Pink cocktails
Pink drinks get their colour from fruit, not food colouring: raspberries, strawberries, cranberry, pink grapefruit and blackcurrant.
Some are sharp and sour, some light and fizzy, and a few are alcohol-free.
16 recipes
Where the colour comes from
A little of the right ingredient goes a long way. In the Cosmopolitan, 30 ml of cranberry juice is enough to turn 40 ml of vodka, 15 ml of Cointreau and 15 ml of lime juice a clear, bright pink. The Clover Club gets its colour from six raspberries mashed in the shaker, and the egg white softens it to a pale pink with a foamy top.
Grenadine is a deep red syrup traditionally made from pomegranate. The Pink Lady needs only 10 ml of it. Look for a pomegranate grenadine, because some cheap bottles taste only of sugar.
Pink drinks by style
Sours are shaken and served short, such as the Clover Club, Pink Lady and Cosmopolitan. For something fizzy, the Rossini is strawberry purée under Prosecco, and the Kir royale is crème de cassis under sparkling wine. Long drinks include the Singapore Sling, which uses grenadine and cherry brandy with 120 ml of pineapple juice, and the Paloma.
For frozen drinks, the Strawberry Daiquiri and the Frozen Strawberry Margarita both blend 250 g of frozen strawberries with rum or tequila. Frozen fruit chills and thickens the drink, so it needs less ice and tastes of fruit rather than water.
What is pink gin
Pink gin has two meanings. The original was gin with a few dashes of Angostura bitters, often linked to Royal Navy officers, though the details are hard to prove. Today the name mostly means a gin flavoured with strawberries or other red fruit.
The Pink Gin and Tonic is 50 ml pink gin and 150 ml light or dry tonic over ice, with sliced strawberries. Many pink gins are sweetened and some are lower in strength, so check the label and choose a dry tonic.
Pink mocktails and keeping the colour bright
Pink needs no spirit. The Virgin cosmopolitan uses 60 ml of pure cranberry juice with lime, orange juice and sugar syrup. The Virgin sea breeze mixes 60 ml each of cranberry and pink grapefruit juice, and raspberry lemonade is crushed raspberries with lemon and soda. See all the mocktails for more.
To keep the colour bright, chill the glass and strain through a fine strainer so seeds and fruit pulp stay out. Serve straight away, because blended drinks melt and separate. Measure the red ingredient: too much cranberry turns a cocktail into sweet pink juice.
Questions people ask
What makes a cocktail pink?
A cocktail is pink because of red fruit or a red fruit liqueur: raspberry, strawberry, cranberry juice, pink grapefruit, blackcurrant liqueur or grenadine. You need less than you might think. A Cosmopolitan turns pink with only 30 ml of cranberry juice, so measure rather than pour freely.
What are the best pink cocktails to start with?
The Cosmopolitan, French martini and Pink Gin and Tonic are easy pink cocktails to start with. For something fizzy, make a Rossini. For gin and a foamy top, try a Clover Club. Each recipe has UK measures in ml.
What is pink gin?
Pink gin is now usually a gin flavoured with strawberries or other red fruit, although the original was gin with a few dashes of Angostura bitters. Modern bottles are often sweeter and sometimes lower in strength, so check the label and serve with a dry or light tonic.
What is grenadine and does it make a drink pink?
Grenadine is a sweet red syrup traditionally made from pomegranate, and a small amount turns a drink pink. The Pink Lady and the Singapore Sling each use 10 ml. Choose a pomegranate grenadine if you can, because some cheap versions taste only of sugar.
How do you make a pink cocktail without alcohol?
Swap the spirit for a tart red juice. The Virgin cosmopolitan uses 60 ml of pure cranberry juice with lime and orange juice, and the Virgin sea breeze combines cranberry and pink grapefruit. Choose pure cranberry juice, because sweetened cranberry drinks make the drink sweet.
How do you keep a pink cocktail looking bright?
Serve it straight away in a chilled glass, and strain through a fine strainer to keep seeds and pulp out. Blended drinks melt and separate if they sit, so pour them at once. Use frozen fruit rather than lots of ice, so the drink is not watered down.