Gentle Breeze
Build ∙ 2 min ∙
A Gentle Breeze pours sweetened cranberry juice and fresh pink grapefruit juice long over ice — a virgin take on the Sea Breeze. Cold and lightly syrupy up front, the finish turns tart and clean, with a citrus snap that keeps each sip refreshing rather than cloying.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour the ingredients into the ice-filled glass: Cranberry juice 120 mlPink grapefruit juice 60 ml
- Stir gently
- Garnish with a lime wedge
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass so the drink stays cold without over-diluting the juices as the ice melts.
- Use freshly squeezed grapefruit juice rather than bottled; it carries a brighter, less bitter edge that balances the cranberry.
- Stir gently and briefly — just enough to combine the two juices without knocking out the ice's chill too fast.
History
The Gentle Breeze is the non-alcoholic counterpart of the Sea Breeze, made by leaving out the vodka and keeping the cranberry and grapefruit juice that give the drink its color and tang. Recipe sources commonly labeled this alcohol-free version a "Gentle Sea Breeze" or "Gentle Breeze," built in the same tall glass as its parent but without spirits.
The Sea Breeze itself traces to the United States in the late 1920s or 1930s, though its original recipe bore little resemblance to today's version: early builds mixed gin with grenadine, and later variants added apricot brandy and lemon juice. The cranberry-and-grapefruit-juice combination familiar today emerged later, tied to the cranberry growers' cooperative that became Ocean Spray, which promoted cranberry juice as a mixer beginning in the 1930s and helped popularize the vodka-based Sea Breeze that became widespread by the 1970s and 1980s.
FAQ
How do you make a Gentle Breeze?
Pour sweetened cranberry juice and freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice into an ice-filled Collins glass, stir gently, and garnish with a lime wedge. There is no shaking or straining involved; it is built directly in the glass it is served in, over pre-chilled ice.
What is in a Gentle Breeze?
Sweetened cranberry juice and fresh pink grapefruit juice, built over ice in a Collins glass and finished with a lime wedge. It is fully non-alcoholic, at 0% ABV, and comes in at about 88 calories per serving.
What is a Sea Breeze cocktail made of?
A Sea Breeze is traditionally vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice, built over ice. The Gentle Breeze is a non-alcoholic take on that same cranberry-grapefruit pairing, made with only the two juices and no vodka.
What's the difference between a Bay Breeze and a Sea Breeze?
A Sea Breeze mixes vodka with cranberry and grapefruit juice, while a Bay Breeze swaps the grapefruit juice for pineapple juice, giving it a sweeter, more tropical profile. Both are built over ice in a tall glass.