This Fruit Tingle Cocktail tastes exactly like the lolly - and it's ready in 2 minutes flat.
Vodka, Blue Curaçao, lemonade and a splash of red cordial is all it takes - if you're building a drinks table, my Blue Coconut Rum Cocktail and Toblerone Cocktail are just as easy to whip up.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
🍹 Recipe: Fruit Tingle Cocktail
⏰ Ready In: 2 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 2
🔵 Main Ingredients: vodka, Blue Curaçao, lemonade, red cordial
🌱 Dietary Info: Gluten-free • mocktail version included
💛 Why You'll Love It: tastes exactly like the lolly, turns a genuine blue-to-purple colour in the glass, and takes about as much effort as pouring a drink
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I first had one of these at a friend's birthday years ago and couldn't believe how much it actually tasted like the childhood lolly.
It's become my go-to when I want something that looks impressive with almost zero effort - pour it alongside a Miami Vice Cocktail or a Hugo Spritz and you've got a proper drinks table sorted.
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Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Ready in 2 minutes, with just 4 ingredients
- Tastes exactly like the fruit tingle lolly - fizzy, fruity and sweet
- That genuine blue-to-purple colour change is a real party trick, not a gimmick
- Easy to batch up for a crowd or make alcohol-free
Fruit Tingle Ingredients
Just four ingredients, but two of them are worth knowing a bit more about:
- Blue Curaçao - an orange-flavoured liqueur that's naturally bright blue. It's what gives the drink its colour and a subtle citrus note, so there's no substitute that'll give you quite the same look.
- Red cordial - use a genuine cordial, not raspberry syrup or juice. Cordial has a high sugar content, which is exactly why it sinks to the bottom of the glass and creates that layered colour change instead of just turning the whole drink one flat purple.
Variations
- Non-alcoholic mocktail: skip the vodka and Blue Curaçao and use a blue lemonade (or lemonade plus a tiny drop of blue food colouring) instead - the red cordial still sinks and creates the same colour change.
- Batch it up: multiply the recipe and mix everything except the cordial in a large jug over ice. Pour into individual glasses and add the splash of cordial to each one just before serving, so every glass still gets that layered look.
- Swap the spirit: gin works nicely in place of vodka if that's what you've got open.
- Serve in a hurricane glass if you don't have hi-balls - it still looks the part.
How To Make Fruit Tingle Cocktail
- Step 1: Build the drink. Fill two glasses with ice. Pour the vodka and Blue Curaçao over the ice, then top up with lemonade to nearly full.
- Step 2: Add the cordial and garnish. Add a splash of red cordial and watch it sink and change the colour to purple and blue. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and pineapple wedge, add straws, and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Use a good quality vodka you'd actually enjoy drinking on its own - there's nowhere for a rough spirit to hide in such a simple mix.
- Don't stir once the cordial goes in - stirring mixes the colours together and flattens the layered look.
- Serve straight away, while the ice is still solid - the drink is meant to be sipped cold and the colour effect fades as it melts and mixes.
- Storage: this one's best made fresh - it doesn't keep or store well once mixed, as the ice dilutes it and the layers disappear.
Fruit Tingle Cocktail FAQs
Vodka, Blue Curaçao and lemonade poured over ice in a hi-ball glass, with a splash of red cordial added last for that classic blue-to-purple colour change.
It usually comes down to stirring - the red cordial is meant to sink on its own because it's heavier (higher sugar content) than the rest of the drink, and stirring mixes everything into one flat colour instead. Pour it in gently and leave it be.
Yes - swap the vodka and Blue Curaçao for a blue lemonade (or regular lemonade with a tiny drop of blue food colouring). The red cordial still sinks and creates the same colour change, so it looks just as good.
Yes - multiply the vodka, Blue Curaçao and lemonade and mix in a large jug over ice, then pour into individual glasses. Add the splash of cordial to each glass just before serving so every drink still gets that layered look.
It's an Australian creation from the 1960s, named after (and inspired by) the fizzy fruit tingle lollies of the same name.
More Fun Cocktails
If you loved this one, here are a few more easy cocktails worth trying next.
Fruit Tingle Cocktail
Ingredients
- ice cubes
- 60 ml vodka
- 60 ml Blue Curacao
- 180 ml lemonade
- splash of raspberry cordial
- fresh pineapple wedges and maraschino cherries to serve
Instructions
- Fill two tall serving glasses with ice cubes.
- Equally divide the vodka, Blue Curacao and lemonade between the glasses.
- Add a splash of red cordial to each glass.
- Decorate each glass with a wedge of fresh pineapple and a maraschino cherry.
Notes
- If you don't have high ball glasses, you can use any glasses you have on hand.
- The cherry and pineapple garnishes are optional but add a fun finish!
- Maraschino cherries in liquor can be bought in jars from some liquor stores such as Dan Murphys, and non-alcoholic ones from supermarkets.
- The red cordial combined with the blue cocktail creates fun shades of blue and purple! You'll only need a small splash of cordial to create this colour change.
- For a lower calorie fruit tingle cocktail, use zero sugar lemonade and zero sugar cordial.
- Serve immediately (before the ice melts!)
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