A salty dog is a cocktail made with gin or vodka, and grapefruit juice and is usually served in a highball glass with a salted rim. The salt is the only distinction between a salty dog and a greyhound. It is believed to date back to the 1920s. The Salty Dog was probably created in the 1950s, possibly by a gentleman named George Jessel, as a way to dial down the grapefruit’s tart and bitter notes.