A naturally occurring citrus hybrid of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) and pomelo (Citrus maxima), which is used as a gin botanical. It traces its origins back to the 17th century and the Caribbean island of Barbados. The hybrid was nicknamed the "forbidden fruit" and was introduced to the American state of Florida in 1823; the first shipments farther north to New York and Philadelphia came in 1885. A series of crossbred and hybrid grapefruits was cultivated in the USA and led to the creation of the pink grapefruit in 1906, followed by the Ruby Red, which was patented in Texas in 1929. The grapefruit has a light, zesty sweetness, which is accompanied by a deeper, lingering bitter note. The fruit is popular breakfast food and is also juiced for soft drinks. The major producers of grapefruit include China, The US and Mexico.
The chemical components of the essential oil in grapefruit include alpha-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, limonene, linalool and citronellal among others. In gin production, the peels of both white and pink grapefruits are commonly used. White grapefruit peel adds a zesty dryness, while pink grapefruit peel typically adds a complex zestiness with a more bittersweet floral note. Examples of gin made using grapefruit as a botanical include Beefeater Crown Jewel, East London Liquor Company Batch 1 Gin and Sacred Pink Grapefruit Gin.
CREDIT David T Smith author of The Gin Dictionary published in the UK by Mitchell Beazley, an imprint of Octopus Publishing Group Ltd.
