Bohemian Cocktail (Gin, Elderflower, Grapefruit)

As someone who has a gin and tonic with grapefruit garnish as my go-to drink, I always end up with peel-less grapefruits that need thrown away. But it’s a shame to throw away all that delicious juice, so I keep my eyes out for a good recipe to use it in…ENTER THE BOHEMIAN COCKTAIL.

What is that, you might ask? I honestly hadn’t heard of it either until recently. It’s a simple gin, elderflower, and grapefruit cocktail that is totally delicious. And that you need to make STAT.

I’ve adjusted the proportions slightly, to amp up the grapefruit a bit and back off the elderflower…to me it balances out the tart and sweet better and keeps it from being too sickly sweet.

So how do we make this delightful drink? Start by putting ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and pour all the ingredients in (minus the garnish).

Still have grapefruit juice to use up? Try my 10-minute grapefruit curd!

Shake for 15 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the grapefruit peel.

You also want to use a good gin in your Bohemian Cocktail to punch through…if the gin has grapefruit botanicals in it, all the better.

I am deeply in love with Fords Gin, partly because it’s delicious and especially because of the grapefruit botanicals (full disclosure, the company I work at owns it but this is truly my opinion). My nightly drink is a Fords gin and tonic with a grapefruit garnish, and it works perfectly in this cocktail.

This is waaaaaaay to easy to drink…goes down so smooth, I have to remind myself that it’s fairly boozy and not to just guzzle it!

One interesting twist or sub could be swapping in a little of this cardamom simple syrup for some of the St. Germain…grapefruit and cardamom go so well together!

Other cocktails you’ll love:

Adapted from A Year of Cocktails

Bohemian Cocktail (Gin, Elderflower, & Grapefruit)

Yield: 1 cocktail

This delicious traditional Bohemian Cocktail brings together gin, elderflower, and grapefruit for a tart-yet-sweet drink that's perfect for spring or summer!

Ingredients

2 ounces of good gin
1 1/2 ounce of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
1 ounce of St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 dash of Peychaud's Bitters (I substituted spiced cherry)
Garnish: grapefruit peel twist

Instructions

Put ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and pour all the ingredients in (minus the garnish).
Shake for 15 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with the grapefruit peel.

Notes

You definitely want to use fresh grapefruit juice, not store-bought.
If you don't have the bitters, don't worry...they add a little something but this cocktail is delicious without them.