There are several ingredients you can use to make red cocktails. Cranberry juice, strawberries, red wine, sweet Vermouth, pomegranate juice, tomato juice, and grenadine can all produce red colored mixed drinks, and you'll find these ingredients and others in a number of tasty light red to bright red cocktails and red-colored shots.
1. Red Evergreen
This cocktail takes a little prep; you need to make some rosemary simple syrup first, but it gives the red mixed drink a delicious herbal flavor that makes the few minutes of extra effort worthwhile. The recipe makes one cocktail.
For the Simple Syrup
Heat one cup each of water and sugar with three rosemary sprigs on medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Steep for 30 minutes, remove the rosemary, and cool the syrup completely. You can refrigerate or freeze leftover syrup in a tightly sealed container for up to one year. If you wish to make the drink redder, you can also add a few drops of red food coloring to the syrup before you store it.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cranberry juice
- ¾ ounce lime juice
- 1½ ounces London dry gin
- ¾ ounce rosemary simple syrup
- Ice
- 4 ounces soda water
- Rosemary sprig for garnish
- Cranberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the cranberry juice, lime juice, gin, and syrup.
- Add the ice and shake.
- Strain into a collins glass filled with ice.
- Add the soda water. Stir.
- Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and cranberries.
2. Cosmopolitan
Perhaps thanks to Sex in the City, this pink-red girls' night out drink is one of the most popular cocktails of the 21st century. You can order the red mixed drink at a bar, or make your own Cosmopolitan.
3. Hurricane
Straight from New Orleans, the hurricane cocktail contains the reddest drink ingredient available short of food coloring, grenadine. This gives it a light red tint to enhance the tropical flavors of the red alcoholic drink.
4. Ruby Red-tini
The rubytini is a semi-sweet martini that has a lovely red color with a nice hit of both sweet and sour. This makes one cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce ruby grapefruit juice
- ¾ ounce lime juice
- ¾ ounce grenadine
- 1½ ounces London dry gin
- Twist of lime for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, grenadine, and gin.
- Add ice and shake.
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with the twist.
5. Strawberry Daiquiri
Whether you like it blended or on the rocks, and boozy or virgin, the strawberry daiquiri is the perfect sweet, berry flavored red summer cocktail.
6. Pom Berry Deep Red Cocktail
This delicious cocktail features the flavors of pomegranate and dark berries along with a hint of acid from lime juice. It makes one cocktail.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the pomegranate juice, lime juice, Chambord, bitters, and vodka.
- Add ice and shake.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.
7. French Martini
The French martini is made with Chambord and Champagne. The Chambord, which is a raspberry-flavored liqueur, imparts a deep purplish-red color to the drink.
8. Red Hot Alcoholic Shot
If you love apples and cinnamon, then you'll love this red tinted shot. It makes two shots.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Fireball whisky
- 2 ounces Crown Royal apple whisky
- 1 barspoon grenadine
- Ice
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the Fireball, Crown Royal, and grenadine.
- Add the ice and shake.
- Strain into two shot glasses.
9. Mulled Wine
Lovers of warm red alcoholic drinks, don't despair. There's a red winter cocktail for you, as well. Try mulled wine, which is a mixture of red wine and mulling spices you drink hot. It has a deep, rich red color.
10. Bloody Mary
Not all red mixed drinks need to be sweet and fruity. In fact, the savory Bloody Mary is a red alcoholic brunch favorite.
11. Red Wine Sangria
Made with red wine, the traditional Spanish wine punch, sangria, is fruity and flavorful. It's also a bright red cocktail. Enjoy this refreshing punch in the summer.
12. Rosso Vodka Martini
Rosso is the Italian word for red, and it tells you the color of this vodka martini. Rather than using a dry Vermouth, this martini calls for sweet Italian Vermouth, which is bright red.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces vodka
- 1 ounce Italian sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice
- Orange peel
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass.
- In a mixing glass, add the vodka, Vermouth, bitters, and ice. Stir.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
- Hold the orange peel over the glass, skin side down and squeeze to release the citrus oil into the cocktail. Drop in the orange peel, skin-side up, for garnish.
13. Negroni
Made with Campari and sweet vermouth, the Negroni takes on the deep red-orange hue of a sunset. It's also pleasantly sweet and bitter.
14. Manhattan
In a Manhattan, the color is an amber-red, but the addition of sweet Vermouth to whiskey does add a red tint.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
- 1 ounce sweet Vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice
- Bourbon cherry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- In a mixing glass, combine the whiskey, Vermouth, and bitters.
- Add ice and stir.
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.
15. Fruity Red Margaritas
Whether your pleasure is watermelon, pomegranate, or classic strawberry, these fruity red tequila drinks are icy and delicious.
More Red Cocktails
Along with the original red cocktails above, you can find plenty of other cocktails with a lovely red hue.
- Cocktails made with the berry liquer, Chambord, tend to have a deep red hue.
- Drinks made with grenadine and gin have a bright red colors, as do beverages made with grenadine and rum.
- Show your patriotic spirit with firecracker cocktails. Some are red, and others are red, white, and blue.
- Want a red drink to feed a crowd? Wine and vodka punch is just the ticket.
- If you love the sweet, tarty, fruity flavor of Jolly Rancher candies, then try the red watermelon Jolly Rancher cocktail.
- A tequila sunrise combines red and orange in a beautiful layered drink.
Many Shades of Red Mixed Drinks
Using red ingredients from watermelon to berries and everything in between yields beautiful red alcoholic drinks. Use your imagination and find tasty red cocktails for every occasion.
