Dissecting a Cocktail

Transfusion

Story and Photograph by Tony Cross

Unless you’ve frequented a golf course, you may never have heard of the Transfusion cocktail. Over the past decade, it’s become just as popular, if not more than, a John Daly. This three-ingredient cocktail of vodka, ginger ale and grape juice is a staple with some non-beer-drinking golfers. It’s refreshing to drink, and bartenders can make them with ease. The Transfusion has become such a hit, and my business got so many requests to make them on draught, that I finally caved and deliver them in kegs and growlers — easy access.

So, where did the Transfusion originate? Story has it that President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked a beverage attendant what was available, picked the three ingredients he liked, and sipped it from a tall glass with ice. Ever since, he enjoyed them after his round. Presidents can be very influential, I’m told, so I doubt he drank alone. One thing is for sure: Many will be concocted (and delivered) at this year’s U.S. Open.

Specifications

2 ounces vodka

4 ounces ginger ale

1 ounce Concord grape juice

Lime wedge for garnish

Directions

Combine vodka, ginger ale (Reverie uses our homemade ginger beer) and grape juice over ice in a tall glass — or plastic if you’re in a golf cart. Stir gently and garnish with a lime wedge.  PS

Tony Cross owns and operates Reverie Cocktails, a cocktail delivery service that delivers kegged cocktails for businesses to pour on tap — but once a bartender, always a bartender.