Grapefruit Smoked Salt London Mule – A Gin Cocktail

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Last Updated on August 18, 2024 by Leah Hall

Check out this great twist on the classic London Mule – we smoked some salt for the rim, and added some great citrus for this great grapefruit gin mule cocktail!

 

With the long dark nights of winter upon us, we are always looking for ways to bring a splash of sunshine into our lives. One way we love to do that is to use some of the amazing fresh citrus that starts appearing on supermarket shelves in the winter months. Fresh citrus evokes feelings of warm climates and bright sunshine, and that brightness makes for some fantastic cocktails like this drink, The Grapefruit Smoked Salt London Mule. Make a Grapefruit Margarita, too!

 

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London Mule

Most people think of a Moscow Mules as a summer drink as it is full of fizz and ice. We love a good mule anytime of the year. For this drink, we decided to substitute a good gin in place of the classic vodka that is typically found in a Moscow Mule, which makes this mule a London Mule.

 

 

We also chose a gin that had some bold flavor so it could stand up to the big flavors we used to mix up this drink.

 

Garnish Picks /  Wooden Bowl / Reamer

 

If You Are Looking for More Grapefruit Cocktails, Try These!

• Rosemary’s Blush
• Rosada
• Strawberry Paloma
• Honey Bourbon and Pear Cider
• Red Hound
• Hibiscus Salty Dog
• French Tart
• Pink Pear
• Rio Rose
• Rosemary Grapefruit Mule
• Rambler’s Ruby
• Shipwreck

 

We love the way grapefruit and gin play together. Because of the bright acidic tartness grapefruit brings out the herbal and citrus notes of the gin. The grapefruit also has a hint of an evergreen aroma that really mixes well with the juniper in the gin. Then this makes for a great perfume that teases the nose, especially when we add in the smoked salt. Since a good cocktail experience should engage more than just your taste buds, having a fantastic aroma really engages your senses when you drink it.

 

Jigger / Crystallized Ginger

 

Tips for Grapefruit in Cocktails

Grapefruit can be somewhat bitter because it is extremely acidic. Most people dump a whole bunch of sugar to help make it sweeter. However, rather than dump a whole bunch of sugar, if you sprinkle a little salt into the mix, the bitterness goes away! Hooray for science! Channeling our inner nerds just a bit, the salt ions interact with your taste buds and blocks the bitter notes which makes the grapefruit sweeter.

 

 

While adding a little plain salt would have worked for blocking the bitterness of the grapefruit, we wanted to really bring more flavor to the drink. We then went ahead and smoked the salt. Store bought smoked salt would work perfectly fine, but since we got a smoking gun for Christmas, we had to play with our new toy! We chose to smoke our salt with hickory wood. It is a very familiar smoke flavor and a wood that makes for a nice lingering smoke.

 

 

What Ingredients are Needed for the London Mule?

• Smoked Salt
• Ginger Beer
• Grapefruit Juice
• Lime Juice
• Gin

 

We used the salt to rim the mule mugs. Rimming the mugs serves two purposes, not only serving as an attractive garnish, but also bringing the smoked salt right up to the nose when you sip. The smoked salt helps bring balance to the bitterness of the grapefruit, but also brings another layer of flavor to the drink.

 

 

Any mule has to be finished with ginger beer, which brings a great spicy warmth to the mule while adding a refreshingly crisp fizz. When combined with the salt, grapefruit and gin, the ginger beer finishes the drink with a perfect fizzy freshness.

 

 

Give our Grapefruit Smoked Salt London Mule a try and help chase those cold dark winter nights away! Interested in some other mules? Check out some of our other great variations here!

 

Cheers!

 

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Like this recipe? Try these below, too!

Rosemary Grapefruit Moscow Mule

 

Spicy Pineapple Strawberry Moscow Mule

 

Other London Mule Recipes

• London Mule – Liquor.com
• Sparkling Grapefruit Gin Mule – Whitney Bond
• Apple Gin Mule – Jennifer Meyering
• Sweet London Mule – This Silly Girls Kitchen

 

PIN THIS GRAPEFRUIT SMOKED SALT LONDON MULE RECIPE FOR LATER!

 

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