A Purple Rain Cocktail is made with vodka, blue curaçao, grenadine and lime. It’s topped off with lemonade which gives this drink a sweet yet tart, citrusy flavor. It’s a vibrant purple color when mixed, hence it’s given name.
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The Purple Rain Cocktail, a more colorful variation of a Long Island Iced Tea, is said to have been inspired by none-other-than Prince himself and his 1984 hit, Purple Rain.
While the ingredients can vary slightly from recipe-to-recipe, the main ingredients are vodka, blue curaçao, and grenadine.
Blue curaçao is a sweet, citrus flavored liqueur made from Laraha orange peels. It’s deep blue in color so when mixed with grenadine, which is a deep red, pomegranate-based syrup, the result is vibrant purple cocktail.
Other cocktails to use with blue curaçao are Blue Pineapple Cocktail and our Spooky Blue Curaçao Halloween Cocktail.
Why This Recipe Works
Most cocktails are pretty easy to make and this one is no different. It’s as simple as mixing a few ingredients with ice and serving.
This is a delicious cocktail with a fresh, citrusy flavor that is the perfect mix of sweet and tart.
You can just as easily make a single serving or scale up the recipe to serve a crowd, if needed.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blue curaçao
- 2 ounces grenadine
- 2 ounces vodka: any type that you prefer will work in this recipe.
- 1 ounce lime juice: if preferred, you can use lemon juice or a combination of lemon and lime juices. Fresh squeezed juice will give you the best flavor.
- Lemonade (to top): you can also use a sparkling lemonade, lemon lime soda or seltzer water to top.
- Lime slices (optional garnish)
- Edible flowers (optional garnish)
The entire recipe and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
There is no significant prep work for this recipe other than to juice a lime and cut a few extra slices if you plan to add a garnish to your cocktail.
Create!
Fill a tall glass or cocktail shaker with ice and add the blue curaçao, grenadine, vodka and lime juice.
Stir or shake for 30 seconds to combine. Transfer to a glass if using a shaker.
Top with lemonade.
Present!
Garnish with a lime wedge and edible flowers.
Serve immediately.
Tips and Techniques
- Instead of lime juice, lemon juice or a combination of lemon and lime juices can be used.
- Sparkling lemonade, lemon lime soda or seltzer water could also be used to top off the drink, instead of lemonade.
- Optional rimmed glass: run a lime wedge around a glass and dip into a shallow plate of purple-colored sugar.
- It is recommended to prepare this drink just prior to serving it.
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Purple Rain Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blue curaçao
- 2 ounces grenadine
- 2 ounces vodka (any type)
- 1 ounce lime juice
- lemonade (to top, about 2 ounces)
- lime slices (optional garnish)
- edible flowers (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Fill a tall glass or cocktail shaker with ice and add the blue curaçao, grenadine, vodka, and lime juice..2 ounces blue curaçao, 2 ounces grenadine, 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce lime juice
- Stir or shake for 30 seconds to combine. Transfer to a glass if using a shaker.
- Top with lemonade.lemonade
- Garnish with a lime wedge and edible flowers.lime slices, edible flowers
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- Instead of lime juice, lemon juice or a combination of lemon and lime juices can be used.
- Sparkling lemonade, lemon lime soda or seltzer water could also be used to top off the drink, instead of lemonade.
- Optional rimmed glass: run a lime wedge around a glass and dip into a shallow plate of purple-colored sugar.
- It is recommended to prepare this drink just prior to serving it.
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