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28 Colorful Cocktails Worth Sipping

Discover a rainbow of colorful cocktails that please the eyes before they tickle the taste buds.

Pink Lady Cocktail with 3 Cherries
Image: ©2foodtrippers

Colorful cocktails get a bad rap.

It’s easy for hardcore mixologists to look down upon cocktails notable for their fun colors. Often, colorful drinks are gender-coded as ‘girlie’ – especially when the color is a pastel shade of pink, blue or green.

To this, we say foul! It’s as unfair to judge a cocktail by its color as it is to judge the taste of durian (the stinkiest fruit in the world) by its smell.

As for us, we appreciate the aesthetics when tasty cocktails are as vivid as a peacock’s plumage. There’s simply nothing wrong with satisfying multiple senses at the time.

What Are Colorful Cocktails?

Hurricane at Pat OBriens in New Orleans
Drinking this colorful Hurricane in New Orleans inspired us to craft the colorful cocktail at home. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Colorful cocktails run the gamut from sweet and fruity summer sippers to complex, herbaceous drinks crafted with liquors like cognac and green chartreuse. Some are shaken and some are stirred while others are simply poured into a glass.

There’s not just one type of colorful cocktail. These eye-catching drinks multi-task by spanning the pigments of the rainbow while featuring a range of liquors including bourbon, Cointreau, gin, rum, tequila and vodka. Color options include blue, green, pink, red and yellow.

Mixologists have been crafting colorful cocktails for over a century. And, while some pre-date prohibition, others originated during the past few decades.

Crafting Colorful Cocktails at Home

Crafted Old Pal Cocktail with Bottles and Lemon
You’re the boss when you craft colorful cocktails at home. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Crafting colorful cocktails at home creates a wow factor. And, while it’s fun to serve show stopping drinks to friends and family, an added benefit is that you can choose to craft your cocktails with top quality ingredients.

Unlike bars and restaurants which may use processed juices loaded with sugar and food colorings, you can create drinks using real fruit. The difference is astounding.

Crafted Hurricane Cocktail with bottles
Crafting Hurricanes at home results in superior cocktails. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

There’s nothing like drinking a Hurricane made with freshly squeezed passion fruit juice. The fresh juice brings an earthy dimension to the drink that’s not overly acidic or sweet. Doing so elevates the Mardi Gras cocktail from frat boy swill to something truly special.

These are our favorite colorful cocktail recipes to craft at home:

28 Of The Best Colorful Cocktails

Jungle Bird Cocktail with Grey Background
Jungle Bird
The Jungle Bird looks and tastes great whether your in an actual jungle or an urban jungle.
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Tequila Sunrise with White Background
Tequila Sunrise
With its rainbow or colors, the Tequila Sunrise cocktail may be the most colorful cocktail of them all.
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Pink Lady Cocktail with Cherries
Pink Lady
Don't just think pink, drink pink! And, when you follow our recipe, the Pink Lady will perfectly fit the bill.
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Limoncello Spritz with Straw
Limoncello Sprtiz
The Limoncello Spritz beguiles drinkers with its citrus flavor and bright yellow color. It's also bubbly and fun not to mention easy to craft at home.
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Hurricane Cocktail with Blue Background
Hurricane
The Hurricane is a New Orleans classic. When crafted with fresh ingredients, the colorful cocktail is also delicious.
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Fuzzy Navel from Above with Straw
Fuzzy Navel
There's nothing fuzzy about the Fuzzy Navel's color. The peachy cocktail is as orange as its the orange juice with which it's crafted.
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Orange Creamsicle Cocktail Next to Brown Tiles
Orange Creamsicle
This Orange Creamsicle is for adults only. It's also orange as its name implies.
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Dirty Shirley Cocktail with White Background from Above
Dirty Shirley
There's no need to feel dirty when you drink a Dirty Shirley. This red cocktail is a sweet delight.
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Aviation Cocktail Next to White Tiles
Aviation
The Aviation is your drink if purple is your passion. The classic gin cocktail gets its distinct color from crème de violette.
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Paper Plane Cocktail with White Background Centered
Paper Plane
Aviation fans will appreciate the Paper Plane for both its name and sophistication. However, this bourbon cocktail is orange instead of purple.
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Woo Woo Cocktail With Lime Wheel
Woo Woo
You may exclaim Yahoo when you sip a Woo Woo. The red cocktail is nothing short of a sweet surprise.
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Between the Sheets Cocktail with White Background
Between The Sheets
Despite its frivolous name, the Between the Sheets cocktail is a serious sipper crafted with cognac, rum, orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice.
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Grasshopper Cocktail with White Background
Grasshopper
Although the grasshopper is as green as grass, grass isn't one of the creamy cocktails ingredients. Phew!
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Old Pal Cocktail with White Background
Old Pal
Will the Old Pal be your new best friends? It will certainly be your new red friend.
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Cosmopolitan Cocktail from Below
Cosmopolitan
You don't have to live in a big city to appreciate the Cosmopolitan and its pretty pink shade.
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Brown Derby Cocktail with White Background
Brown Derby
The Brown Derby isn't actually brown. This makes sense since none of its ingredients are that color.
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Last Word Cocktail with White Background
Last Word
The Last Word is at the head of the class when it comes to green gin cocktails.
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New York Sour with White Background
New York Sour
Red wine turns a Whiskey Sour into a New York Sour. It also adds a pop of purple color.
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Kir Royale with Raspberry from Above
Kir Royale
The Kir Royale is cocktail royalty. As a bonus, the Champagne cocktail is festive thanks to its bright red hue.
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Bloody Caesar Cocktail from Above
Bloody Caesar
Despite its creepy name, the Bloody Caesar is delightful to drink with brunch or any other time of the day. It's also red. Very red.
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Garibaldi Cocktail with Black Background
Garibaldi
Whipped orange juice provides the Garibaldi's color while Campari provides its cool factor.
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Mary Pickford Cocktail with Garnish
Mary Pickford
Inspired by one of Hollywood's top actresses during Prohibition, the Mary Pickford cocktail is a tasty tipple that has passed the test of time. It's also easy to craft with just a handful of ingredients.
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Bourbon Sidecar with Lemon Twist and Sugar Rim
Sidecar
Our Sidecar recipe uses bourbon instead of gin. It's also yellow. Sue us.
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Siesta Cocktail with White Background from Above
Siesta
You may want to take a siesta after you imbibe a Siesta cocktail. It's as potent as it is colorful.
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Clover Club Cocktail on Ledge
Clover Club
This Clover Club cocktail is simultaneously sweet and tart. Learn how to make this frothy pre-prohibition cocktail at home in just five minutes.
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Sex on the Beach Cocktail
Sex On The Beach
Despite its naughty name, the Sex on the Beach cocktail is a colorful cocktail that tastes fruity and fun.
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Ward 8 Cocktail from Above
Ward 8
The Ward 8 cocktail isn't as famous as its cousin, the Whiskey Sour, but it should be. Simultaneously sweet and spicy, this pre-prohibition potent potable is as easy to sip as it is to craft.
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Tomate Cocktail by Wall
Tomate
Though you'll be tempted to drink this refreshing drink on a hot summer day, it's also the perfect color to serve at a Christmas party or other festive event.
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Frequently Asked Questions

What are colorful cocktails?

Colorful cocktails are cocktails that reflect the colors of the rainbow.

What are the best colorful cocktail?

The best colorful cocktails contain fresh juices. Our favorites include the Tequila Sunrise, Pink Lady, Fuzzy Navel and Hurricane.

Where is the best place to drink colorful cocktails?

The best place to drink colorful cocktail is at home since you craft them with fresh juice and other natural ingredients.

When is the best time to drink colorful cocktails?

It’s always a good time to drink colorful cocktails.

Video Recap

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About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft these cocktails.

Original Publication Date: April 29, 2023

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