IBA
Sea Breeze – IBA
A citrus and berry vodka cocktail ∙ Build ∙ 2 min ∙ 7% ABV ∙
The Sea Breeze is an IBA highball of vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice, built over ice in a highball glass.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Build all ingredients in an ice-filled highball glass: Vodka 40 mlCranberry juice 120 mlGrapefruit juice 30 ml
- Stir gently
- Garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry
Tips
- Fill the glass with ice before pouring; a gentle stir is all the juices need to combine with the vodka.
History
The Sea Breeze traces to the United States in the 1920s or 1930s, though the earliest drinks under the name looked nothing like today's. They were built on gin, paired first with grenadine and later with apricot brandy and lemon juice. The modern Sea Breeze — vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice, in effect a Cape Codder lengthened with grapefruit — took shape decades later. Several accounts point to the 1960s, and the drink became especially popular in the 1980s.
Its rise is closely tied to the wider popularity of cranberry juice as a mixer during that period. Today the Sea Breeze is recognized as an IBA Official Cocktail, and a pineapple-juice variant made with the same vodka-and-cranberry base is known as the Bay Breeze.
FAQ
How do you make a Sea Breeze cocktail?
Fill a chilled highball glass with ice, pour in the vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice, stir gently, and garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry.
What is the recipe for a Sea Breeze?
40 ml vodka, 120 ml cranberry juice, and 30 ml grapefruit juice, built over ice in a highball glass. It comes to about 7% ABV in the glass.
What's the difference between a Bay Breeze and a Sea Breeze?
A Bay Breeze swaps the grapefruit juice for pineapple juice, which makes it sweeter and more tropical. The Sea Breeze keeps the tart, bitter edge of grapefruit alongside the cranberry.
