Grapefruit Infused Vodka

Square photo of two bottles of infused vodka with two grapefruit behind it

Grapefruit Infused Vodka

This grapefruit-infused vodka recipe is incredibly easy to make and serves as the perfect base for refreshing and fruity cocktails. Say goodbye to flavored vodka made with artificial ingredients and hello to your own DIY infused vodka!

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Keyword grapefruit flavored vodka, grapefruit infused vodka, infused vodka

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5 5

Servings cups

Calories 90kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ruby red grapefruit (washed, zested and cut into 24 pieces)
grapefruit zest (1 grapefruit worth)
2 cups vodka (or more if using a bigger jar)

Instructions

Wash the jar with warm, soapy water and rinse well and dry.
Zest the outer peel of the grapefruit, being careful to not dig into the white pith and add to the jar.
grapefruit zest
Cut the grapefruit in half, then each half in half, and each quarter in half. You will end up with 8 slices.
1 ruby red grapefruit
Either use your fingers to remove the peels or a paring knife. Remove any seeds you can get to easily.
Cut each wedge of grapefruit in 3 pieces. You will end up with 24 pieces total.
Add the grapefruit in the jar.
Pour vodka over the grapefruit. Cap the jar and shake vigorously.
2 cups vodka
Set on the counter out of the sunlight or in a cool place for 5 days. Make sure to shake the jar vigorously 2 times a day. Shaking vigorously will expel some juice from the flesh of the fruit.
Line a sieve with fine cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour the contents of the jar over the cheesecloth and into the bowl.
Transfer the vodka to a decorative bottle or jar.
Sip
Smile
Enjoy

Notes

Helpful Tips

I'm frequently asked to recommend a good, budget-friendly vodka people can use instead of my personal preference, Ketel One. Two solid choices are Tito's Handmade Vodka and Absolut.
For this recipe, I recommend a grapefruit with thin skin. It's hard to gauge how juicy thick-skinned grapefruit is, and juicy fruit is better for infusions. Notice in the photos below how thin the peel is.
I zest the grapefruit rind because I think it lends more flavor faster than waiting for it to leach out of the skin. I also prefer to peel the rind, so as much fruit juice as possible is soaking in the vodka. But if you prefer to keep things simple, putting sliced grapefruit with the skin attached into the vodka will still make a successful infusion.
If you choose the zesting method, I find it less messy to zest over a large plate and then add the zest to the jar.
Even though I prefer and recommend organic grapefruit, I do still wash it.
Wash citrus before either zesting it or adding it to the vodka. Here's how: squirt some unscented natural hand soap in your hand and take the grapefruit and rub the soap on the skin. Next, take a vegetable brush and scrub the skin. Run the fruit under cold water making sure all of the soap has washed off.
I am mostly a purest, so I do not add sweetener like simple syrup to my infusions as I believe the time to add a sweetener is when you make the cocktail.
While infusing, you need to store the vodka away from direct sunlight, on the counter or in a cool place. You can also infuse in the refrigerator if you don't mind letting it taking a day or two longer.
You will need to shake the infusion periodically, so use a jar large enough to leave you that extra room.
When the infusion is done, you will need to strain the vodka through ultra fine cheesecloth. If you don't have this cloth, use a large coffee filter.

Nutrition