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Bicycle Bandit

Gin Campari grapefruit soda and lemon wedges with ice cubes in a highball.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Erica Lutz

The Bicycle Thief cocktail—a citrusy, low ABV riff on a Negroni—was developed by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin and Abraham Hawkins at the beloved bar Dutch Kills in Long Island City, Queens. Classically, the drink lightens up a gin and Campari base with a combination of fresh grapefruit and lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda. This iteration is a party-ready three-ingredient twist, incorporating store-bought grapefruit soda instead.

We tested a lot of grapefruit sodas in creating our itineration of this drink. Our favorite is San Pellegrino Pompelmo, though Jarritos and Squirt are also great. Just avoid grapefruit-flavored seltzer—you need more sweetness than it brings to the party.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    5 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes 1

Ingredients

1 oz. gin
½ oz. Campari
Grapefruit soda (such as San Pellegrino Pompelmo; for serving)
Lemon wedge (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Stir 1 oz. gin and ½ oz. Campari in a tall glass filled with ice until cold. Top off with grapefruit soda and garnish with lemon wedge.

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