12 Sweet, Fruity Alcoholic Drinks

So you love fruit, and you love booze. (We do, too!) Some of the most delicious, indulgent fruity drinks are classic cocktails. From classic strawberry daiquiris to appletinis, these are tried-and-true favorites. Many of these drinks are reminiscent of relaxing on a tropical beach. They are excellent choices for drinks at an afternoon picnic or garden party, or as dessert. We tried to pick drink recipes with a wide variety of fruits. There’s something for everyone here!

Sweet drinks are a common cause of hangover headaches. Remember, if you are indulging in a whole afternoon of these drinks, to drink plenty of water in between servings. Also, eating fatty foods helps to delay the body’s absorption of alcohol. Some preliminary scientific studies have found that red ginseng and/or ginger might also help speed up hangover recovery.

Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail

Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail

We had to pick something that would be perfect for the beginning of fall! The apple cider and bourbon go really well together. This is perfect for these remaining warm days that are ushering in autumn.

You will need:

  • 3 ounces apple cider
  • 2 ounces bourbon
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 ounces ginger beer or ginger ale
  • Apple slice, thyme sprig, and cinnamon stick for garnish

Serves 1. First, fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the cider, bourbon, and lemon juice. Shake vigorously and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top off with ginger ale or ginger beer. Garnish with the apple slice, cinnamon stick, and thyme sprig.

Pomegranate Rum Punch

Pomegranate Rum Punch

Pomegranate has many health benefits. It’s packed with nutrients and rich in antioxidants. Like cranberry juice, it can help urinary health and prevent UTIs and kidney stones. Plus, pomegranates are delicious!

You will need:

  • 1 cup pomegranate juice (chilled)
  • ¼ cup lime juice (fresh is best!)
  • Two 12-ounce cans of ginger ale
  • 1 cup rum (or vodka)
  • Lime slices, for garnish

Serves 6. In a large pitcher, stir the pomegranate juice with lime juice and ginger ale. Stir in the rum. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice cubes. Add a slice of lime for garnish.

Malibu Sunset

Malibu Sunset

This is one of the most popular island drinks! You can really channel the tropical vibe by serving this with paper umbrellas.

You will need:

  • 3 to 4 ounces pineapple-orange juice
  • 2 ounces Malibu coconut rum
  • Grenadine
  • Maraschino cherries, for garnish
  • Pineapple and/or orange slices, for garnish

Serves 1. First, add ice to a tall glass. Add juice and coconut rum, and stir. Drizzle the grenadine on top, then garnish with a handful of cherries, pineapple, and/or orange slices. Serve immediately. This is best served on awesome coasters to catch the condensation.

Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise

You will need:

  • 2 teaspoons grenadine
  • 3 ½ tablespoons (1.6 ounces) tequila
  • 1 tablespoon triple sec, or orange flavored liqueur
  • 1 large orange (or two small ones), juiced
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 maraschino cherry, for garnish

Serves 1. First, pour the grenadine into the base of a tall glass and set it aside. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the tequila, triple sec, and fruit juices. Shake vigorously. Finally, add a few ice cubes to your serving glass, then carefully double strain the cocktail into it, trying not to disturb the grenadine layer too much. Add more ice if needed, then garnish with a cherry and a cocktail umbrella. Serve this drink on a tray with beautiful tropic motifs. (See some great tray decoration inspirations here!)

Clover Club

Clover Club

If you are a lover of fresh raspberries right off the vine, then you are going to love this drink! If you don’t like gin, feel free to replace it with vodka. (Although the classic Clover Club is served with gin.)

You will need:

  • 2 ounces gin
  • 1-ounce lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
  • 4 teaspoons raspberry sugar syrup (recipe below)
  • 1 egg white
  • Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Serves 1. First, to make the raspberry sugar syrup: All you need is water, sugar, and fresh or frozen raspberries. Bring half a cup of granulated sugar and half a cup of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and add a cup of raspberries. After a minute or so, once the raspberries have softened, break them down with a fork and allow the liquid to simmer and dissolve (about 10 minutes). Once the liquid reaches syrup consistency, strain it to get rid of the seeds. You can use it immediately but refrigerate any leftovers.

Next, it’s time to prepare the drink! In a cocktail shaker packed with ice, shake the gin, lemon juice, raspberry sugar syrup, and egg white vigorously until very well chilled. (If your syrup is hot, this will take longer.) Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a skewer of fresh raspberries.

Appletini

Appletini

This is a classic martini variation that is much-loved because it’s sweeter and fruit-forward. This is reminiscent of green apples and is another great classic to enjoy in the early fall. Variations: Add 1 ounce of apple cider to this mix to make it more apple-y. To make it feel more like a red apple instead of green, add one ounce of cranberry juice. Or, try caramel-flavored vodka to make it like a delicious caramel apple.

You will need:

  • 1 ½ ounces vodka
  • ¾ ounces green apple schnapps (a.k.a. apple pucker)
  • ¼ ounce lime juice (freshly squeezed is best)
  • ¼ ounce simple syrup
  • Apple slice for garnish

Serves 1. First, chill your serving glass for a few minutes in a freezer. While it’s cooling down, in a cocktail shaker packed with ice, add vodka, green apple schnapps, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously. Strain into your chilled glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

Banana Daiquiri

Banana Daiquiri

Banana daiquiris always feel so luxurious that it’s a surprise how easy they are to make. This recipe combines the soft and sweet flavor of banana with the velvety caress of rum. Be careful not to overdo it by drinking this one!

You will need:

  • 3 tablespoons rum
  • 2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice (fresh is best)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or simple syrup
  • ½ banana (nice and ripe is best)
  • Maraschino cherries, for garnish

Serves 1. First, place all ingredients into a blender with about a cup of ice. Blend at high speed, then low for 15 seconds. Finish with 10 more seconds at high speed to make it frothy. Serve in a gorgeous glass and garnish with a few maraschino cherries.

Classic Aperol Spritz

Classic Aperol Spritz

This classic drink tastes like summertime in Italy, and the color is reminiscent of a golden orange sunset. It’s a light and refreshing drink. Aperol is a bitter Italian aperitif that’s made of gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona and has an iconic, glowing-orange hue. You can find this near other liqueurs (like triple sec) at your local store. To make your drink less bitter, use less Aperol and more Prosecco.  This drink is wonderful served with goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, or burrata with crusty bread. Anything fatty and salty will help curb the bitter flavor.

You will need:

  • 3 ounces Aperol
  • 3 ounces dry Prosecco
  • 1 ounce (a splash) club soda or unflavored sparkling water
  • Orange slice, for garnish

Serves 1. Add ice to a wine glass so that it’s nearly full. Pour in the Aperol first. Next, pour in an equal amount of Prosecco. Top the glass off with club soda and add an orange slice for garnish. Don’t forget wine charms when serving to a group. Enjoy!

Sparkling Vodka Cranberry

Sparkling Vodka Cranberry

You will need:

  • 3 ounces citrus-flavored vodka (chilled)
  • 3 ounces cranberry juice (chilled)
  • 3 teaspoons lime juice (fresh is best)
  • 3 ounces sparkling water
  • Lime wedge and/or sugar-coated cranberries, for garnish

Serves 3. First, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice cubes. Add the vodka, cranberry juice, and lime juice and shake vigorously. Strain into a beautiful cocktail glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with a lime wedge and/or sugar-coated cranberries.

White Sangria

White Sangria

We love sangria! This white variation uses white wine with a peach-flavored base. This is an excellent drink to use up any leftover, very-ripe fruits before they get sent off to compost heaven. Using ginger ale as a topper will add some sweetness to your sangria.

You will need:

  • ½ cup apricot brandy
  • ¼ cup peach schnapps
  • 1 bottle of white wine
  • 2 oranges, sliced
  • 2 limes, sliced
  • 2 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 1 ½ cups strawberries, halved
  • Club soda, Prosecco, or ginger ale

Serves 8. First, in a large pitcher, combine the brandy, peach schnapps, and fruit. Add the white wine, stir, and refrigerate for up to 4 hours. When you are ready to serve, scoop some fruit from the bottom of the pitcher into wine glasses. Fill ¾ of the way with the brandy/schnapps mixture. Top with club soda, prosecco, or ginger ale (your preference). When serving to a group, use wine charms to help everyone keep track of their wine glass.

Watermelon Splash

Watermelon Splash

This is a wonderful, refreshing beverage to enjoy at the end of summer when watermelons are ripe and in season! Perfect for an outdoor picnic.

You will need:

  • ½ ounce Smirnoff Watermelon
  • 3 ounces lemon-lime soda
  • ¼ ounce cranberry juice
  • Watermelon slice, for garnish

Serves 1. First, fill a wide-mouth rocks glass with ice. Add the Smirnoff Watermelon, lemon-lime soda, and cranberry juice to the glass. Stir it slowly, then garnish with a watermelon slice.

Grapefruit Negroni

Grapefruit Negroni

We love this drink recipe because it’s not so sweet that it’ll take the coating off your teeth. It’s subtle, sophisticated, and full of flavor. Try some of these variations: use equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari. Also, you can use mezcal in place of gin. Or, you can make this a Boulevardier by using bourbon instead of gin.

You will need:

  • 2 peeled ruby-red grapefruit segments (or 1 ounce fresh ruby-red grapefruit juice)
  • 1 ½ ounces gin
  • 1-ounce sweet vermouth
  • ½ ounce Campari
  • The long, wide swath of grapefruit peel, for garnish  (How-to guide to make a citrus peel twist)

Serves 1. First, squeeze the grapefruit segments into a shaker that is ¾ filled with ice, and drop in the fruit when you’re done squeezing. (If using juice, just add the juice.) Next, add the gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari to the shaker. Shake vigorously until well-chilled. Place one large block of ice in a rocks glass and curl the grapefruit peel around the inside of the glass. Strain the mixture into the prepared glass.