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Brunch Cocktails Campari Grand Prix | Umami Girl 780
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5 from 4 votes

The Grand Prix (A Cold Brew Cocktail)

The Grand Prix is a light, beautifully balanced cold brew cocktail created by Morgan Schick for Villon in San Francisco. The menu there notes, "Like the famous car race: Tall, red, cold, and bitter. Or is that like our ex-wife?" I don't race cars OR have an ex-wife, but I do very much love this cocktail. It comes to us via my friend Maggie Hoffman's book Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion. In a million years I wouldn't have thought to pair cold brew coffee with Campari and grapefruit juice, but boy, it just works.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Cocktails
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cold brew cocktail, grand prix cocktail
Calories: 210kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups (530 ml) chilled Campari
  • 1 ½ cups (350 ml) chilled coffee or cold brew
  • 6 tablespoons (90 ml) 2:1 simple syrup (see note 5 below)
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 3 cups (710 ml) fresh grapefruit juice

To serve

  • 3 cups (710 ml) chilled tonic water
  • 12 grapefruit twists

Instructions

  • Up to 6 hours before serving, make the batch. Pour chilled Campari, chilled coffee, simple syrup, and salt into a 2-quart pitcher and stir to mix. Seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.
  • Up to 2 hours before serving, prepare grapefruit juice and stir into pitcher mix. Reseal and return to refrigerator if not serving immediately.
  • To serve, whisk pitcher mixture well, or pour half of the mixture into a blender and blend for 20 seconds, then stir back into remaining pitcher mix. Fill 12-ounce highball glasses with ice and add ¼ cup chilled tonic water to each glass. Top with pitcher mix and garnish each drink with a grapefruit twist.

Notes

  1. Cold brewing produces a smooth, satisfying coffee concentrate with less bitterness than coffee brewed with hot water. Buy it or make your own.
  2. There's nothing more straightforward than buying a ruby-red bottle of Campari. This Italian bittersweet aperitif has a smooth yet complex flavor profile, with notes of rhubarb, clove, orange, cinnamon, and cherry. It's bitter and herbal and a little astringent and just so good.
  3. It's fairly quick and easy to make your own freshly squeezed grapefruit juice for this recipe, so I really recommend doing so, for peak freshness. That said, it's okay to use a good-quality fresh, cold-pressed, bottled grapefruit juice from the refrigerator section if you're making a big batch and don't feel like juicing a million grapefruits.
  4. There are a ton of fancy, craft tonic waters on the market these days. It's kinda fun and also a little overwhelming. Their flavor profiles vary pretty dramatically, so taste and find your favorites. The good news is that many people still prefer good old Schweppes for its clean, balanced taste. Fever Tree is also a great bet.
  5. To make 2:1 simple syrup, combine ½ cup sugar with ¼ cup water in a small pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is just dissolved. Don't allow the mixture to boil. Cool completely before using. Store any leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a month. I personally tend to keep 1:1 simple syrup in my fridge. It's honestly fine to use either one in this recipe — if using 1:1, double the amount.
  6. A tiny bit of fine sea salt heightens the flavors without making the drink taste salty.
  7. I love a good grapefruit twist garnish for its straightforward simplicity. All you need is a quick swipe of a vegetable peeler.
  8. You can do a lot of the prep for this recipe in advance. Make the simple syrup up to a month ahead, and the cold brew up to a couple of days in advance. Mix and chill the Campari, cold brew, simple syrup, and salt up to six hours before serving time. Juice the grapefruits and stir in the juice up to three hours in advance. Pour, top with tonic water, and garnish just before serving.
  9. Leftover mixture will keep for about 24 hours in an airtight container in the fridge, though not at its peak.

Measurements and method for an individual cocktail

If you'd like to make a single Grand Prix, here's what you'll need:
3 tablespoons (45 ml) Campari
2 tablespoons (30 ml) cold brew
1 ½ teaspoons (8 ml) 2:1 simple syrup
Pinch fine sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh grapefruit juice
¼ cup (60 ml)chilled tonic water
Grapefruit twist, to garnish
  1. Fill a highball glass halfway with ice.
  2. Pour in the Campari, cold brew, simple syrup, and salt.
  3. Stir in the grapefruit juice.
  4. Top with the tonic water and give it a gentle stir.
  5. Garnish with grapefruit twist and serve right away.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal