This is one of the quintessential summer cocktail. I remember having them in the late 1970s. Designed to be sour enough to drink slowly, but the vodka flavour should not be prevalent.
You need to use good vodka as the cheap stuff with give the cocktail an off taste.
The same goes for the cranberry juice. It should be strong of flavour and not watered down. I used an unsweetened organic cranberry and add my own sugar. Some of the premixed juice can be big on sugar and short on taste.
Something unexpected happens in this drink. The cranberry and grapefruit coalesce to create a new flavor that is very refreshing and strangely reminiscent of an ocean breeze.
It's very easy drinking, with the grapefruit and vodka smoothing all the edges from the cranberry. It's simple to make - if you are stuck for grapefruit juice, a fresh fruit will yield ~150ml with very little effort. All positives, and it's no wonder it was so popular. May feel overly diluted to some taste buds, and it's really hard to resist skipping the shake and just building this simple concoction in the glass over ice.
You need to use good vodka as the cheap stuff with give the cocktail an off taste.
The same goes for the cranberry juice. It should be strong of flavour and not watered down. I used an unsweetened organic cranberry and add my own sugar. Some of the premixed juice can be big on sugar and short on taste.