The Two-Ingredient Greyhound Cocktail Is a Summer Must
People have been riding Greyhound buses since 1914. It appears our collective thirst for the Greyhound cocktail started around the same time. Coincidence? Possibly. After all, the drink’s origins stretch back to 1930, though it may have been concocted even earlier.
You can make this two-ingredient cocktail with items you likely have on hand.
It’s a refreshing sipper that will transport you to a poolside location on a hot summer day—no ticket required. So sit back, relax, grab your Greyhound cocktail and enjoy the ride.
What Is in a Greyhound Cocktail?
The Greyhound cocktail is a drink made with vodka or gin, pink grapefruit juice and a lemon wedge garnish.
Where Is the Greyhound Cocktail From?
It’s hard to say where this drink was first concocted. However, the earliest known written record of a drink resembling the cocktail is found in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book, which came out in 1930. It wasn’t yet named the Greyhound, though; Craddock called it simply the grapefruit cocktail. (His version calls for gin and grapefruit jelly.) But the text notes that it’s a riff on a similar drink, so this combo likely came about even earlier.
When Did the Greyhound Cocktail Get Its Name?
In 1945, the first-known written instance of drink called the Greyhound appeared in an issue of Harper’s Bazaar. Named after the bus company, the drink was popular in Greyhound-run restaurants called Post Houses, which were first introduced in 1937.
“The Post Houses even generated their own signature cocktail, the Greyhound, a mix of grapefruit juice and either gin or vodka served over ice,” writes Margaret Walsh in Making Connections: The Long-Distance Bus Industry in the USA.
What Are Variations of the Greyhound Cocktail?
Greyhound’s Post Houses also served a riff on their popular Greyhound cocktails. “When the rim was salted, the name changed and it was a Salty Dog,” writes Walsh.
Another more modern riff, called the Italian Greyhound Cocktail, includes the addition of the Italian aperitif Campari, which lends a pleasantly bitter note.
How Do You Make a Greyhound Cocktail?
Recipe by Jacy Topps
Pour the vodka or gin into a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Top with grapefruit juice. Stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
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