Purple Rain Cocktail
How to make the famous Purple Rain Cocktail - the only Purple Rain Drink you’ll need.
The Purple Rain Drink is the one drink that whenever you look how to make it online is completely different each time.
Ever wondered why that is? From the perspective of a bartender when you’re creating a cocktail certain names come to mind, and when that cocktail is purple, the first one is always purple rain.
The truth is that the Purple rain cocktail seemingly does not exist as a classic. They’re just way too many variations of purple drinks with the same name. If you’re from the UK then you’re probably most familiar with Wetherspoons and there Purple Rain Cocktail Pitcher. All you Americans probably have a similar case of a popular restaurant or bar with a purple drink named the Purple Rain.
Even more curious is that less then 2% of these cocktails are actually inspired by or based on the singer song writer Prince. (this recipe being no exception)
Ingredients for Purple Rain Cocktail
As the Purple Rain cocktail is different whichever bartender and from whichever bar you ordered it, it gives you the permission to mix and match ingredients however you’d like.
The only rule being that this drink has to be purple. An orange cocktail named purple rain? well, that just doesn’t make much sense now, does it?
Which means you’re next question is probably going to be how do you make a drink purple. But first, let’s cover the ingredients you’ll need to gather for my Purple Rain cocktail.
Vodka
The version we’ll make today will be a vodka purple rain. Vodka is great as it’s a colourless and odourless cocktail. Which provides the perfect base for us to make this cocktail A) taste exactly how we want it to, and B) make it as purple as we can.
However, this cocktail works great with just about any clear spirit. Gin for example, works amazingly. So if you’re a gin drinker, swap that Vodka out for a dash of gin and you’ll be good to go! I’m yet to try it with spirits such as Tequila, but giving the orange flavour, I imagine it’ll also work just as well. The same goes for white rum.
Blue Curacao
Blue Curacao is a liqueur you’ve probably came across if you enjoy cocktails. It’s an orange liqueur much like Cointreau and Triple sec, however the main difference is that as the name suggests, its bright blue. This is important for achieving what we want most out of this cocktail - something that’s purple.
But it isn’t all about just how it looks. Blue Curacao adds the orange flavour we want with this cocktail, it also adds the sweetness for the drink.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is another ingredient that’s going to add some sweetness. But it also adds an acidity, a tart taste to our Purple Rain drink. Which means we don’t need to add any citrus juice.
That being said if you’re a lover of acidic drinks, then you can feel free to add some lime juice to this cocktail which will work great, or even just a lime wedge garnish.
Soda Water
Finally we’re going to add some soda water. Remember, this is a sparkling Purple Rain Cocktail. So soda water will give us that fizz and length but without messing with our cranberry and orange flavour.
How to Make a Purple Drink
To make a drink purple, you need to combine red ingredients with blue ingredients.
If you haven’t guessed already the ingredients in this drink that make it purple is the cranberry juice and blue curacao. Depending on how much of each ingredient you add depends on the kind of purple you get.
Equal blue and red will result in a classic purple drink like the photo above. More red then blue and you’ll go further into violet, lavender and magenta types of colours. More blue and you get more of a deeper purple, something more midnight.
So if you want to make your own Purple Rain cocktail or any purple drink, just combine the 2 colours. Here’s a few ideas on what you can use;
For Blue Cocktails
Blue curacao which we’re using in this drink is just about the bluest ingredient you can get. We’ll be using the classic Blue Curacao liqueur for our purple rain drink but you can also use Blue Curacao syrup for a sweeter option.
Blue Raspberry. You can get blue raspberry syrups and liqueurs or even mixed drinks like WKD.
Blue Mixed drinks. Consider using blue alcohol free drinks like Powerade or blue Fanta to add some blue to your cocktail.
For Red Cocktails
For red cocktails you have way more options to consider. I couldn’t even begin to list all of them. But here’s a few recommendations to get you started.
Cranberry Juice
Pomegranate Juice
Strawberry liqueurs and syrups
Raspberry liqueurs and syrups
Campari
Beetroot
Watermelon
Chambord
Just remember, any other colours and you’ll throw the whole thing off. So for adding alcohol to your cocktails, stick to white spirits like gin, white rum, tequila and vodka. For lengthening your cocktails stick to soda water, lemonade, spirt and 7 up. For sweetening your cocktails stick to white and clear sugar syrups.
And if you still can’t get the purple you’re after. Consider using food dye.
More Purple Cocktails
If you’re still in need of inspiration, well, I’ve made quite a few purple cocktails right here on Smartblend. Check out some of them below;
Variations
Given the looseness of this recipe, there is a lot you can do in terms of variations. The first and simplest thing is too just take out the soda water, shake it up and serve it in a coupe for something more elegant like this…
You can also consider changing the texture. I've previously gone in depth about texture especially when it comes to foams, airs, and bubbles for cocktails. But the simplest way to achieve a nice foam is to just shake the cocktail without soda and with the addition of 1 egg white, strain it into a tall glass, then top it with the soda. Which will look something like this;
Here are a few other suggestions I have for mixing up this recipe;
Swap the soda water for any other clear sparkling liquid, such as lemonade or prosecco.
Replace the blue curacao liqueur for blue curacao syrup for a sweeter option.
Add 1 shot of lime juice to make it more acidic.
Add sugar syrup flavoured with whatever you want for an extra layer of flavour. Lavender is a good go to for purple drinks.
Replace the Vodka for any other clear spirit such as Tequila, White Rum or Gin.
Purple Rain Shot
Another option for the party lover is to turn this into a Purple Rain Shot.
For the purple rain shot just combine equal parts Blue Curacao and Cranberry juice in a shot glass for a purple shot that actually tastes delicious.
You could also combine 2 liqueurs, 1 red and 1 blue, for a higher ABV shot. Such as blue raspberry and strawberry aftershock. Or cherry and blue raspberry Sourz.
Wetherspoons Purple Rain Pitcher
Now we can’t talk about the Purple Rain cocktail without mentioning what is probably the most famous Purple Rain drink available to order. And that’s the Wetherspoons Purple rain pitcher.
I can’t help but think that a lot of people who have ended up on this article are in search for the Wetherspoons recipe, which this is not. However, that being said I do have the Wetherspoons recipe for their own Purple Rain Pitcher, so it’d just be mean of me not to share it. So here we are.
Wetherspoons purple rain recipe
Fill a jug full with ice
Add 100ml of cherry Sourz
Add 120ml of blue Curaçao
Top with lemonade
Give it a mix and serve
Wetherspoons purple rain calories: 827
The calories of a Wetherspoons purple rain pitcher is about 827 calories. However, that is a rough estimate based on the recipe above. Keep in mind small changes to that recipe will make big differences, and that is for the entire jug.
What’s also interesting is the calories are drastically cut down if you replace the lemonade with Diet lemonade.
Tips and Tricks
Multiple the recipe by 5 and serve in a pitcher for a tasty party sharer.
Shake without the soda and then add the soda afterwards. This small difference changes the entire texture of the cocktail.
Garnish with orange to bring more of the orange flavour and add a pop of contrast with the purple, or lavender for extra purple.
If garnishing with flowers, make sure you opt for edible flowers. Violas are the best for this.
Purple Rain
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in a tall glass and fill with ice.
- Stir to combine and garnish with an orange peel and/or edible flowers.
Notes
Have fun with this cocktail by combining any red ingredients with blue ingredients to make a purple drink you can name Purple Rain.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
216.01Fat
0.04 gSat. Fat
0 gCarbs
10.46 gFiber
0.03 gNet carbs
10.43 gSugar
8.43 gProtein
0.11 gSodium
13.05 mgCholesterol
0 mgThe nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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Hi, I’m Cameron, guv’nor of Smartblend. If you liked this then you’re in luck, I have a bunch more recipes like it. I share only vegetarian and pescatarian food recipes, cocktails, and drink guides with a sprinkling of wellness and mindful drinking. If that sounds like you, then stick around!
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