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Purple Rain Cocktail

The Purple Rain cocktail is a sweet and tart drink made with vodka, blue curaçao, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, grenadine, and lime juice. It is named after the 1984 song by Prince, and the combination of blue curaçao and grenadine achieves its signature purple color.

Vertical view of the shorter glass filled with the cocktail in front of the other two
Image Credit: Dishes Delish.

The Purple Rain cocktail was created in the early 1980s by a bartender in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The cocktail quickly became popular and is now one of the most well-known Prince-inspired cocktails. It is often served at Prince tribute nights and events and a popular choice for Halloween parties.

The cocktail is typically served in a tall glass with ice, and the garnish can be a lime wedge, lime wheel, lemon wedge, or a cherry. But I chose not to garnish it because of how pretty the cocktail is.

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This purple rain cocktail is so delicious and easy to make!  Of course, a lot of people posted a Purple Rain cocktail as soon as Prince died, but I wanted to wait because I can be contrary like that.

Ask Christopher. He could tell you.

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Helpful
Tips
  • Wash your citrus before juicing them or adding to the cocktail as garnish. You can use some unscented, natural hand soap and rub the skin with it before rinsing it off under cold water, or you can use this cloth. It has a coarse side and a smooth side. Hold the citrus under cold water, rub the skin of the fruit with the coarse side, and then rinse again.
  • There are different blue Curacao brands, my favorites are the Arrow brand that I use here, or De Kuyper.
  • There are many different recipes for the purple rain. This is how I’ve always made it but some recipes call for lemonade or lemon lime soda but I think it adds flavors that I don’t like so I stick with the way I’ve always made this mixed drink with fresh lime juice and pineapple juice.
  • You can either salt the rim or sugar the rim of the glasses but I don’t believe this cocktail benefits from a salt/sugar rimmed glass.
a glass filled with the purple cocktail with two other glasses in the back
Photo Credit: Dishes Delish.

How to make the purple rain cocktail

Pre-step

Get your cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice. Get a measuring glass and glassware.

After measuring out the ingredients, pour them into the shaker.

This recipe is for one cocktail, I have included two variations in the recipe card note section.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – vodka, blue Curacao liqueur, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and lime.

Cranberry juice, vodka, blue curacao, lime and pineapple juice on the table
Photo Credit: Dishes Delish.

Step two

Measure 2 ounces vodka. (A)

Step three

Measure 1 ounce blue Curacao. (B)

Vodka and blue curacao measured out
Photo Credit: Dishes Delish.

Step four

Measure 1-ounce cranberry juice. (C)

The color of the cocktail is now becoming more purple.

Step five

Measure 1 ounce pineapple juice. (D)

Cranberry juice and pineapple juice measured out
Photo Credit: Dishes Delish.

Step six

Measure 3/4 ounce grenadine. (E)

Step seven

Measure 1/2 ounce lime juice. (F)

Grenadine and lime juice measured out
Photo Credit: Dishes Delish.

Step eight

Place the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

Step nine

Add extra ice cubes to the glass and pour the contents into a Tom Collins glass. See the recipe card below for two variations of this recipe.

I’ve pictured the three different ways I’ve mixed the Purple Rain.  The front cocktail in the tall glass is the main recipe below.

Three glasses with the purple cocktail the tall one in front
Image Credit: Dishes Delish.


Look at the deep purple color. YUM!! Notice that by the ice cubes, the cocktail looks almost teal, but below the cubes, it’s a lovely deep purple.

For a deeper purple color pictured in the double old fashioned glass below, use a full ounce of grenadine, as I call for in the two variations below.

The double old fashioned glass in front of the other two filled with the purple rain cocktail
Image Credit: Dishes Delish.

This third variation, pictured in the martini glass, looks almost black. That’s because I left out the lime juice. I wanted to see if there was a taste difference. There is, but it’s so slight, you probably won’t miss it.

The bubble martini glass filled with the purple cocktail in front of the other two in vertical view
Image Credit: Dishes Delish.

Which one of these purple rain cocktail variations do I prefer? I can’t play favorites! They are my “babies”!

I hope you enjoyed this purple rain cocktail recipe.  I enjoyed drinking it! 🙂

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

Three purple rain cocktails in vertical view

Purple Rain Cocktail

This deep purple cocktail is truly delicious. The recipe below is the one in the tall glass. The other two variations are in the notes section.
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cocktail
Cuisine: Cocktails
Keyword: purple rain cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 306kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 1 ounce blue curacao
  • 1 ounce cranberry juice
  • 1 ounce pineapple juice
  • 3/4 ounce grenadine
  • 1/2 ounce lime juice 1/2 lime

Instructions

  • Fill your shaker 1/2 way with ice.
  • Add the vodka, Blue Curacao, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, grenadine and lime juice.
    2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce blue curacao, 1 ounce cranberry juice, 1 ounce pineapple juice, 3/4 ounce grenadine, 1/2 ounce lime juice
  • Place the lid on the shaker and vigorously shake for 20 seconds.
  • Pour into a tall glass, I used a collins glass.
  • Sip
  • Smile
  • Enjoy
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Notes

Helpful tips

  • Wash your citrus before juicing them or adding to the cocktail as garnish. You can use some unscented, natural hand soap and rub the skin with it before rinsing it off under cold water, or you can use this cloth. It has a coarse side and a smooth side. Hold the citrus under cold water, rub the skin of the fruit with the coarse side, and then rinse again.
  • There are different blue Curacao brands, my favorites are the Arrow brand that I use here, or De Kuyper.
  • There are many different recipes for the purple rain. This is how I’ve always made it but some recipes call for lemonade or lemon lime soda but I think it adds flavors that I don’t like so I stick with the way I’ve always made this mixed drink with fresh lime juice and pineapple juice.
  • You can either salt the rim or sugar the rim of the glasses but I don’t believe this cocktail benefits from a salt/sugar rimmed glass.
Variation #1  – double old-fashioned glass
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce blue curacao
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce grenadine
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Variation #2 – martini glass
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce blue curacao
1 ounce cranberry juice
1 ounce pineapple juice
1 ounce grenadine

Nutrition

Serving: 1cocktail | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 36mg | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin C: 9.7mg
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*This recipe was originally published June 3, 2016.  All process shots are from the original post.

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From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to food journalist, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.

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20 Comments

  1. Oh, purple cocktail looks mysterious! I love your instructions 5-9, haha! Cheers!

  2. Ooooh I love this!! The colour is mesmerising! I love that you made this for your sister, it’s always hard losing someone and I don’t know… for me it doesn’t seem to matter how much time passes, I still find it incredibly difficult. I mean it’s easier to get through the day to day, but I rarely go long without thinking of someone I’ve lost and it’s still painful if I give it any kind of thought. I do enjoy making and doing things that I know they would have loved though, it makes me feel a little closer to them 🙂

    1. Thanks so much Annie! And thanks for relaying your experience. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone! 🙂

  3. What a fun cocktail! And the photos are gorgeous. Well done. (Now, how about a Singing in the Purple Rain cocktail?)

  4. I love all the flavors in this cocktail and I think this one again will go on top of my favorite cocktails of yours, cheers! So so sad for your sister Lainey, she was so young…

  5. Great drink. I work at an Elks Lodge this was something very different for everyone. They have to get out the box this drink did it. Thank you for the recipe.

  6. This looks delicious! I’m searching for a purple signature drink for my 50th birthday party and this fits the bill. Is there any way to make this in batches to be self-served by my guests?

    1. I’ve never made it in a big batch, but I bet it could be done. I would perhaps not put a full egg whiter per drink though, try 1 for every 2 cocktails. So if you are making enough for 10 people, just use 5 whites as it’s going to sit for a bit. Hope that makes sense.

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