Ruby

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (169 ratings)

Photographed in a Retro Coupe Engraved 7.75oz

Ingredients:
1 12 oz Ketel One Vodka
34 oz Elderflower liqueur
12 oz Bittersweet orange-red aperitivo
34 oz Grapefruit juice (ruby red)
34 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
12 oz Egg white (pasteurised) or 3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam cocktail foamer or Aquafaba or Vegan egg white alternative
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of grapefruit zest twist.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain back into shaker.
  4. DRY SHAKE (without ice).
  5. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  6. EXPRESS grapefruit zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

  • Egg white (pasteurised) - Eggs

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10

Review:

A delicious trio of flavours meets in harmony. Tart ruby grapefruit and lemon, subtle bitterness, and rich elderflower.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2016 by Tony Abou-Ganim in Las Vegas, USA.

Nutrition:

One serving of Ruby contains 208 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 12.46% alc./vol. (12.46° proof)
  • 17.8 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Ruth Harvey’s Avatar Ruth Harvey
28th June at 05:10
This cocktail was a stunning salmon pink / coral colour (and tasted great too!) I garnished with a sprig of fresh lavender and a slice of lemon. I didn't bother with the egg white on this occasion.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
28th June at 10:47
Photo does indeed look like its without egg white. I'll rephotograph, but I'll use Vegg White rather than egg white.
Gareth Hives’ Avatar Gareth Hives
27th June at 14:32
Will be trying this tonight, maybe both vodka and gin variants, just to be thorough obviously :)
Anyway at 15ml egg white (about half of one) there should be a decent head on this but neither photo shows that. That looks more like natural aeration from a good shake.
I think I'd prefer it without the foamy top anyway so will probably leave it out but were the photos taken without egg white? Just curious.
27th April at 23:40
I must say, I've never bothered with the egg white, and this is a real favorite of mine. I use a local craft vodka (from Copperpenny distillery in North Vancouver), which is delicately and beautifully nuanced, and it's truly delicious and refreshing. I don't like sweet things much, and for those who are similar, I found I didn't need to reduce the elderflower liqueur in this, the way I normally might. Gorgeous.
Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
18th October 2024 at 15:05
Thanks to those commenters who suggested gin as an alternative to vodka. In which case, we substituted lime for the lemon, but at 15ml.
Johan Alexandersson’s Avatar Johan Alexandersson
10th May 2024 at 12:05
Is the Aperol switched to Select? I thought it was Aperol. No matter, I happen to have also Select at home.
Any thoughts on the choice of bitter sweet?
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
10th May 2024 at 13:08
I suspect Select is displayed as you have added Select to Your Ingredients, so our database thinks that's the brand you'd prefer to use.
John CARR’s Avatar John CARR
12th April 2024 at 12:28
Brilliantly fresh and fruity. Perfectly balanced. Five stars - why not?!
Yorey C’s Avatar Yorey C
8th March 2024 at 05:43
great but way too much foam
Nathalie O'Flynn’s Avatar Nathalie O'Flynn
13th April 2024 at 12:55
You must be really good with the egg white thing lol
Caitlin’s Avatar Caitlin
30th May 2023 at 12:11
I made the drink per the recipe and it's very enjoyable - balanced; not too sweet nor tart. I think a splash of grapefruit bitters would go a long way.
Steve Gilley’s Avatar Steve Gilley
11th January 2023 at 20:45
You could sub out Vodka for Gin for a Gin Ruby, more complex
Nathalie O'Flynn’s Avatar Nathalie O'Flynn
13th April 2024 at 12:59
This is funny, I started pouring gin in the tins and at the same time my husband pulled up the recipe and told me it was with vodka, so poured the gin back in the bottle, went all over the place lol and used vodka. Most enjoyable cocktail, giving it a 5.
John CARR’s Avatar John CARR
12th April 2024 at 12:58
If you have super fresh grapefruit and good quality vodka etc I think there’s already plenty of complexity with ingredients as is IMO.
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
9th January 2023 at 00:36
Excellent as a aperitif. Wonderfully sour with the various flavours of the citrus. Perfect for sipping and good conversation.