrella after a spirited tennis match or squash tournament.
The Salty Dog is a good cocktail choice at such times for two other reasons. One, you get to pick your poison, gin or vodka. But gin far better complements the tartness of the grapefruit and the briny salt brim, at least in our opinion. Two, its a flexible drink when it comes to portion control—we recommend a 1:1 ratio grapefruit juice to booze, but you might like it at a more downable 2:1. For a full highball of the stuff, up the ratio to 3:1. Now thats what you call portion control.
And finally, if that tennis or squash game really took it out of you, feel free to sprinkle the salt straight into the drink instead of rimming the glass.
What is a salty dog cocktail?
A salty dog is a cocktail that combines gin or vodka with grapefruit juice and is traditionally served in a highball glass with a salted rim. This classic cocktail dates back to the 1950s when it was created by actor George Jessel, and is a salty riff on a greyhound.
With just three ingredients in this classic cocktail, quality is important so choose wisely! Heres what youll need:
Youll also need a highball or rocks glass.
How To Make A Salty Dog
Become your own favorite mixologist! This is one of the easiest drinks you will ever make.
Using a sliced wedge of grapefruit, wet the rim of each glass and dip it into salt. Add ice into the glasses until they are full.
In a shaker, add tequila, grapefruit juice, and sweetener. Add 1 cup of ice. Shake the shaker.
Pour it evenly into glasses and top the rest of the glasses with club soda. Stir it gently. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.
Below are some common questions people have about how to make salty dog cocktails. Don’t see the answer you’re looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
How to Make a Salty Dog
The salty dog cocktail is a refreshing warm-weather drink thats bright and citrusy. Its a surprisingly delicious combination of gin or vodka, grapefruit juice, and salt. With just 3 ingredients, its easy to make and its ready in just 5 minutes!
If you love grapefruit, also try our grapefruit vinaigrette that we use on our baby kale salad with grapefruit, avocados, and almonds.
Youll be pleasantly surprised by the unlikely combination of ingredients in this salty dog cocktail. Its basically vodka or gin added to grapefruit juice and served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. Theres no need to stir, shake, or mix. Just pour, garnish, and serve.
Grapefruit tends to be sour so if you prefer a sweeter cocktail, add a bit of simple syrup. Its an easy, bright, and refreshing drink that may become your summer go-to.