Sea Breeze

Name: Sea Breeze
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1.5 Oz SKYY vodka; 3 Oz Cranberry juice; 0.5 Oz Grapefruit juice; Lime wedge or orange slice to garnish; Ice

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PREP TIME 5 min

Cocktail Type

Vodka

Great for

Summer

Difficulty

Easy

Jump to recipe

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, this was a cocktail for everyone and anyone. Its bright, electric cranberry color made it instantly recognizable. 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 cocktail in hand.

QUICK TIPS

Use freshly squeezed grapefruit juice for best results.

Citrus vodka can also be used for extra zest.

This is a great cocktail to mix in batches for a crowd.

INGREDIENTS

MAKE FOR

1 Person

1.5 Oz

45 Ml

1.5 Parts

3 Oz

90 Ml

3 Parts

Cranberry juice

0.5 Oz

15 Ml

0.5 Parts

Grapefruit juice

Lime wedge or orange slice to garnish

Ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill a highball glass with ice

Pour in the vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice

Stir until chilled

Garnish with a lime or orange slice

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 drink recipe. In the 1960s, Ocean Spray, a cranberry fruit company, distributed recipe booklets that featured their cranberry juice version. The cocktail gained traction over time, and by the 1980s, the era of loud colors and even louder mullets, the summery sipper had found its niche.

Skip forward a few decades, and the Sea Breeze is still doing its gorgeous thing. It’s a must-try cocktail, and while it’s spawned many famous variations, only the OG has made it onto the International Bartenders Association list. It’s a quintessential beach cocktail that will never go out of style.

You might also like: 20 Fruity Cocktails to Try This Summer

Variations

The Bay Breeze, Cape Codder, and Greyhound are all variations of the vodka-based 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.

You might also like:Mango Gin Cocktail

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 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.

It 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 adds 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 or simple syrup.