Purple RainCocktail recipe
Rating
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Purple Rain is a bright, crowd-pleasing highball that sits firmly in the modern “party drink” tradition: colourful, easy to order, and built around familiar liqueurs rather than a long, documented backstory. You’ll most often see it served as a tall, fizzy cooler where the name does the heavy lifting—promising a vivid hue and a playful, throwback bar vibe that’s more about fun than formality.
On the palate, cherry liqueur brings a deep, candy-like fruit sweetness that sets the tone, while blue curaçao adds a zesty orange-leaning sweetness that lifts and sharpens the fruit. Topped with lemonade, everything turns lighter and more refreshing: the lemonade’s citrusy sparkle stretches the liqueurs out into a long, easy sip, keeping the drink sweet but not syrupy.
Serve it when you want something uncomplicated and eye-catching—house parties, casual get-togethers, or any night where you’re drinking for colour and refreshment. If you like sweeter, fruit-forward drinks with a fizzy finish, this one lands squarely in your wheelhouse, especially as an early-evening opener or a simple dancefloor-friendly sipper.
Microbadges
Can you make this?
Add the ingredients you have at home to your My Bar and we'll show you what cocktails you can make. Start off by adding the ingredients you have for this cocktail using the plus icons.
Cocktail Colin says:
Cherry liqueur leads with candied red-fruit sweetness while blue curaçao adds a bright orange-citrus candy note, and the lemonade top-up brings fizzy lemon tang that lightens the mix into a vivid, sweet-tart highball. It works because the lemonade’s acidity and bubbles keep the two liqueurs from feeling syrupy, making it ideal for party-drink fans and anyone who likes bold, fruity sweetness over spirit-forward complexity.
Method
How to make a Purple Rain
- Cherry liqueur 30ml, Blue curaçao 30ml, Lemonade Top up
-
- Squeeze a lime wedge over a tall glass and drop into the drink
-
- Add the Cherry Sourz, curaçao and some ice cubes to the glass and stir well
-
- Top up with lemonade before garnishing with a lime wedge and serving
Power tips
Elevate the Purple Rain with these master mixologist tips
Upgrade to premium
And receive world class tips on how to raise your cocktails to the next level.
Find out more- Upgrade to premium to receive power tips from top bartenders around the world. Raise you mixology game.
- Read the tweaks that take this simple cocktail to the next level of greatness. Become the next best mixologist which people all talk about.
Learn more about some of the mixology terms used in this cocktail
· Stir ·Your private tasting notes
Featured in
FAQ's
What gives the Purple Rain cocktail its distinct purple color?
The distinct purple color of the Purple Rain cocktail comes from the combination of blue curaçao, which is inherently blue, and cherry liqueur, which has a red hue. When mixed together, these ingredients create a visually striking purple coloration.
What type of glass is best suited for serving the Purple Rain cocktail?
The Purple Rain cocktail is best served in a highball glass. This type of glass is tall, which makes it ideal for cocktails that are topped up with a significant amount of a non-alcoholic mixer, such as lemonade in this case, allowing the drink to be properly mixed and enjoyed.
Is it necessary to shake the ingredients of the Purple Rain cocktail before serving?
No, it is not necessary to shake the ingredients of the Purple Rain cocktail. This cocktail is specifically noted to be stirred rather than shaken. Stirring is a gentler method of combining the ingredients, which helps in preserving the clarity and distinct layers of color in the drink.
How does the alcohol content of Purple Rain compare to other cocktails?
With an alcohol content of 3%, Purple Rain has a relatively low alcohol content compared to many other cocktails, which often range from 10% to 25% alcohol by volume (ABV). This makes it a lighter option, ideal for those who prefer a milder cocktail experience.
Is there a non-alcoholic version of the Purple Rain cocktail, and how is it made?
Yes, a non-alcoholic version of the Purple Rain cocktail can easily be made by substituting the cherry liqueur and blue curaçao with non-alcoholic syrup equivalents. These syrups are available in similar flavors and colors, allowing you to mimic the visual and taste profile of the original cocktail without the alcohol content.
Upgrade your mixology
Become a member for free taking your cocktail making skills up to level 11. Or become a premium member to rise to cocktail greatness.
- Save your bar forever
- Access to our Cocktail Creator, allowing you to create your own wonderful concoctions.
- Access to Cocktail Colin; ask Cocktail Colin anything on an individual cocktail and he'll give you the answers you need.
- Create personalised cocktail menus for all your events, bars or parties
- Save cocktails to personalised 'Tried' and 'Want to try' lists
- Create and record tasting notes on cocktails
- Create lists of cocktails to share with friends and family
- A personalised MyBar URL, allowing you to share everything you can make with friends
- And much more ... (what to buy next, measurement choices, search personalisation...)
Have you tried our Wordpress Plugin?
Download our plugin and embed cocktail recipes directly onto your own site or blog.
Choose from our whole recipe database, or choose a specific cocktail made with a certain ingredient, and let us place a beautiful recipe on your own site.
Find out moreYou might also like
Explore this nuanced mix of tequila and vermouth
The Real Blood and Sand
Tequila añejo, Cherry liqueur, Red vermouth, Orange juice
Savor this delightful blend of cherries and vermouth
Rose
Cherry liqueur, White vermouth, Strawberry syrup
Discover this timeless mix of whiskey and citrus.
Blood and Sand
Whiskey, Cherry liqueur, Red vermouth, Blood orange juice
Skittles
Apple liqueur, Cherry liqueur, Blackcurrant liqueur, Smirnoff Ice, WKD blue
Create a cocktail
Choose a theme and some ingredients, give us some description and we'll create an amazing cocktail for you.
Register as a Premium Make Me a Cocktail community member and get access to an even more powerful creator.
Start creatingBuild your bar
Tell us what you have at home and we’ll find a delicious cocktail for you to make right now.
Register as a Make Me a Cocktail community member and we’ll save your ingredients list so you can come back to it at any time.
Create My Bar
Cocktail Colin
Your cocktail expert
Hi! I'm Cocktail Colin
Ask me anything about this cocktail - how to make it, substitutions, variations, or any other questions!
Become a member to access Cocktail Colin
Become a member (for free) to pick Cocktail Colin's cocktail filled brain on everything on this cocktail, from substitutions, if you can use what you have, to serving suggestions and more.
Become a member
Comments