The Sea Breeze is a variation on the Cape Codder that uses less cranberry juice and adds a measure of grapefruit juice. To make the best one, combine
- 1.5 oz. vodka
- 3 oz. cranberry juice
- 1 oz. grapefruit juice
- lime wedge, for garnish
The Sea Breeze is a worthy variation on the Cape Codder in our opinion. The addition of grapefruit does two things to the drink that make it better than the Cape Cod: first, it adds a sour note that offsets the sweetness of the cranberry. Cranberry juice isn't overly sweet, but it does have a lot of sugar in it to balance out the slight tartness of the cranberries. The grapefruit juice, though, makes it so much easier to drink because it isn't like Kool-Aid anymore.
And that brings me to the second reason the Sea Breeze is better than the Cape Codder: it is a more complex drink. The Cape Codder is a child's drink, a drink with no variation, simply vodka and cranberry with a sophisticated sounding, fancy name. The Sea Breeze, however, is something different. It has a terrible, silly name, first of all. But the addition of the sour grapefruit juice balances the drink and makes it subtler, an adult version of the Cape Codder. The Cape Cod is in your face with its sweetness but the Sea Breeze is laid back, and its complexity makes it more pleasing.
