Name: Ruby Red Drink Recipe
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 2 ounces Absolut Grapefruit vodka; 1/2 ounce Campari; 3 ounces ruby red grapefruit juice; 2 ounces 7-Up

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If you’re a fan of grapefruit-based cocktails, then you’re going to love the Ruby Red. This vibrant and refreshing drink combines the tart, citrusy notes of grapefruit with the herbal complexity of Campari and the fizzy sweetness of 7-Up.

It’s the perfect cocktail for sipping on a warm summer day or enjoying with friends at a backyard barbecue.

Tasting Notes

The Ruby Red starts off with a burst of grapefruit flavor, and then the Campari adds a subtle bitterness to balance out the sweetness. The 7-Up provides a little more sweetness and citrus, and a light, effervescent finish.

This is a mildly sweet drink, with all the sugar coming from the 7-Up, the grapefruit juice and the Campari. If you want it less sweet, just replace the 7-Up with a diet version, or with sparkling water or seltzer.

Key Ingredients

Absolut Grapefruit Vodka

The foundation of this cocktail is the Absolut Grapefruit vodka, which is infused with natural grapefruit flavors. This gives the drink a pink hue and a pronounced grapefruit aroma and taste.

You can substitute a different brand if you prefer, or use regular vodka. With regular vodka, the drink will have less grapefruit flavor, but you can add more grapefruit juice to make up the difference.

Campari

Campari is an Italian aperitif liqueur that’s known for its distinctive bittersweet herbal and cherry flavor profile. In the Ruby Red, it acts as a bitter, balancing the tart and sweet notes from the grapefruit juice and 7-Up.

Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

Freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice is terrific in this cocktail. Its tart, citrusy notes are the driving force behind the drink’s refreshing character.

If grapefruits aren’t available, you can use a bottled ruby red grapefruit juice. It won’t be quite as delicious as fresh, but Ocean Spray’s 100% Juice Ruby Red is very tasty.

7-Up

The 7-Up provides the fizzy, bubbly element that ties the whole drink together. Its subtle sweetness complements the grapefruit and Campari flavors.

Variations

Some versions of this recipe call for seltzer water instead of 7-up. Seltzer has no sweetness and no flavor, so that lets the grapefruit flavor shine through more, but also makes the drink a bit more tart.

If you dislike Campari, you could leave it out. Or try Aperol or maraschino liqueur.