A Salty Dog cocktail, made from Tattersall’s Grapefruit Crema, gin, and Pompelmo flavor San Pellegrino // Photo by Aaron Job
A clear spirit and a slug of Fresca is tailor-made for an oversized plastic cup and the ragged sunshine of June. It’s a combination that says, “I’m going to lounge on a boat that’s still tied to the dock and don’t bother me until I finish this book,” or perhaps, “I have to spend Saturday watching my kid’s T-ball doubleheader so don’t ask what’s in my Thermos.”
Tattersall Distilling employs their Grapefruit Crema liqueur to give this pontoon pounder a spirited update by morphing the flavors in a Salty Dog, a cocktail that’s ripe for some tinkering. Instead of the original formula (vodka + grapefruit juice + salt rim), theirs has a more balanced sweetness, and a striking grapefruit essence without the pith and bitterness.
The liqueur isn’t terribly sweet, but it’s 80-proof, so it delivers the heft to the body. We love the way it plays in a paloma, our other favorite summertime grapefruit drink, and it works similar magic here. A tipple of gin gives the whole thing a nice botanical lift at the end.
You can try the Salty Dog this weekend at Rock The Garden—one of the two batched cocktails that will be sold at the event. We’ll also give you the recipe, for when it’s time to slowly ignore your other responsibilities this summer. A salt rim is totally optional, but we really like a mixture of flaky salt and Penzeys Pico Fruta blend on the rim for an extra little kick.
The ingredients for a Salty Dog // Photo by Aaron Job
Salty Dog
1½ ounces Tattersall Grapefruit Crema
½ ounce Tattersall Gin
4 ounces Grapefruit Soda (Fresca, Squirt, or Pellegrino)
Combine all ingredients over ice, stir lightly, and serve.
About John Garland
