Some nights, we crave a stiff bourbon old fashioned crowned with an orange peel. Other nights, we have a hankering for a cocktail that doesn’t taste potent in the slightest…but still gets the job done. Whether mouth-puckering margaritas or uber-sweet strawberry daiquiris are your drink of choice, this list of 21 fruity cocktails has a libation that’s just right for your taste.
21 Fruity Cocktails That Don’t Taste Like Straight Alcohol (But Are Still Boozy)
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Published Apr 11, 2022
1. Frozen Cantaloupe Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, dairy free, special occasion-worthy
Fresh melon, coconut cream and lime juice unite to create an epic summer cocktail that will totally impress your guests.
2. Piña Colada
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Coconut cream and pineapple juice cut right through the rum in this island-inspired bev. (Psst: We went straight to the source for this one, with a foolproof recipe from the hotel that invented the piña colada in the first place.)
4. Raspberry-lime Champagne Punch
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
Want to make this big-batch bev lean sweet instead of sour? Add fresh raspberry purée to the bubbly drink.
5. Grapefruit Radler
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
In case beer is more your thing, skip the hard liquor in favor of a wheat brew spiked with a generous amount of grapefruit juice.
6. Boozy Lemonade Granita
- Time Commitment: 6 hours (includes freezing time)
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Whip up the lemonade from scratch with lemon juice, sugar and water, or use your favorite bottled version to save time.
7. Portable Summer Sippers
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser
Lime juice, lemon juice and fruit-flavored teas soften the bite of raspberry and lemon vodkas just right.
8. Bloody Mango Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Brunch meets tropical vacation. Mango nectar makes the traditional tomato drink a lot less acidic.
9. White Sangria With Peaches And Berries
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
If your taste veers sweet, go with Riesling or dessert Moscato (although the peach juice should already help).
10. The Lono Tiki Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
Between the cream of coconut, banana and mango nectar, this ornately garnished beauty tastes like the island getaway you’ve been craving.
11. Grapefruit Wine
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
Homemade simple syrup and fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice are just the foils for crisp summer rosé.
12. Rhubarb Mint Margarita With Jalapeño Tequila
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
For those who like a side of spicy with their sweet. Feel free to add a glug or two of strawberry purée to your shaker, too.
13. Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser
If you’re someone who wants their cocktail to taste virgin, this recipe is your new BFF. And since it comes together in the blender, it’s easy to double for a crowd.
14. Garden Cherry Bourbon Smash
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: special occasion-worthy
Not all whiskey drinks are intimidatingly strong. Here, the spirit is mellowed by warming ginger-thyme sugar and muddled cherries.
15. New Orleans Hurricane
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
The quintessential NOLA cocktail is silky sweet, thanks to passionfruit juice, orange juice and grenadine. Might we suggest serving it with étouffée?
16. Tequila Sunrise Mimosa
- Time Commitment: 1 minute
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
A mashup for the books if we’ve ever seen one. Add a smoky element to the drink by substituting mezcal for tequila.
17. Pumpkin Patch Punch
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Using apple cider as a base is a great way to mask the potency of a cocktail, let alone sweet pumpkin butter.
18. Papaya Mango Frozen Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: dairy free, <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Banana, guava, peach, orange and lime would also taste delicious in this bev, if you want to up the fruity ante.
19. Blueberry Whiskey Buck
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes
Opt for simple syrup over muddling the berries and lemon with sugar—that way, you have the option to sweeten the cocktail later if it isn’t to your liking.
20. Salted Watermelon Paloma
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why I Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, special occasion-worthy
The key to this libation’s magic is fresh watermelon juice. All you need to prepare it is the melon and a blender.
21. Sweet Bourbon Peach Lemonade
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why I Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
The recipe calls for store-bought raspberry-peach lemonade as the main mixer, but you could totally supplement it with peach nectar for a more luxurious mouthfeel (and sweeter taste overall).
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
