Here are all the top orange juice cocktails that highlight this beautiful citrus fruit! Try everything from a mimosa to a tequila sunrise.
Love the bright and beautiful citrus flavor of an orange! Turns out OJ is a top notch mixer for cocktails. It can stand in with almost any liquor, though it’s best known for pairing with vodka. But mix it with champagne to make a mimosa, or tequila to make a tequila sunrise or spin on the margarita! There are lots of other famous orange and liquor pairings that we’ll let you discover below. You can even use blood orange juice, bright pink in color and even sweeter than the juice from a standard orange.
Here are all the best orange juice cocktails to try! There are drinks for morning, evening, and everywhere in between. For all of them, keep in mind that freshly squeezed orange juice makes drinks with the best flavor. No cutting corners here!
And now…the best orange juice cocktails to try!
Here's a famous and beautiful orange juice cocktail: the tequila sunrise! It’s beautiful and vibrant, with layered colors of a summer sunset. Even better: it’s so easy to make! All you need is 3 ingredients: and no special techniques or equipment. Of course, use fresh squeezed orange juice for the best effect. The flavor is refreshingly sweet, with just a hint of tequila. Try it with our homemade grenadine!
Ingredients: Orange juice, grenadine, tequila
Of course the most popular orange juice cocktail of them all: the mimosa! How to make a perfect mimosa? We like to use Prosecco instead of champagne for a sweeter, nuanced flavor: but you could use either! Pour the bubbles with a heavy hand, and add a dash of orange liqueur. It’s tart, just sweet enough, and bubbly as all get out. Here’s how to make this beautiful and bright mimosa!
Ingredients: Orange juice, Prosecco or champagne, Cointreau
Looking for a quick and easy orange juice cocktail? Make a Madras! This vibrant pink vodka drink is zingy and refreshing, pairing orange with cranberry juice for tartness and color. It takes no time at all to make: just mix it right in the glass and serve on ice!
Ingredients: Cranberry juice, vodka, and orange juice
Here's a refreshing, well balanced orange juice cocktail: the Amaretto Stone Sour! Of course you know the Amaretto Sour, that classic boozy sour cocktail with the retro egg white foam. Well, the stone sour is a sour made with orange juice! It’s light and refreshing, perfect for sipping at brunch or on a lazy afternoon with a book. It’s sweet tart with just right right finish of nutty amaretto.
Another popular orange juice cocktail recipe? The Skinny Margarita! This refreshing marg recipe boasts 40% less calories than a classic! All you need is 4 ingredients and 5 minutes.
Ingredients: Tequila, lime juice, orange juice, simple syrup
Here’s a 1970’s orange juice cocktail that deserves a new look: the Alabama Slammer. It’s known as a lowbrow college drink made with trendy low quality liquor. But step up the liquor quality and you’ve got yourself a first-rate highball cocktail! It’s bold, fruity and balanced: great for sipping on the patio, at the lake, or just on a lazy afternoon. Here we’ve given a few little tweaks to the Alabama Slammer to take it up a notch and give it a new and improved vibe.
Ingredients: Orange juice, amaretto, bourbon, sloe gin
Here's a classic orange juice cocktail that uses blood orange juice instead...the Blood and Sand! It’s similar to a Manhattan or Martinez, but with with blood orange juice and cherry liqueur. It’s light and semi-sweet, with a balanced and cherry-forward flavor. This one will please even people who are on the fence about Scotch.
Ingredients: Scotch, cherry liqueur, vermouth, blood orange juice
Want a simple makeover for your margarita? Try the Italian margarita! This orange juice cocktail is a fusion of the best of Italian and Mexican cuisines. This spin on the classic cocktail swaps out orange liqueur for amaretto, and the almond essence adds a distinctly Italian vibe. Blood orange juice brings in a brilliant color, but you can also use straight orange juice too!
Tequila Sunrise
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Here’s how to make a tequila sunrise! This vibrant orange juice cocktail layers the colors of a summer sunrise using tequila, orange and grenadine.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the tequila and orange juice and stir.
- Pour the grenadine into center of the drink and it will sink to the bottom. Stir gently for sunrise gradient effect.
- Garnish with an orange slice and cocktail cherry.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Stirred
- Cuisine: Cocktails
Keywords: Orange juice cocktails, tequila sunrise
More cocktail recipes
Outside of these orange juice cocktails, here are so many great cocktail recipes to try! Here are some of our best drink collections:
- Vodka Cocktails Try the greats like the Gimlet and Mule.
- Gin Cocktails All the classics: Gin Fizz, Tom Collins, Gin & Tonic, etc.
- Bourbon Cocktails Try these bourbon greats, like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan.
- Amaretto Cocktails From the Amaretto Sour to the Italian margarita.
- Vermouth Cocktails All the best drinks using dry or sweet vermouth.
- Sour Cocktails All the very best sours: Whiskey Sour, Sidecar, Mojito and more.
- Cointreau Cocktails All the great drinks using this orange liqueur.
- Mezcal Cocktails This smoky liquor gives a unique spin to classic drinks, like the Margarita.
- Scotch Cocktails Unique mixed drinks using this Scottish whisky.
- Campari Cocktails Brilliant red cocktails starring this bitter liqueur.
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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