Cocktails · Fruity & Tropical
Fruity Cocktails6 Easy Drinks Made With Real Fruit (Plus Zero-Proof Twins)
Six fruity alcoholic drinks made with fresh fruit: watermelon margarita, strawberry gin fizz, cherry limeade, raspberry rickey, peach spritz and lychee martini.
4 min read6 drinks ⇄ 6 twins ↓
The best fruity cocktails use real, ripe fruit, juiced or muddled, balanced with fresh citrus so they taste bright instead of sugary. Start with watermelon, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, peaches or lychee, and let the fruit do most of the sweetening.
These six fruity cocktails each use one star fruit and a simple method, from a watermelon margarita to a delicate lychee martini. Every one has a zero-proof twin that keeps the fruit, the acid and the fizz.
What Makes a Good Fruity Cocktail?
Three things: ripe fruit, fresh citrus and restraint with sugar. Ripe fruit brings its own sweetness and aroma, citrus keeps it from tasting like candy, and a small pinch of salt makes the flavors stand out. Syrup should be a last adjustment, not the starting point.
Fresh vs Frozen vs Purée: Which Fruit to Use
- Fresh, ripe fruit is best for muddling and juicing. In season, it tastes like more than anything you can buy in a bottle.
- Frozen fruit is a fine choice for blending and for out-of-season drinks; thaw it before muddling.
- Purée or nectar gives a smooth, consistent texture, and is the easiest way to get peach, mango or pear into a drink year-round.
- Canned or syrup-packed fruit is usually too sweet, so skip it.
6 Fruity Cocktails
Watermelon Margarita
Fresh watermelon juice, lime and a salted rim. Cube the melon and blend and strain it for the juice; freeze a few extra cubes to chill the drink without watering it down.
Use a very ripe watermelon: it should feel heavy and sound hollow when tapped.
· Cocktail spec · Zero-proof spec
Rocks glassShaken5 minMedium · 10%
Rocks glassShaken5 minZero-proof · 0.0%
The pour · 6¼ oz
The pour · 6¼ oz
Watermelon Margarita
Watermelon Lime Cooler
Fresh watermelon juice, tequila and lime.
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishSalted rim, watermelon wedge and mint
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishSalted rim, watermelon wedge and mint
Method
- 1Rim a rocks glass with salt and fill with ice.
- 2Shake everything with ice for 10 to 12 seconds.
- 3Strain into the glass and garnish with a watermelon wedge and mint.
Method
- 1Rim a rocks glass with salt and fill with ice.
- 2Shake the watermelon juice, lime, agave and salt with ice for 10 seconds.
- 3Strain into the glass, top with club soda and garnish.
How the swap works
The salt rim and lime keep the margarita feel, and a splash of soda gives the lift tequila would add.
Enjoy responsibly · legal drinking age only · Zero-proof twin · · 1 oz = 30 ml
Strawberry Gin Fizz
Strawberry, lemon and soda, with a little basil. Hull the berries and taste one: the sweeter the fruit, the less syrup you need.
Muddle the berries gently; you want juice and flavor, not mush.
· Cocktail spec · Zero-proof spec
CollinsShaken5 minMedium · 12%
CollinsShaken5 minZero-proof · 0.0%
The pour · 5¼ oz
The pour · 6¼ oz
Strawberry Gin Fizz
Strawberry Basil Fizz
Strawberry, lemon, gin and soda.
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishSliced strawberries and basil
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishSliced strawberries and basil
Method
- 1Muddle the strawberries and basil with the lemon juice and syrup in a shaker.
- 2Add the gin and ice and shake for 10 seconds.
- 3Double-strain into a tall glass over ice, top with soda and garnish.
Method
- 1Muddle the strawberries and basil with the lemon juice and syrup in a shaker.
- 2Add the tea and ice and shake for 10 seconds.
- 3Double-strain into a tall glass over ice, top with soda and garnish.
How the swap works
Chilled tea gives the dry backbone that gin does and the basil adds the botanical note.
Enjoy responsibly · legal drinking age only · Zero-proof twin · · 1 oz = 30 ml
Cherry Limeade
A soda-fountain classic that is better with a spirit. A cherry pitter makes fresh cherries easy to use, and nothing tastes quite like them.
The pitted cherries go straight into the glass with the lime.
· Cocktail spec · Zero-proof spec
CollinsBuilt5 minLight · 9%
CollinsBuilt5 minZero-proof · 0.0%
The pour · 6 oz
The pour · 5½ oz
Cherry Limeade (Spiked)
Cherry Limeade
Muddled cherries, lime and soda with vodka.
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishLime wheel and a cherry
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishLime wheel and a cherry
Method
- 1Muddle the cherries with the lime juice and syrup in a tall glass.
- 2Add the vodka and fill with ice.
- 3Top with lemon-lime soda and stir once.
Method
- 1Muddle the cherries with the lime juice, syrup and salt in a tall glass.
- 2Fill with ice and top with lemon-lime soda.
- 3Stir once and garnish with a lime wheel and a cherry.
How the swap works
This one is a classic mocktail already; the spiked version just adds vodka to the same build.
Enjoy responsibly · legal drinking age only · Zero-proof twin · · 1 oz = 30 ml
Raspberry Lime Rickey
A rickey is lime, soda and a spirit: tart, fizzy and not sweet. Raspberries and lime are the whole flavor, so keep them cold and fresh.
Muddle the raspberries lightly and strain out the seeds if you prefer a smoother drink.
· Cocktail spec · Zero-proof spec
HighballBuilt4 minMedium · 12%
HighballBuilt4 minZero-proof · 0.0%
The pour · 6¼ oz
The pour · 6¾ oz
Raspberry Lime Rickey (Spiked)
Raspberry Lime Rickey
Raspberry, lime, gin and soda.
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishRaspberries and a lime half
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishRaspberries and a lime half
Method
- 1Muddle the raspberries with the lime juice and syrup in a highball.
- 2Add the gin and fill with ice.
- 3Top with soda, stir once and garnish.
Method
- 1Muddle the raspberries with the lime juice, syrup and salt in a highball.
- 2Fill with ice and top with soda.
- 3Stir once and garnish with raspberries and a lime half.
How the swap works
The original rickey is a lime and soda drink, so the zero-proof version needs just a little extra lime and salt.
Enjoy responsibly · legal drinking age only · Zero-proof twin · · 1 oz = 30 ml
Peach Moscato Spritz
Sweet, floral and light enough for a long afternoon. Slice the peaches thin and they float prettily in the glass.
Use a ripe peach that gives slightly when pressed, and a dry moscato if you can find one.
· Cocktail spec · Zero-proof spec
Wine glassBuilt3 minLight · 3%
Wine glassBuilt3 minZero-proof · 0.0%
The pour · 6¼ oz
The pour · 6½ oz
Peach Moscato Spritz
Peach White Tea Spritz
Moscato, peach nectar and soda.
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishPeach slice and thyme
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishPeach slice and thyme
Method
- 1Fill a stemmed glass with ice and add the moscato, nectar and lemon.
- 2Top with soda and stir gently.
- 3Garnish with a peach slice and thyme.
Method
- 1Fill a stemmed glass with ice and add the tea, nectar and lemon.
- 2Top with soda and stir gently.
- 3Garnish with a peach slice and thyme.
How the swap works
White tea is delicate and floral, much like moscato; extra lemon replaces the wine's acidity.
Enjoy responsibly · legal drinking age only · Zero-proof twin · · 1 oz = 30 ml
Lychee Martini
Delicate, floral and just sweet enough. It is the most elegant drink on this page, and the one that looks best in a V-shaped glass.
· Cocktail spec · Zero-proof spec
Martini glassShaken4 minStrong · 20%
Martini glassShaken4 minZero-proof · 0.0%
The pour · 4 oz
The pour · 4 oz
Lychee Martini
Lychee Jasmine Sour
Vodka, lychee liqueur and lime.
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishA lychee on a pick
Ingredients (1 drink)
GarnishA lychee on a pick
Method
- 1Shake everything with ice for 10 to 12 seconds.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled martini glass.
- 3Garnish with a lychee on a pick.
Method
- 1Shake everything with ice for 10 to 12 seconds.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled martini glass.
- 3Garnish with a lychee on a pick.
How the swap works
Jasmine tea has the floral lift of lychee and the lime brings the sour, so it ends up like a lychee sour.
Enjoy responsibly · legal drinking age only · Zero-proof twin · · 1 oz = 30 ml
How to Balance a Fruity Drink So It Is Not Too Sweet
Start with the fruit, add citrus until the drink tastes bright, and only then add syrup, a quarter ounce at a time. A pinch of salt, a few drops of bitters or a splash of soda also takes the edge off sweetness. If a drink still tastes cloying, it needs acid, not water.
Fruity Cocktails by Season
Cook with what is ripe: strawberries and rhubarb in spring, watermelon, peaches and cherries in summer, pears and apples in fall and pomegranate and citrus in winter. For more summer ideas, see the mojito recipe with strawberry, mango and pineapple versions, tequila cocktails and gin cocktails. For the party version, try the prosecco and champagne cocktails.
Make Them Zero-Proof
Fruit drinks are the easiest to make without alcohol, because the fruit, citrus and fizz are what you taste. Keep them all and replace the spirit with chilled tea or extra soda, and add a pinch of salt. See how to make mocktails for the method and simple syrup recipes if you want to infuse your own.
Saving this round?
Pin it for the next party — every drink and its twin will be right here.
Last call
Questions from the bar
Q1What are some fruity alcoholic drinks?
Watermelon margaritas, strawberry gin fizzes, cherry limeade, raspberry rickeys, peach spritzes, lychee martinis, mojitos and daiquiris are all popular fruity cocktails.
Mojito recipe ↗Q2What is the best fruity cocktail for beginners?
A watermelon margarita or a strawberry gin fizz is a good start: just fruit, citrus, a spirit and soda, and all easy to balance.
Easy cocktail recipes ↗Q3How do you make a cocktail with fresh fruit?
Muddle ripe fruit with citrus and a little syrup in the shaker, add the spirit and ice and shake, then double-strain to remove seeds and skins. Or juice the fruit and use it like any other mixer.
Q4What fruit goes well in cocktails?
Berries, watermelon, cherries, peaches, mango, pineapple, citrus, pomegranate and lychee all work. Choose ripe, in-season fruit for the best flavor.
Gin cocktails ↗Q5How do you make fruity drinks less sweet?
Add fresh lemon or lime, use less syrup, top with soda and add a pinch of salt. Taste as you go: acid fixes sweetness better than water does.
Q6Can you use frozen fruit in cocktails?
Yes. Thaw it first, then muddle or blend it. Frozen fruit is especially good for blended drinks and when fresh fruit is out of season.
Prosecco and champagne cocktails ↗Another round?
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