If beach days, sunny skies, and a fresh dip in the ocean are your thing, then you have to try this Sea Breeze cocktail recipe. It’s a classic that rose to fame in the Zinka Sunscreen and neon wetsuit days of the 1980s. An easy blend of vodka, cranberry, and grapefruit juice, the Sea Breeze was a cocktail for everyone and anyone. It’s bright, refreshing and its electric cranberry colour made it instantly recognisable. It’s a tasty nostalgic throwback to a simpler time, far away from social media and the bustle of the modern world. Just you, a beach chair, some good friends and an ice-cold Sea Breeze cocktail in hand.
Sea Breeze Cocktail Recipe
PREP TIME 5 min
QUICK TIPS
INSTRUCTIONS
01
Fill a highball glass with ice
02
Pour in the vodka, cranberry, and grapefruit juice
03
Stir until chilled then garnish with lime or orange and serve
History of the Sea Breeze cocktail
The first cocktail bearing the Sea Breeze name appeared in The Savoy Cocktail Book from the 1930s. It featured a different line-up of ingredients than the 1980s version, but it’s widely accepted that this was the precursor to today’s Sea Breeze cocktail recipe. In the 1960s, Ocean Spray, a cranberry fruit company, distributed recipe booklets that featured their cranberry juice version of the Sea Breeze. The cocktail gained traction over time and by the 1980s, the era of loud colours and even louder mullets, the Sea Breeze found its niche.
Skip forward a few decades and the Sea Breeze is still doing its refreshing thing. It’s a must-try cocktail and while it’s spawned many famous variations, only the Sea Breeze has made it onto the International Bartenders Association list. It’s a quintessential beach cocktail that will never go out of style.
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Variations
The Bay Breeze, Cape Codder, and Greyhound are all variations of the vodka Sea Breeze cocktail recipe. The Bay Breeze uses pineapple juice instead of grapefruit. The Cape Codder is a simple 2-ingredient mix of vodka and cranberry juice. And the Greyhound uses vodka or gin and loses the cranberry juice entirely.
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When to serve
The Sea Breeze is most at home during summer and preferably near a body of water, but that doesn’t mean it can’t shine anywhere. It’s perfect for casual cocktail parties and its electric pink makes for a show-stopping wedding cocktail.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
While both are delicious cocktails, the Bay Breeze uses pineapple juice instead of grapefruit juice
The Sea Breeze is a combination of sweet yet tart cranberry juice and floral, citrusy grapefruit with a bitter tang.
White rum or gin would be an acceptable substitute if you are in a pinch. Both will bring different aspects to the cocktail. White rum is bright with citrus notes while gin will add botanical notes.
This is a matter of personal preference. Using sweetened juice is a simple solution, but you may have to top it up with club soda if you find it too sweet. Unsweetened juice gives you more control but then you’ll need to sweeten it with sugar syrup
