Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Grapefruit is a hybrid, resulting from crossing a sweet orange with a pomelo, and today we’ll turn it into a delicious liqueur in the style of the classic Italian limoncello. The only question that remains is, do you call it Grapefruitcello or Pompelmocello? Whatever you call today’s liqueur, I’m sure you’ll love the end result.
The recipe will be simple to make, with a beautiful color and a subtle bitter undertone of pink grapefruits–and we’ll whip up a cocktail or two while we’re at it. At the end I’ll also give you an idea for an excellent read on one of the best parts of the Cocktail Culture of Italy, so stay tuned as we add another DIY Liqueur to the list!
First things first, where did the inspiration for this recipe come from? Last year our most viewed episode was the DIY recipes for Lime-, Orange-, and Limoncello. Together with a number of cocktail recipes to use them in, it proved to be the year of citrus-flavored liqueurs. So let’s continue that in 2025 with Grapefruitcello.
I’ll be using the same basic tools I often do–a peeler, a scale, graduated glass measuring set, and a magnetic stirrer. As for the ingredients you’ll of course need pink grapefruits with edible food-grade peels, sugar, water, and 96% grain alcohol. Additionally I’ll use a small amount of beetroot powder, which you can get here if you’re in Europe, or here for Friends of Cocktails in the US or the UK.
Beetroot powder will be optional, but while the peels might be great to impart flavor, they won’t give enough of that beautiful pink grapefruit color so it will make for better presentation. As for the high-proof spirit, in case you can’t get your hands on it, you’re not alone. I was faced with the same issue when I had a guest shift in Greece and I had planned on making limoncello there… so we had to find a quick solution.
To get a similar intensity of citrus flavor we combined 3 methods–oleo saccharum, blending, and sous vide. The end result was amazing, so whatever you do, don’t try to use denatured alcohol. With that, let’s make 2025 the year of Grapefruitcello–it’s Cocktail Time!
Grapefruitcello
● 33g Organic Grapefruit Peels
● 220mL · 7.33oz 96% ABV Neutral Grain Spirit
● 132g Sugar
● 380g Water
● 0.4g Beetroot Powder
To begin, you'll need to thoroughly wash and peel organic grapefruits. As often mentioned this is essential because citrus fruits are often treated with a bunch of pesticides, and when you’re mixing, blending or infusing the peels into your drink, you want to make sure they’re safe to use. Also make sure to scrape off the white pith if there’s a lot of it, as it can make the final flavor too bitter.
Next, cut the peels into smaller pieces, and place them into a jar with the neutral grain spirit, and leave to infuse for 48 hours. As mentioned I’ve tried making classic limoncello with lower-proof alcohol, but the extraction of flavors is not there, making an bitter end result.
After 48 hours, strain the infusion, pressing the peels gently to get as much of the infused alcohol as possible. You’ll notice the peels become much lighter in color, almost white, which shows how much flavor has been extracted.
We ended up with 200mL of our flavored alcohol, but we still need the right amount of sweetness and dilution. So in a large measuring beaker I’ll combine the sugar with the water. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved or let the magnetic stirrer do that for you.
Once the sugar has dissolved add in 200mL of our grapefruit-infused alcohol. You’ll see the louche effect in action as the essential oils turn the mixture slightly cloudy. But for that signature pink grapefruit hue we’ll now add beetroot powder, and let the mixture stir for 10 minutes.
With that our Pompelmocello is ready to be bottled, labeled and enjoyed–keep in mind the flavors will fully develop in a few days as it sits. With this recipe you should be able to fill a 700mL (23.33oz) bottle, with our final recipe having an alcohol content of 30%. This ABV will keep the essential oils from separating too fast, as they would with less ABV.
Some separation may still occur over time, but if or when this happens, don’t worry—it’s still perfectly good. Just give the bottle a good shake before serving your very own, delicious grapefruitcello. Saluti! As with other DIY liqueurs we’ve made on the channel we also created a calculator to help you scale the amounts up or down as needed as well, which you can find here.
It’s great to enjoy it neat, but it wouldn’t be Cocktail Time without some cocktails, so let’s make a Grapefruitcello version of Grapefruit Soda. A low-abv cocktail, perfect for when you want something a little stronger than just a soda, plus you can make bottled versions of this cocktail.
Pompelmocello Soda
● 130g Chilled Soda Water
● 30mL · 1oz Grapefruitcello
● 7.5mL · 0.25oz Lemon Super Juice
● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution
● Grapefruit Wedge
Begin with a chilled highball glass with a tempered clear ice spear. We’ll add the soda first, and the rest of the ingredients will mix in as you make the cocktail. As always, if you use a scale for bubbly ingredients it will help you be more precise and retain more bubbles.
Next, add the Grapefruitcello. This will bring the vibrant grapefruit flavor and the perfect hint of sweetness to the mix. For some added vibrant citrus notes, and to balance the sweetness with a touch of acidity, I’ll also add some lemon Super Juice.
Lastly, finish with 2 drops of 20% saline solution to boost the flavors, as always. Give the Pompelmocello Soda a gentle stir with a bar spoon—just enough to combine the ingredients without losing too much of the bubbles.For the finishing touch, garnish the drink with a wedge of grapefruit–this can then be squeezed into the drink or bitten into after enjoying this simple, dry take on pink grapefruit soda.
This is a refreshing, light, and bursting with grapefruit flavor, despite having just over 4% alcohol. If you want something a bit more complex, the Negroni Pompello is it. This is a classic Negroni with the added grapefruit twist thanks to our DIY liqueur, and the recipe and video will be available on our Patreon.
We’ve reached the Bottom of The Glass on this special -cello episode. If you want to dive deeper into Italian drinking habits you’ll love today’s recommended read - Aperitivo: The Cocktail Culture of Italy.It’s packed with cocktail recipes and small bites, so you can enjoy any aperitivo just like the Italians do—with some good food and in great company. Until next week, cheers!
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