The Salty Dog is a great twist on your traditional greyhound. A greyhound, usually grapefruit and vodka, is a very refreshing cocktail on a hot summer’s afternoon or breakfast in bed! By rimming the glass with some salt, you’ve got a Salty Dog. The salt makes the bitterness of the grapefruit taste sweet. The salt on the rim gives this cocktail a refined and savory element. A Salty Dog is very easy to drink.
Rumor has it that the Salty Dog was first created sometime in the 1950s by the same bartender who invented the Bloody Mary. The story goes he wanted to change up a greyhound into something more sophisticated. However, the same tale involves George Jessel as the inventor who actually was an actor from the 1920s by the 1950’s he was no longer famous and liked to tell the story as a way of keeping his notoriety. The actual creator may be lost to history.
There is quite a bit of trivia associated with The Salty Dog. The Larry Sanders Show in the mid-nineties, the Salty Dog, is depicted as the most preferred cocktail by the character called “Artie.” And In the famous novel “Swag” by Elmore Leonard, written in the 1970s the drink is shown to be the most preferred choice for honest and sincere professional criminals the main characters; Ernest Stickley Jr and Frank Ryan. As a side note; I just got back from a great transatlantic cruise aboard the beautiful Crown Princess, they have a gastropub aboard and even though the whole pub is called the Salty Dog, The cocktail Salty Dog was not available on the menu. I found that very weird.
As a modern twist, I used Ruby red grapefruit instead of the classic yellow grapefruit, and I used Pink Himalayan sea salt to rim the glass, it gives a slightly modern twist to this classic cocktail. You could try other fun gourmet salts to rim the glass such as a smoked salt or a gray fleur de sel. I used Spring44 Vodka here which is an exceptionally clean and beautiful vodka, If you read my blog you know I am a huge fan of this distillery. A good Gin like Spring44’s may also be substituted for the vodka. A little trick I’ve learned is to salt the rim first and stir the cocktail before pouring into the glass leaves the rime coated in salt. This is an easy and refreshing cocktail that can be enjoyed anytime.
The Salty Dog
A refreshing cocktail of grapefruit juice vodka or gin and rimmed with salt.
2 oz vodka or gin
6 oz fresh unsweetened ruby red grapefruit juice, strained
Pink Sea Salt for rimming the glass.
A ½ slice of grapefruit for garnish
1 highball or other tall glass
To rim the highball glass either rub the rim with a grapefruit slice or turn the rim onto an open cut half of a grapefruit. Then onto a small bowl or plate with sea salt, making sure the entire rim is coated in salt.
Fill the glass with ice
In a pitcher or cocktail shaker, combine the vodka and the fresh strained grapefruit juice. Stir to combine.
Pour the cocktail into the ice filled and salt rimmed glass.
Garnish with a half of a grapefruit slice.
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