Salty Dog

By Sara Bonisteel

Updated June 10, 2024

Salty Dog
Sara Bonisteel/The New York Times
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(78)
Notes
Read community notes

The Salty Dog is a Greyhound cocktail with salt — hence the name. Craig Claiborne first brought the recipe to The Times in 1968 for a Fourth of July barbecue feature. While his version calls for adding salt to the drink, other recipes salt the rim of the glass instead; see the variation below.

Featured in: It's the Fourth of July, and That's an Occasion for a Barbecue

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Ingredients

Yield:1 drink
  • ¾cup unsweetened grapefruit juice (from 1 grapefruit)
  • 1pinch fine sea salt
  • 1½ounces vodka
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)

169 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 152 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Fill a highball glass with ice, and then add the grapefruit juice through a small strainer to remove pulp.

  2. Step 2

    Add salt and vodka and stir until well chilled. Serve.

Tip
  • Variation: If you prefer to salt the rim of your glass, wet the lip of the glass with a slice of lemon or lime and dip the glass rim down in a plate of kosher salt. Omit the pinch of salt from the cocktail recipe.

Ratings

4 out of 5
78 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Deb

Yes, I remember a night of salty dogs in the 80's...didn't end well! ;)

Morgan

We must have been at the same party...

Lisa

Splash a little Grand Marnier on there, a dash of simple syrup, and a good squirt of soda water.

Brian

For those partial to rye, see “Blinker”in Simonson’s “3 Ingredient Cocktails”.

Jen in Astoria

NOTE: Salt the RIM not the drink itself. That is all.

Jennifer

Agreed.

Jen in Astoria

This is one of my favorite drinks, and tastes like Boston in a glass to me--every time I have ever been there on business, I always had one or more of these with local oysters. I like a really salty, crusty rim on mine. While not strictly old-school, pink grapefruit juice is a nice foil if you are going for a heavy salt rim.

Granny Shanny

I just had one exactly like this. Pink grapefruit juice makes a heavenly salty dog. (but I've never been to Boston . . .)

Deb

Yes, I remember a night of salty dogs in the 80's...didn't end well! ;)

Morgan

We must have been at the same party...

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