venetian greyhound cocktail

One of my favorite all time cocktails is a Negroni {and no, not because Anthony Bourdain recently popularized it on The Layover, although I do admit to having a bit of a crush on him}.  I love all of the flavors – the herbal but refreshing gin balanced out against the Campari, a type of bitters that people either love or hate.  There is something so exotic about this cocktail – like a champagne cocktail transports me to Paris, with just the first sip of a Negroni, you can’t help but imagine yourself in an outdoor cafe in a charming Italian piazza, savoring the last bits of light as the pace of your day slows down.

As my other go to cocktail is a greyhound, I thought it would be delicious to combine the herbal punchiness of the Campari with fresh grapefruit juice.  And because I seem to have a thing for infused liquors {see here}, I created a grapefruit infused vodka that I added to this cocktail to play up the grapefruit flavor even more.  A perfect cocktail to celebrate spring.  Cin cin!

Recipe continued after the jump>>>

Venetian Greyhound

• 2 ounces grapefruit infused vodka {or good quality regular or citrus flavored vodka}
• 3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
• 1 ounce sparkling water {I used San Pellegrino}
• 1 ounce Campari

Place ice in a tumbler.  Add vodka, grapefruit juice and sparkling water; stir to combine.  Add floater of Campari.  Bottoms up!