Food and Recipes Drinks Cocktails Classic Transfusion Cocktail 4.7 (3) 3 Reviews Cool down with a transfusion cocktail, a popular golf-course drink. By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough Sadik is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2024 Save Rate PRINT Share Hands On Time: 2 mins Total Time: 2 mins Servings: 1 Jump to recipe Never Lose A Favorite Recipe Again With MyRecipes, your personal recipe box, you can save and organize your Southern Living favorites and thousands more in one place. When you think about what golfers might be guzzling down in between strokes, your initial guesses might go to a crisp, light beer or a bourbon cocktail. A mimosa for early tee times, perhaps. But if you pay attention, you'll notice another very popular, oddly named drink all over the golf course. It's fizzy, reddish-purple in color, and looks appropriately iced-down for a sweaty afternoon of sporting. Meet the Transfusion. Credit: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke What Is a Transfusion Cocktail? "A Transwhat?" That's fair. Odds are, unless you're a golfer or have someone in your life that loves to break out a putter in his or her spare time, you might not have ever heard of this niche cocktail. As for its origins, the Transfusion drink is largely a mystery. At its core, the easy-to-make beverage is just incredibly refreshing, which is perhaps why it's garnered the title of "golf's greatest drink." Ingredients for a Transfusion Cocktail A proper Transfusion contains four ingredients: vodka, ginger ale, Concord grape juice, and lime juice. Some prefer using Sprite or Fresca, which doesn't offer quite the same subtle ginger note, but takes care of the bubbles just fine. Others will use cranberry juice in lieu of grape juice, which we can't recommend on good will. However, to each their own. Credit: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke To finish, you can garnish with a fresh lime on the rim, crystallized ginger, or even pop frozen grapes into the glass to keep it cool without watering it down. Between the carbonation, touch of sweetness, tons of ice, and generous pour of liquor, a Transfusion has all the qualities of a perfect outdoor cocktail. The best part? There's no rule that says you need to be on the golf course to enjoy it. Thank goodness, because it's too refreshing to pass up. Here's our simple recipe for a classic Transfusion cocktail. The Best Game Day Cocktails To Sip While Cheering On Your Favorite Team Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 3 oz. vodka such as Tito's (about 2 shots) 1 1/2 oz. Concord grape juice (about 1 shot) 1/4 oz. fresh lime juice (about 2 lime wedges) Ginger ale Lime wedge or frozen grapes for garnish (optional) Directions Add ice to glass: Fill a glass (preferably a highball glass) with ice. Credit: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Add ingredients: Add vodka, grape juice, and lime juice. (For those who prefer a fruitier, slightly sweeter kick, add an extra shot of grape juice to taste.) Credit: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Finish with ginger ale and garnish: Top with ginger ale to finish. Credit: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Garnish with frozen grapes and lime wheels, if desired. Credit: Fred Hardy; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke Save Rate Print