With summer coming in, a Seabreeze cocktail may be just what you want. A Seabreeze drink is very tropical, perfect for the pool, the beach, or just wishing you were at the pool or the beach. It’s cool and refreshing enough to help beat out the heat.
What’s in a Seabreeze? How do you make a Seabreeze drink? Here’s the Seabreeze drink recipe:
1.5 ounces vodka
3 ounces cranberry juice
1.5 ounces grapefruit juice
Combine the vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice in a highball glass (or mason jar, they are also a popular choice). Stir to mix them. Add ice.
Many bartenders choose to garnish their Seabreeze drink with a slice of lime, as well. A lot of people like to squeeze some lime juice into the Seabreeze. It really can make a difference, making this already refreshing drink even more refreshing.
Some people like their Seabreeze drink with a bit of foam and may shake it up or stir it violently to create that foamy surface.
This Seabreeze recipe is meant for one glass. If you’d like to mix together a pitcher of sea breeze drinks for summertime sipping, just portion the recipe accordingly. It’s so simple to mix together that making a pitcher doesn’t take much work.
Without the need for a cocktail shaker, the Seabreeze cocktail is easy to make. It’s perfect for serving at your summer BBQ or pouring for yourself after work. It’s certainly a way to liven up the juice drinks that you know you should be drinking but are just too boring to spend an evening sipping on.
The Seabreeze originated in the 1920s, though it was a bit different from the one made at bars today. It contained gin, apricot brandy, grenadine, and lemon juice. As Prohibition ended and tastes changed, so did the drink. It started to contain a mix of vodka, dry vermouth, Galliano, and blue Curaçao. Once Ocean Spray started seriously marketing cranberry juice, Seabreeze drinks started to be made with the ingredients we all know today, between people’s changing tastes in the 1970s and Ocean Spray’s successful marketing campaign.
Fun fact: cranberry juice didn’t become a bar staple until the 1970s because the U.S. Department of Health reported in 1959 that cranberries were tainted with toxic pesticides in 1959. This has been known as the Cranberry Crisis or the Cranberry Scare of 1959. This could be the first contaminated food scare, though it turned out that later testing found the batch that had been originally tested was pretty much the only bad one. Drink a Seabreeze, theoretically take your life in your hands! Several politicians made a show of being so brave at the time, including Richard Nixon and Robert F. Kennedy.
There’s a couple of variations out there on the Seabreeze. A Hawaiian Seabreeze drink, also called a Bay Breeze drink, substitutes pineapple juice for the grapefruit juice. Seabreeze vs. Baybreeze? It depends on your taste buds. Some people may have negative reactions to grapefruit, making the bay breeze cocktail a viable substitute for the Seabreeze, as well.
There is also the Cape Codder variant on the Seabreeze. This cocktail lacks the grapefruit juice and subtitles nothing. Yes, this is the classic vodka and cranberry juice. I bet you didn’t know it had a special name. Next time you go out, see if your bartender knows it by its ‘Cape Codder’ name. Like the modern Seabreeze, this cocktail was partially a product of Ocean Spray’s marketing campaign and became popular in the 1970s after the Cranberry Crisis had been averted.
On the other end, there is the Salty Dog. The Salty Dog cocktail doesn’t have any cranberry juice, just vodka and grapefruit juice. It gets its name because it typically has a salted rim. As a great source of vitamin C and vodka, it also brings to mind pirates trying to avoid both scurvy and sobriety, making the name even more fitting.
Most people prefer their Seabreeze for easy drinking. If you want something with a bit more punch, add more vodka. There’s generally not a preferred brand of vodka for the Seabreeze, so choose whatever one you like best for mixed drinks. Vodka drinks generally go down easily when mixed with other non-alcoholic things, so this is a decent drink to give to a beginning drinker.
As for mixers, obviously Ocean Spray is the brand of cranberry juice most often used in the Seabreeze cocktail (as well as anything else, anywhere, where you need cranberry juice), but it doesn’t really make much of a difference if you use another kind.
Men and women tend to like the Seabreeze in equal measure. It’s a laid-back kind of drink. It is light and refreshing while still having a nice kick to help you get into whatever mood you’re looking for. It’s not considered a girly drink or a manly drink. Most people things of it as a drink you sit on your porch sipping on summer evenings.
There’s something classy about the Seabreeze that’s relaxed at the same time. You and your grandmother will probably both enjoy it. While the recipe has changed quite a bit over time, it still seems old-fashioned in a tried-and-true sort of way.
One thing to note is that the Seabreeze cocktail is pretty tart. All the ingredients are on the bitter or sour side. It’s not going to be your sweet tooth’s favorite, that’s for sure. Most people know after a sip or two if the Seabreeze will work for them. You can tell it won’t usually by their sour expression.
A Seabreeze is a great cocktail for the summer months. Give it a try and see if it hits your taste buds in the way you need to help while away a hot Saturday afternoon. You should also see if it’s racial bay breeze cousin is a good way to get in an island mood!
Got more to say on the Seabreeze drink? Have any other ingredients for a Seabreeze that you’d like to share? Let us know!