Purple Rain Cocktail

ByElaine BenoitUpdated: February 6, 2024

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 information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.

Nutrition

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*This recipe was originally published June 3, 2016. All process shots are from the original post.

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.

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.

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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”!

Other popular blue Curacao recipes

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 FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!