Red!

Trying to think of brightly colored liquors was harder than I thought, I couldn’t come up with anything off the top of my head! I haven’t been in to work since the last time I posted, so it’s possible that I’ll remember something when I see all the types we have there, but in the mean time there was only one more cocktail ingredient I could think of that’s known for its distinctive color. And it’s not even alcoholic! I’m talking, of course, about Grenadine, a cherry-flavored syrup used in a lot of cocktails both alcoholic and non-alcoholic (for example, if you order a cherry coke at a restaurant, they’ll probably put grenadine in it!) So it itself might not be alcoholic, but it’s often added to alcohol to create a bright red or pink drink. Here are some examples!

Singapore Sling
4 parts Gin
2 parts Cherry Liqueur
1 part Grenadine
1 part Lime Juice
6 parts 7UP
Pour in a glass with ice and stir. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Over the years people have come up with a lot of different ways to make a Singapore Sling, because the original is somewhat complicated to make and contains some rare and expensive ingredients. This is a fairly simple version, and tastier than some other versions I’ve tried. Plus, you should be able to get all the ingredients for this no problem!

Hurricane
2 parts White Rum
2 parts Dark Rum
1 part grenadine
6 parts Orange Juice
6 parts Pineapple Juice
Shake together and pour in a glass over ice.

I know, neither of those drinks use a lot of Grenadine – but you don’t need a lot for it to make its contribution to the drink. It’s pretty strong both in terms of flavor and color. If you want the drink to be a bit more red than it is, just add a bit more Grenadine, but don’t add too much or its flavor could become overpowering. Oh, and here’s another favorite drink of mine that uses Grenadine but isn’t really red. It is tasty though!

Tequila Sunrise
3 parts Tequila
6 parts Orange Juice
1 part Grenadine
Pour tequila and orange juice into a glass over ice. Then add the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom. Don’t stir or shake it!

The cool thing about a Tequila Sunrise (and the reason it got its name!) is if you make it correctly it’ll have a cool layered effect that makes it look like a sunrise! So I know it’s not bright red, but it looks even cooler! Anyways, like I said, I think I might give up on this color thing because I can’t really think of anything else with an especially distinctive color. If you can think of anything, though, leave a comment and I’ll see how many drinks I can think of that use it, and maybe I’ll make a post about it!