Brunch Cocktails

35 recipes

Brunch cocktails share one rule: keep it light enough that the afternoon survives. The Mimosa and the Bellini stretch sparkling wine with fruit; the Bloody Mary turns tomato juice into a meal; the Screwdriver barely counts as mixing at all. These 35 recipes are the daytime canon.

Low effort matters at brunch, and most of these need no shaker: build them straight in the glass while the coffee brews. Each recipe lists exact measures, ABV and calories, so you can keep the round as light as the hour demands.

OtherBelliniWhite peach puree stirred gently into chilled Prosecco — Venice's gift to brunch. Soft, fragrant and effortlessly elegant.Easy2 ingredientsVodkaBellini MartiniThree ounces of vodka shaken with peach schnapps and peach nectar, finished with a lemon twist. The brunch classic rebuilt as a serious martini.Easy5 ingredientsVodkaBloody MaryVodka rolled with tomato juice, lemon, Worcestershire and Tabasco, seasoned to taste and garnished with celery. The definitive savory cocktail and…Easy7 ingredientsAperitifGaribaldiCampari built with a big pour of freshly squeezed — ideally 'fluffy' — orange juice over ice. Italy's two-ingredient aperitivo hero.Easy3 ingredientsGinGin FizzGin, fresh lemon and simple syrup shaken hard and topped with a splash of soda. Sharp, sparkling and one of the great morning-after classics.Easy5 ingredientsVodkaHarvey WallbangerA vodka-orange screwdriver crowned with a float of vanilla-herbal Galliano. A kitschy 1970s icon that still goes down easy.Easy3 ingredientsOtherMimosaEqual parts chilled Prosecco and freshly squeezed orange juice in a flute. Brunch's official sparkling handshake.Easy3 ingredientsGinRamos fizzGin, cream, citrus, egg white, sugar, vanilla and orange flower water shaken for minutes on end, then raised with soda into a towering white column.…Hard9 ingredientsVodkaScrewdriverVodka and orange juice over ice — the ultimate two-ingredient brunch drink. Bright, juicy and impossible to get wrong.Easy2 ingredientsBrandyA. J.Applejack shaken with grapefruit juice and served up. Two ingredients, dry orchard fruit and citrus snap.Easy2 ingredientsGinAbbey CocktailGin shaken with fresh orange juice and orange bitters, topped with a cherry. A bright, citrusy classic from the Savoy era.Easy4 ingredientsVodkaAddison SpecialVodka shaken with orange juice and a tablespoon of grenadine, served over ice with cherry and orange. A rosier, shaken screwdriver.Easy3 ingredientsOtherAmaretto fizzAmaretto, orange juice and white wine mixed in a jug and finished with orange zest. An almond-scented brunch sparkler.Easy4 ingredientsOtherAmaretto SunriseA centiliter of amaretto in orange juice with grenadine sinking into sunrise colors. All the gradient, barely any proof.Easy3 ingredientsAperitifAutumn GaribaldiCampari stirred with orange juice and ginger beer over ice. The Garibaldi with a spicy autumn scarf on.Easy4 ingredientsTequilaBloody MariaThe Bloody Mary's agave cousin: tequila shaken with tomato juice, Tabasco, celery salt and lemon over ice. Savory, spicy and made for brunch.Easy6 ingredientsBrandyCafe SavoyHot coffee laced with brandy, triple sec and a little milk. A quick continental coffee with an orange-scented warmth.Easy4 ingredientsGinDisaronno Velvet Gin FizzGin and Disaronno Velvet cream shaken with lemon, egg white and orange flower water, topped with soda. A plush, almond-scented fizz.Medium7 ingredientsGinGaribaldi NegroniGin and Campari shaken with a big pour of orange juice. Vitamin C and your cocktail fix settled in one glass.Easy4 ingredientsVodkaGreyhoundVodka topped with grapefruit juice over ice in a collins glass. Tart, dry and effortlessly refreshing — salt the rim and it becomes a Salty Dog.Easy2 ingredientsOtherIced Coffee FillipStrong cold coffee laced with two teaspoons of Kahlua and chilled. A barely-boozy afternoon pick-me-up.Easy2 ingredientsVodkaLemon Elderflower SpritzerVodka with elderflower cordial, fresh lemon and soda stirred over ice. Light, floral and done before the kettle boils.Easy4 ingredientsOtherMicheladaBeer stirred with tomato juice, lime and dashes of hot, soy and Worcestershire sauces in a salt-rimmed glass. Mexico's savory, spicy beer cocktail.Easy6 ingredientsVodkaMoscow LassiMuddled cucumber shaken with vodka, mango puree, yoghurt and cloudy apple juice. A cocktail-lassi hybrid — cooling, creamy and quietly clever.Medium6 ingredientsOtherRainbow MimosaGrenadine, juices and blue curacao layered slowly over a spoon, then topped with champagne into a spectrum. A brunch showstopper that rewards a…Hard5 ingredientsGinRamos Gin FizzGin shaken a full minute with cream, egg white, lemon, syrup, orange flower and vanilla, then lifted with soda into a towering foam. New Orleans'…Hard7 ingredientsGinRoyal FizzGin shaken with a whole egg and sweet-and-sour, then topped with cola in a chilled collins glass. A frothy, curious fizz with a soda-fountain streak.Medium4 ingredientsGinRoyal Gin FizzA gin fizz enriched with a whole egg for extra body, shaken hard and finished with sparkling water. Plush, golden and satisfying.Medium5 ingredientsRumRum Milk PunchLight rum shaken with a cup of milk and powdered sugar, strained tall and dusted with nutmeg. A soothing, old-South brunch companion.Easy4 ingredientsRumRum ScrewdriverLight rum stirred with a tall pour of orange juice over ice. The screwdriver's breezier, tropical sibling.Easy2 ingredientsGinSalty DogGin and grapefruit juice stirred with a pinch of salt that rounds off the bitterness. Sharp, saline and endlessly drinkable.Easy3 ingredientsVodkaSan FranciscoVodka and banana liqueur built tall with orange juice, with grenadine trickled down the side to settle at the base. A sunset in a glass, garnished…Easy4 ingredientsTequilaSunrise CoolerTequila and orange juice over ice with grenadine sinking into a dawn-colored gradient. A softer, taller take on the tequila sunrise.Easy5 ingredientsOtherValencia CocktailApricot brandy shaken with a spoonful of orange juice and orange bitters. Sun-ripened Spanish fruit in a short, potent glass.Easy3 ingredientsAperitifVermouth CassisDry vermouth and creme de cassis lengthened with sparkling water — a classic French aperitif hour pour. Blackcurrant fruit over a crisp, herbal base.Easy3 ingredients

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