What we're sipping this week - aquavit-y grapefruit-y things
Voyageur Greyhound
Hey friends! Hope you all had a gorgeous and festive 4th of July weekend! We were able to sneak away (still don't quite know how we managed) to some friends' cabin up on Devil's Track lake and it was fantastic. Also, we made a happy drink discovery! We brought with us a bottle of our new Voyageur Cognac-Cask aged Aquavit to share. We like sipping it on the rocks, like a whiskey, but it is actually quite good at playing nice in cocktails as well. Our friends had a pitcher of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and one thing led to another and soon we were sipping aquavit greyhounds. And it was delicious. And we were happy.
I'm always slightly surprised by how well grapefruit goes with virtually any spirit. Grapefruit is not a subtle flavor, yet it seems to go with everything (unless you don't like grapefruit, I suppose) and I find it particularly lovely with the caraway and fennel notes in aquavit. Making an aquavit greyhound couldn't be easier, just mix your preferred amounts of aquavit and grapefruit juice in a glass, add ice, and you're good to go.
Voyageur Brown Derby
The combination of Voyageur with grapefruit juice made me think of the Brown Derby, a classic cocktail that's usually made with bourbon, grapefruit, and honey. Swapping in some Voyageur Aquavit was the work of a minute. Almost as easy as the greyhound, but extra classy because you get to drink it from a cocktail coupe.
Voyageur Brown Derby
- 1 1/2 oz Voyageur Cognac-Cask Aquavit
- 1 1/2 oz fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
- 2 tsp. honey syrup (to make honey syrup just stir equal parts honey and warm water together until the honey dissolves)
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
Shake all the ingredients with ice until well chilled (around 15 seconds) then strain into a cocktail glass and serve.