Purple Rain Cocktail

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This easy cocktail recipe for a purple rain cocktail is sure to please all the Prince fans in your life. This fruity drink is made with common bar ingredients; vodka, blue curacao, and grenadine mixed with cranberry, pineapple, and lime juices. Did I mention it’s gorgeous too?

Close up of the short glass of purple cocktail. Behind are the tall collins glass and bubble martini glassPin

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.

Dedicated to my sister Nancy

I lost one of my sisters to breast cancer over a decade ago.  I can’t believe it has been that long. Nancy was 41 at the time of her death and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.  The reason I bring this up now is not only did she love the color purple, she also would have LOVED this cocktail.  I never had a chance to make it for her.  So, this post is for her!  Oh, and for Prince, too.

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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.

Step one

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

Cranberry juice, vodka, blue curacao, lime and pineapple juice on the tablePin

Step two

Measure 2 ounces vodka. (1)

Vodka, blue curacao and cranberry juice measured out for the cocktailPin

Step three

Measure 1 ounce blue Curacao. (2)

Step four

Measure 1 ounce cranberry juice. (3)

The color of the cocktail is now becoming more purple.

Step five

Measure 1 ounce pineapple juice. (1-below)

Pineapple juice, grenadine and lime measured out for the cocktailPin

Step six

Measure 3/4 ounce grenadine. (2-above)

Step seven

Measure 1/2 ounce lime juice. (3-above)

Step eight

Cap the shaker and shake for 30 seconds.

Step nine

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

Collins glass filled with the cocktail is in front  with the rocks glass and bubble martini glass behind itPin


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 nice 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.

Short glass filled with the cocktail in front of the Collins glass and martini glassPin

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.

Bubble martini glass with the purple drink in front of the other two glassesPin

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 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 viewPin

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 7 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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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.