The Best Rainbow-Coloured Cocktails and Why The Colours Make Us Feel Happy

There’s something special about rainbows. It’s partly why their colours have often been employed in cocktails to add character and vibrancy. But what is about this weather phenomenon that makes it so exciting?

Meteorologically speaking, they often appear after a storm, signifying its passing. In doing so there is a tangible sense of relief and calm. The dispersion of light into seven distinct, bright colours is often associated with happiness, and across history and throughout a variety of cultures, rainbows present peace and positivity.

Gaia Vince, writing for the BBC, noted how rainbows have become a prominent symbol during times of struggle and in Western arts they are often represented as “a sign of hope and promise of better times to come.”

The symbolism rainbows hold has made them a familiar sight in modern pop culture too. Most famously, The Wizard of Oz saw Dorothy singing “Over the Rainbow” as a wish for better times and harmony. Major fashion brands like Boohoo have created entire fashion lines devoted to the colours of the rainbow. Women can fill their wardrobes with everything from earrings, handbags and sliders to beach dresses, nightwear, formal mini dresses, and flared trousers, each adorning the colours of the rainbow in imaginative ways.

The mythology of finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow has inspired games too. For instance, at online casinos, you can play Rainbow Riches, a 20-payline slot in which golden coins have been stolen by a mischievous leprechaun. Fittingly, the 95% RTP slot has been decked out in all the colours of the rainbow.

Cocktails Inspired by the Colours of the Rainbow

Naturally, the best mixologists have taken our delight at the sight of the rainbow to make some delicious cocktails inspired by the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

One of our favourites is food and travel blogger Tammilee’s aptly named Rainbow Cocktail, a drink she says she found in a New Orleans bar. Made with vodka, the drink layers grenadine, Collins mix, and blue curaçao over crushed ice to create a joyful collection of colours that sees light blues flow into warming yellows and oranges before the deep reds of the grenadine at the bottom of the glass.

Similar drinks can be made with rum such as the Rainbow-jito which draws some of its colours from three different kinds of spirit – white rum soaked in diced watermelon, white rum soaked in diced pineapple, and spiced rum soaked in cantaloupe. There’s also End of the Rainbow which uses coconut rum with grenadine, pineapple juice, and blue curaçao. Swap the rum for vodka in this cocktail for a Rainbow Fizz or add peach Schnapps for a Rainbow Martini.

Joy and Happiness

Rainbow-coloured cocktails not only delight the senses but also evoke feelings of happiness and hope. Their vibrant hues, inspired by nature, history, and culture, make them the perfect drinks to brighten any occasion, reminding us of joy and better times ahead.