Ruby Negroni

It’s spring and we want grapefruit. We love grapefruit and always have fresh squeezed juice, or at least a large container of Simply Grapefruit in the fridge. We’ve also been working on different ways to play with one of our favorite cocktails, the Negroni. You probably see where we’re going with this at this point, but, for those who don’t, we married our love of grapefruit with our need for creative innovation and voila, the Ruby Negroni was born.

This drink is beautiful. Look at it. You don’t often run across a color so deep and electric. Somewhere between ruby and magenta, it’s a hue you only run into after cutting through thick orange rind. When we began mixing, we were pretty much sold from the color alone, but, luckily, the Ruby Negroni turns out to be a bright and delicious daytime sipper. It plays a perfect partner to rooftop or backyard sunbathing excursions, and is a great option for brunch if you want something a tad more refreshing than your run of the mill Negroni, not that there is anything run of the mill about a good Negroni, but you get it.

Just three ingredients, nothing fancy, we don’t even bother garnishing it–probably because the second after we pour we’re too busy guzzling and hoping we have enough juice left over to make another. The point is, the Ruby Negroni is easy to make and even easier to drink. You don’t even need Campari, which, out of all the ingredients that go in a Negroni, is the one you’re least likely to have, and the one you’ll probably have to get from a legitimate liquor store, rather than the market down the way.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Gin
• 1 oz. Grapefruit Juice (Fresh it best. Simply Grapefruit will do. Don’t use anything from concentrate.)
• 1 oz. Vermouth Rosso (We used Yzaguirre Vermouth Reserva)

Just add all the ingredients together into a cocktail shaker. Shake well with cracked ice. Strain into a glass over cubed ice. You can garnish with a grapefruit zest, but really there’s no need.