This salty chihuahua cocktail was one of our first recipe posts back in 2009, an oldie but goodie. It’s fun to see how our photography and garden has changed over the years! We had just planted a new set of citrus trees. One of which is our Red Rio Grapefruit.  Now this tequila cocktail with grapefruit juice is on our regular rotation. In honor of our happy little grapefruit tree, we are going to celebrate a hand callousing week with a Salty Chihuahua cocktail.

Salty Chihuahua Grapefruit Cocktail Recipe it's like a Margarita with Grapefruit Juice | @whiteonrice

Salty Chihuahua Recipe

After a couple months of no serious gardening, we have gone fruit tree crazy. Those who have seen our garden tour video, will already know that for an urban home, we have a decent amount of fruit trees. We want more!  This last week we have added 6 new fruit trees and we are still hunting down a couple rare trees to add to the family: over 40 fruit trees. With all of the new additions,  we have had a labor intensive week of building new planters, re-potting, and rearranging our landscape. Our grapefruit tree is giving us so much fruit, now it’s time for this refreshing salty chihuahua cocktail. This drink has grapefruit juice, tequila and some orange liqueur. It’s simple, yet so refreshing and delicious. Also, we aren’t telling what our new trees are yet.  That post will have to wait until after we acquire all of the season’s new delights.  (Yes, we may even do an updated garden tour video after everything is settled in!) But we are happy to share that many of our old stand-bys are now able to find new root room in their updated locations.

Kinda like a Margarita?

Yes the salty chihuahua is similar to a margarita, but instead of lime juice you use much more grapefruit juice. But there is no simple syrup in a salty chihuahua. This cocktail is slightly more bitter coming from the grapefruit juice and a little more acidic. Think of a salty chihuahua as grapefruit juice spiked with tequila and there you have it.

Salty Chihuahua Grapefruit Cocktail Recipe it's like a Margarita with Grapefruit Juice | @whiteonrice

Salty Dog Cocktail vs Salty Chihuahua Cocktail

The classic salty dog cocktail is made with vodka or vodka, grapefruit juice and a salted rim. This tequila version of a Salty Dog cocktail is the Salty Chihuahua. Currently, it is one of Diane’s current favorite cocktails.  The combination of fresh grapefruit juice, tequila, and the salt make a bright, refreshing cocktail.  Perfect for the rest of you who have to imagine what it is like to be in warm and sunny weather.  Make this for all those who love grapefruit juice. It’s also perfect for brunch!  P.S. Don’t short cut and leave off salting the rim, because it completes the cocktail drink.

Salty Chihuahua Grapefruit Cocktail Recipe it's like a Margarita with Grapefruit Juice | @whiteonrice

Salty Chihuahua Cocktail

The better the grapefruit juice you have, the better the cocktail. If you have the time, squeeze some fresh juice. If your grapefruit juice is particularly tart, add a splash of simple syrup to taste.
5 from 6 votes

Ingredients

  • 5 ounces (150ml) fresh Grapefruit Juice
  • 2 ounces (60ml) Tequila
  • 1 ounce (30ml) Orange Liquer (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, etc.)
  • kosher or sea salt

Instructions 

  • Rub the rim of an old fashion glass with a bit of the grapefruit.  Swirl the rim through a small pile of kosher or sea salt to salt the rim.
  • Add grapefruit juice, tequila, and the orange liquer in an ice filled shaker, and shake until nicely chilled (@ 15 seconds).
  • Put a few large cubes of ice into your old fashion glass.  Strain the cocktail into the glass and enjoy.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 283kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 230mg, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin C: 38mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

Try Oro Blanco Juice

If you want to try another delicious version, try replacing the grapefruit juice for oro blanco grapefruit. This is a white grapefruit with so much wonderful flavor and it’s less acidic than regular grapefruilt. Oro blanco is sweeter, less bitter and very aromatic. It’s also called “white gold”! Enjoy this salty chihuahua cocktail with oro blanco!