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The Bay Breeze cocktail layers pineapple juice, vodka, and tart cranberry into a brightly-colored drink. It takes 5 minutes, no shaker required!
Want an easy and refreshing fruity cocktail? Make the Bay Breeze! Also called the Hawaiian Sea Breeze, it’s one in a family of cranberry cocktails that have a vivid color and sweet tart flavor.
The Bay Breeze features the tropical taste of pineapple, it feels carefree and beachy. It’s perfect as a summer cocktail on the patio, or a wintery cocktail when you’re dreaming of the sun’s warmth! Here’s all about how to make this tasty cocktail.
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This was really good, easy and refreshing. I wondered about the combination of pineapple and cranberry juice, but it worked well. My husband and me will have it again! We also liked that it is lighter on alcohol and lower in calories than some.” -Paula
Ingredients You’ll Need:
The Bay Breeze is part of a family of cranberry cocktails that are based on the Cape Codder (or vodka cranberry). It’s closest to a drink called the Sea Breeze, a classic drink that makes the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. The Bay Breeze is a tropical variation on the Sea Breeze; here’s what’s in it:
- Vodka: Any neutral mid-shelf bottle works; I like using Tito’s in most vodka drinks.
- Pineapple juice: This is what brings in the tropical flavor.
- Cranberry juice: I always use 100% unsweetened cranberry juice, which says “100% juice” on the label, and not cranberry juice cocktail. Many classic recipes call for sweetened cranberry juice here, which makes the drink sweeter and the color lighter.
- Maple syrup or simple syrup: Since I use unsweetened cranberry juice, I like to round out the drink sweetness with a hint of simple syrup, just until it pops.
How To Make a Bay Breeze Cocktail
These ingredients are served on the rocks, or with crushed ice. You’ll simply mix them all together with a bar spoon: no cocktail shaker needed.
With the Bay Breeze, you can also make a layered drink look with the different fruit juices! Making a layered drink is easy: all you have to know is a few tricks:
- Build the top layer in the glass first. Usually the alcohol will be less dense than the juice. For this drink, mix the vodka with the pineapple juice first.
- Tip the glass and slowly pour in the denser layer (cranberry) so that it settles under the first layer. Watch this video to see how! Here you’ll pour in the cranberry juice second, so that the pineapple-vodka mixture floats on top.
- Garnish and serve. Add a lime wedge or drink umbrella and serve immediately.
Bay Breeze vs. Sea Breeze Cocktail
These drinks are similar but not the same! Here’s a breakdown of these two popular cranberry cocktails:
- The Bay Breeze uses pineapple juice: it tastes sweeter and more tropical.
- The Sea Breeze Cocktail uses grapefruit juice: it tastes a little drier and more citrusy.
Sometimes a Sea Breeze called a Hawaiian Sea Breeze. Another similar drink is the Malibu Bay Breeze, which swaps the vodka for coconut rum and is much sweeter.
More Cranberry Kist Cocktails
There’s a whole family of cranberry cocktail recipes related to the Bay Breeze! Here are the most popular in the family:
- Cape Codder: Also known as a Vodka Cranberry, this is the simplest cranberry drink: cranberry juice and vodka
- Sea Breeze: The Sea Breeze is closest to the Bay Breeze and uses cranberry juice with grapefruit juice and vodka
- Madras: The Madras cocktail uses cranberry juice, vodka and orange juice
- Cosmo: The Cosmopolitan features cranberry juice, Cointreau and lime juice
When To Serve a Bay Breeze Cocktail
This Bay Breeze cocktail is breezy and refreshing, perfect as a summer cocktail or in winter when you’re dreaming of the beach! It’s great as a:
- Brunch drink (Mother’s Day, etc)
- Summer drink
- Bridal shower drink or bachelorette party drink
- Girls night drink
- Happy hour drink
- Dinner party drink
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you’ll build this drink right in the glass and stir it with a bar spoon.
Make sure to pour the cranberry juice slowly along the inside of a tipped glass.
You can but you’ll loose the layers (which is ok!). For an 8 serving drink, use 1 ½ cups pineapple juice, 1 cup vodka, and 3 cups cranberry juice.
1 ounce of vodka to 4.5 ounces of juice puts it near 8% ABV, which is similar to a strong beer.
Bay Breeze Cocktail
The Bay Breeze cocktail layers pineapple juice, vodka, and tart cranberry into a brightly-colored drink. It takes 5 minutes, no shaker required!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces 100% pineapple juice
- 1 ounce vodka
- 3 ounces 100% unsweetened cranberry juice (see Notes)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or simple syrup* (see Notes)
- 1 lime wedge
Instructions
- Add the pineapple juice and vodka to a glass and stir. Fill the glass with ice.
- In a shot glass or small pitcher, combine the cranberry juice and syrup* and stir.
- To make a layered drink look, tip the glass of pineapple juice slightly and pour the cranberry mixture along side of glass so that it can glide to bottom. (See How to Make a Layered Drink.) Otherwise, just pour in the cranberry and maple and stir.
- Garnish with a lime wedge and serve.
Notes
*If all you can find is sweetened cranberry juice / cranberry juice cocktail, omit the syrup.
This was really good, easy and refreshing. I wondered about the combination of pineapple and cranberry juice, but it worked well …. even for my husband who is not the biggest cranberry juice fan. We both agreed it tastes like a tropical drink. We’ll have it again! We also liked that it is lighter on alcohol and lower in calories than some.