Refreshing Passion Fruit Cocktail Recipe

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If you’re looking for a drink that will be perfect for summer, try making this delicious Passion Fruit Cocktail with Lime and Gin. You can use this recipe when you want something light but still flavorful.

Summer is all about refreshing drinks for me. Just imagine spending a warm, sunny afternoon sitting by the pool with a good book and a delicious sweet and tangy cocktail in your hand. Doesn’t it sound perfect?

Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s difficult to have some time off from our busy routines.

We have the kids, the spouses, a house that needs cleaning, gardens tending and that’s after going to work.

Sometimes I need to just sit down and have a glass of something fresh, sweet, and sour for a little me time.

This Passion Fruit and Lime Summer Cocktail with Gin is just that.

Since growing my own Passion Fruit in the back yard, I’ve been making this Passionfruit martini inspired drink for myself almost weekly.

(I don’t always make it with alcohol, silly. My son loves it too!)

Passion Fruit Cocktail Recipe Pin

Friends who have tried it are always shocked at how quick and fresh it is to make.

After you try it with store bought passion fruit, you may just decide you need a plant in your backyard too!

Before we get to the recipe, let’s answer some frequently asked questions from readers.

I think you should at least skim through the questions, but of course, please feel free to skip down to the recipe if you’re late for your important date with that lounge chair!

What is passion fruit?

Passion fruit has a jelly-like pulp with seeds and comes in several colors like golden, green and purple.

Passionfruit seeds contain an oil that has been used in Chinese medicine as well as being added into perfumes.

They are also highly nutritious. To find out more, read about the many health benefits of passion fruit.

purple passion fruit cut in half

What does passion fruit taste like?

Passion fruits come in many varieties, but they all share one thing in common – they taste delicious!

They have a delicate, sweet flavor and smell like custard apples or guava with hints of honeycomb.

The flesh is soft and juicy, making them perfect for eating out of hand.

How do you make just fresh juice from passion fruit?

Making people may say that passion fruit is all seeds, but there is plenty of pulp and juice to make a delicious glass of fresh passion fruit juice.

All you have to do is get a ripe passion fruit and carefully slice it in half. With the help of a spoon, scoop out the inner pulp and seed.

I recommend separating the seeds using a fine mesh strainer and using it as a garnish.

Passion fruit seeds are edible, so if you want to leave them to mix into the drink itself, that’s fine too!

Just mix the pulp and juice with some water (flat or sparkling is fine) and a natural sweetener like honey or cane sugar.

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Once done, garnish with seeds or mint leaves and voilà, your delicious glass of passion juice is ready to drink.

This recipe makes just one drink. How should I prepare this for a party?

You can easily prepare this in a pitcher, instead of using a cocktail shaker.

Depending on the size of your pitcher or carafe, simply adjust the recipe as needed. You’ll need to use a long mixing spoon or spatula to stir.

A standard pitcher is 32oz, so I would start off with an 8x version of the recipe as follows:

  • 12 oz gin or vodka (optional)
  • 8 oz freshly squeezed lime juice about 1 lime
  • 8 Tablespoon agave syrup or simple syrup
  • juice and pulp from about 20 fresh passion fruit

Pour the alcohol (if using), lime juice, agave or simple syrup, and passion fruit juice in a pitcher or carafe and mix well.

Note that a 750ml bottle of alcohol = 25.36oz so the above recipe adjustment would use about half a bottle of alcohol.

Recommended setup for a party

Place the Passion Fruit mixture carafe in a large bucket of ice on a table. Have a bottle of soda water nearby, as well as a bucket of ice for guests to use IN their drinks.

Set out bowls with seeds and another with mint for garnish.

Keeping everything separate will allow guests to make their drinks as strong or as weak as they would like.

You could even take this concept a step further by leaving the alcohol out of the mix and allowing your guests to choose by adding their own alcohol preference.

Should I use green or purple passion fruit?

There are several colors of passion fruit used in passionfruit cocktail recipes available at the grocery store.

The bright yellow color, often called golden passion fruit, is larger than regular green and purple ones. These are more commonly available in Hawaii and called Lilikoi.

golden passion fruit

When it comes to green and purple passion fruit, I suggest using the purple passion fruit for eating.

The green and golden passion fruit are perfect for juices, and cocktails like passionfruit martini, passionfruit mojito.

Can I use canned passion fruit juice?

You can use canned passion fruit juice in your passion fruit cocktail recipes if you are entertaining a large group of people or if you can’t find fresh passion fruit in your market.

But remember that passion fruit juice in a can will very likely have added sugar in the juice, so it might be tricky to balance out the flavors.

Definitely omit the simple syrup from the recipe and figure out if you want to add some to taste at the end.

What other fruits go well with passion fruit?

Since the passion fruit belongs to the tropical fruit family, feel free to pair it with any other tropical fruit.

This passion fruit recipes drink tastes great with bananas, kiwi, pineapple, mango, strawberry, papaya, peach, pear and even coconut!

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

I have also successfully paired it with all fruits in the citrus family, like orange, lime, lemons.

Once you try it though, you may feel like it is delicious all on it’s own.

Regardless, all of these flavor parings will blow your taste buds away—honestly, so many options space for incredible flavor and texture.

What is the best type of alcohol to use for this cocktail?

Plain gin and vodka work best, in my opinion, for a light and crisp summer drink.

My husband is a big fan of rum and swears this is one of his favorite Captain Morgan cocktails.

The bartender in me (I spent the majority of my 30s slinging drinks at busy, high maintenance bars in Los Angeles) knows that this would pair well with rum, tequila and even some whiskeys.

I say just pick your favorite base alcohol and give it a whirl. You may have just found one of your favorite new fruit cocktail recipes.

Do I have to use alcohol?

No, of course not! This makes an equally delicious non-alcoholic drink.

The kids will love it, especially if you add a fun little paper cocktail umbrella.

Can I modify the ingredients?

Yes, you could make the following substitutions and variations:

  • Use a flavored sparkling water instead of plain soda water
  • Use honey instead of simple syrup or agave syrup
  • Use a blender to make this into a frozen cocktail
  • Use lemon and basil instead of lime and mint

How can I customize this cocktail?

While the recipe is pretty perfect as is (if I do say so myself!), it’s also very versatile has room for layering flavors.

Make it your own signature cocktail with your favorite fruits and garnishes, like a fresh sprig of rosemary and candied orange slices.

passion fruit cocktail with rosemary

A few of my favorite additions to the cocktails are substituting coconut water for the soda water, or rimming the glass with Tajin for some depth and spice.

You can also muddle some strawberries and pineapples in the shaker before adding the rest of the mix.

Shake it away and serve in a tumbler glass or any glass of your choice with a garnish of desiccated coconut and mint leaves for a tropical explosion on your backyard mini-vacay.

Passion Fruit Cocktail with Lime Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ oz gin or vodka (optional)
  • 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
  • 1 Tablespoon agave syrup or simple syrup
  • 2-3 fresh passion fruit (when you squeeze the juice out of the pulp, you should have at least 2 Tbsp)
  • Soda water, for topping
  • 4-5 ice cubes
  • Mint leaves, for garnish
passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Directions

Juice the lime to obtain about 1 oz (or 2 tbsp) of fresh squeezed lime juice.

A great tip for getting more juice from your lime is before you cut it open, microwave it for about 5-10 seconds.

Then press down it down onto your kitchen counter or cutting board with the palm of your hand and roll it around which pressing down.

You want it to get a little squishy before you cut it open and juice it.

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Next, cut open the passion fruit, and scoop out the pulp with a spoon.

You want to scrape out all of the inside, but don’t get any of the white flesh.

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

To separate out the seeds so you get just the juice and good stuff, push the pulp through a fine-mesh strainer.

Be sure to press hard against the passion fruit seeds to get as much juice and pulp as possible. Reserve the seeds to use as garnish later.

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Mix the gin or vodka (if using), lime juice, agave or simple syrup, and passion fruit juice in a cocktail shaker and mix well.

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Add ice cubes to a highball glass and pour in the mixture to about 2/3 – 3/4 full (depending on how strong you like your drink). Top off with soda water.

passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Add mint and passion fruit seeds for garnish and enjoy!

Notes

  • Agave syrup and simple syrup have a neutral taste. I don’t recommend using honey or maple syrup, it will completely change the taste of this delicious drink.
  • Simple syrup is made from one part water to one part sugar (1:1). To make simple syrup, add ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water to a small saucepan and cook until sugar dissolves. Let fully cool before using.
passion fruit cocktail recipe with lime and gin or vodka

Passion Fruit Cocktail

You can use this recipe when you want something light but still flavorful. If you’re looking for a drink that will be perfect for your next summer party, try making this delicious Passion Fruit Cocktail with Lime and Gin.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Drinks
Servings 1
Calories

Equipment

  • cocktail shaker
  • fine mesh strainer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ oz gin or vodka optional
  • 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice about 1 lime
  • 1 Tablespoon agave syrup or simple syrup
  • 2-3 fresh passion fruit when you squeeze the juice out of the pulp, you should have at least 2 Tbsp
  • Soda water
  • 4-5 ice cubes
  • Mint leaves for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Juice the lime to obtain about 1 oz (or 2 tbsp) of fresh squeezed lime juice. A great tip for getting more juice from your lime is before you cut it open, microwave it for about 5-10 seconds. Then press down it down onto your kitchen counter or cutting board with the palm of your hand and roll it around which pressing down. You want it to get a little squishy.
  • Next, cut open the passion fruit, and scoop out the pulp with a spoon. To obtain just the juice and good stuff, push the pulp through a fine-mesh strainer. Be sure to press hard against the passion fruit seeds to get as much juice and pulp as possible. Reserve the seeds to use as garnish later.
  • Mix the gin or vodka (if using. leave out for a non-alcoholic version), lime juice, agave or simple syrup, and passion fruit juice in a cocktail shaker and mix well.
  • Add ice cubes to a highball glass and pour in the mixture to about 2/3 – 3/4 full (depending on how strong you like your drink). Top off with soda water.
  • Add mint and passion fruit seeds for garnish.

Video

Notes

Agave syrup and simple syrup have a neutral taste. I don’t recommend using honey or maple syrup, it will completely change the taste of this delicious drink.
Simple syrup is made from one part water to one part sugar (1:1). To make simple syrup, add ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water to a small saucepan and cook until sugar dissolves. Let fully cool before using.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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