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Vodka · Built in the glass
Vodka with cranberry juice and grapefruit juice—that's all the Sea Breeze needs. This long drink tastes fruity and lightly tart. No liqueurs or syrup are added. You simply stir it together right in the glass, no shaker required.
As of: · USA, second half of the 20th century
Cranberry sets the tone. The juice cocktail is sweetened yet also tastes tart, and it's exactly this combination that carries the drink. Grapefruit joins in, bringing a bitter, sour edge. Together they create a fresh fruity direction that never feels cloying. The vodka stays in the background, with barely any flavor of its own. With 40 ml of vodka against 150 ml of juice, the Sea Breeze comes across as mild and easy to drink. Sweet liqueur is entirely absent, as is syrup. The finish is short and lightly bitter, like grapefruit itself.
A drink for the afternoon, for the garden, and for long evenings. It's mild, fruity, and easy to drink, making it great for beginners. Anyone who prefers bitter or bold flavors will find it dull quickly. It also works well alongside food, since it doesn't linger sweetly. Drink it very cold and with plenty of ice.
What matters
Pay attention to the juice. Cranberry juice cocktail is sweetened and mild, while pure cranberry juice from concentrate is very sour and tart. Using the wrong one will make the drink noticeably more sour and astringent. Fill the glass properly full with solid ice cubes, not just halfway. Too little ice melts quickly and waters everything down. Chill the juices beforehand so the Sea Breeze stays fresh longer.
The Sea Breeze became well known in the USA, specifically in the form you see here: vodka, cranberry, grapefruit. Advertising for the juices themselves helped drive its popularity. No one knows for certain exactly where the drink was first mixed. Drinks with similar names existed earlier, but their recipes weren't necessarily the same. Flavor-wise, the Sea Breeze belongs among the long, juice-forward drinks. That's exactly where it remains at home today.
In the same direction
A pink sour made from lemon vodka, orange liqueur, fresh lime and cranberry juice. The juice mainly adds colour and a touch of fruit. In the end, it should taste fresh rather than like a glass of juice with a shot in it.
Zum RezeptA short citrus cocktail made of vodka, orange liqueur, and fresh lemon. The name is misleading: no vermouth goes in here—this is a shaken sour served in a cocktail glass.
Zum RezeptVodka, raspberry liqueur, and fresh pineapple juice, shaken vigorously. The drink arrives fruity and mellow in the glass, topped with a fine foam cap from the pineapple. Vermouth or gin, as in the classic Martini, are nowhere to be found here.
Zum Rezept