I made my own Irish Wolfhound cocktail based on one I enjoyed at a nearby restaurant, adding smoke for a special touch. Just enough smoke flavor is present to counteract the tartness of the grapefruit juice and the sweet and spiciness of the ginger beer. For optimal results, use an Irish whiskey of good caliber! You could just have enough juice left over, depending on the size of your grapefruit, to mix up another drink or two!
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 20 mins |
| Servings: | 2 |
| Yield: | 2 cocktails |
Ingredients
- 1 ruby red grapefruit
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt, or to taste
- 4 pieces crystallized ginger, divided
- ice cubes, or as needed
- 3 fluid ounces Irish whiskey
- 2 cups crushed ice, or as needed
- 2 ounces ginger beer (such as Fever Tree®)
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
- Cut grapefruit in half crosswise. Cut a slice from one of the halves, about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides of the grapefruit slice with smoked salt.
- Place grapefruit halves cut-side down on hot grill, along with grapefruit slice. Grill until slightly charred and grill marks appear, flipping the slice halfway through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill and let cool. Squeeze the juice from both halves and set aside. Cut grapefruit slice into 6 wedges.
- Add 2 slices of ginger and 4 wedges of sliced grapefruit to a cocktail shaker. Use a muddler to slightly crush the crystallized ginger and grapefruit. Fill the shaker with ice cubes, whiskey, and 3 fluid ounces of grapefruit juice. Cover and shake until chilled, 15 to 20 seconds.
- Fill 2 rocks glasses with crushed ice and divide cocktail amongst the 2 glasses. Top each glass with 1 fluid ounce of ginger beer. Garnish with remaining grapefruit wedges and crystallized ginger.
- Fever Tree(R) also makes a smoky ginger ale that tastes excellent in this drink.
Reviews
Made this for a recent online event and everyone loved it!
When it comes to whiskey, I’m a Crown and Coke kind of girl but this drink looked interesting and I decided to give it a try. I’ve made this several times over the past 2 weeks and it is now my whiskey cocktail of choice. The smokiness from the grapefruit really sets this drink apart from others and is genius so don’t skip that step. This drink has the perfect combo of smoky, tang, and sweet making it very addicting. I’ve been able to get 3 drinks each time I’ve made it…BONUS!