Passion Fruit Cocktail

This passion fruit cocktail is as gorgeous to look at as it is to drink. With only four ingredients and five minutes, it might just be the easiest showstopping cocktail you’ll ever make!

If you haven’t tried a passion fruit cocktail yet, you are in for a treat!

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A few years ago, my dear friend Jill, who writes the wonderful Mad About Macarons, and I met up for a girls’ getaway in Tunbridge Wells, England. The weather was doing what English weather does best (let’s just say we were grateful for cozy pubs), and on our last evening we sat down for dinner and both ordered a passion fruit cocktail on a complete whim.

It was one of those happy, spontaneous decisions (we should have been ordering a hot toddy that night!) that you end up talking about for years. And we have! Jill and I still mention that drink whenever we’re together.

So when Jill came to a retreat I hosted in Palm Springs a couple of years ago, I knew exactly what cocktail I was making for the group (see pic at the bottom.) It was a hit. An absolute, unanimous, everyone-wants-the-recipe kind of hit. If you need a crowd-pleaser for a gathering, this is it.

What is a Passion Fruit Cocktail?

A passion fruit cocktail is a light, tropical spritz made with just four ingredients: fresh passion fruit (or passion fruit purée), simple syrup, Ketel One Citroen vodka, and Prosecco. It has a gorgeous golden colour that looks absolutely stunning in a glass. The combination of tangy passion fruit, sweetness of the syrup, a hint of citrus from the vodka, and the bubbles from the Prosecco is just magical. It’s refreshing without being overly sweet, which is exactly what you want in a summer cocktail, right?

If you love spritzes, you may already be a fan of an Aperol spritz, limoncello spritz or a Hugo spritz. This passion fruit version has that same effortless, few-ingredient magic, and I think it might just be my new favorite.

Fresh Passion Fruit vs. Passion Fruit Purée

You can make this passion fruit cocktail two ways, and both are wonderful. If fresh passion fruit is available to you, absolutely use it. I recently became the proud owner of a voracious passion fruit vine! The seeds make a gorgeous garnish and the raw fruit has a perfumey intensity that’s hard to beat. Simply scoop out the pulp and strain if desired (the seeds are edible and look beautiful in the glass).

If fresh passion fruit isn’t easy to find in your area, you have two options: ordering online (Melissa’s Produce carries passion fruit all year except for July, December and January) or passion fruit purée is a really good alternative. And here’s a visual for knowing when fresh passion fruit is ripe and ready to use. The first on the left is green, smooth and unripe. As it ripens, it turns purple and the skin begins to wrinkle. Once it’s wrinkled, it’s ready to eat (the last passion fruit on the far right actually looks more green, but I can assure you it was purple and ripe.)

The latter gives a consistent result, but be careful which purée you choose; there are many options you want to avoid, such as those which are only 50% fruit. This brand from Italy is 100% passion fruit purée. I also wouldn’t recommend making a passion fruit syrup cocktail since you won’t get the flavor punch that the fresh fruit or purée packs.

Why This Recipe Works

You might wonder why vodka in a spritz rather than a liqueur. The Ketel One Citroen is the secret ingredient, since I discovered it for the absolute best lemon drop martini.

It adds a clean, bright citrus note so the spritz stays light and sophisticated. The result is a passion fruit cocktail that feels elegant enough for a dinner party, but easy enough for a Tuesday evening in the garden.

Don’t have Ketel One Citroen on hand? Any good citrus vodka will work, but I do think the Ketel One’s quality makes a difference.

Tips for Making the Best Passion Fruit Cocktail

Use a good Prosecco, DOC or DOCG if you can find it. The quality of the bubbles really does matter when Prosecco is one of only three ingredients! I always reach for La Marca or similar for cocktails like this.

Clear ice is a game changer. I have been smitten with my clear ice ball maker ever since I used it for my limoncello spritz recipe post years ago! It makes your drink look so much more sophisticated, and it melts more slowly, so your cocktail stays cold without getting watered down. Note: you need to have a glass with a wide opening that will fit the ice ball (I discovered this the hard way with some of my tulip glasses!)

Garnish with a floating slice of passion fruit for a bartender’s touch. Serve the cocktail with charcuterie cups and you’ll have a proper aperitivo moment. For everyone searching for “cocktail passion fruit”, this is for you! As I always give credit, the passion fruit bellini at The White Bear in Tunbridge Wells wasn’t the only thing that was appealing on the menu, it was a lovely pub. Check it out if you’re in town!

Passion Fruit Cocktail

Inspired by The White Bear in Tunbridge Wells Makes 2 cocktails

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

• fresh, ripe passion fruit or passion fruit purée
• vodka
• simple syrup
• Prosecco

Special equipment: clear ice ball maker (optional)

Directions

Scrape the passion fruit pulp into the glasses (or add the strained pulp or purée).

If you make this beverage I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a rating and a comment below, or share a photo and tag me @christinascucina on Instagram. And if you haven’t already, subscribe here so you never miss a new post!

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