For some people, brunch is all about pancakes, breakfast pastries, and bacon; for others, it’s finger sandwiches, crisp salads, and lean protein. Then you have that third group of people, the ones who only go to brunch for the brunch cocktails. (Can you guess which group I’m in?) This list of 30 bubbly, lovely, and delicious drinks is for us! Whether you’re into sweet, decadent, and creamy, or light, zesty, and fruity, there’s something on this list you’ll enjoy. Furthermore, you can turn most – if not all – of these cocktails into mocktails with just a few simple substitutions. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning brunch with your favorite girls, your spouse, or your mom on Mother’s Day; these brunch cocktails are sure to make everyone’s day.
1. Mint Grapefruit Mimosas
Mint grapefruit mimosas are wonderfully complex. They have plenty of sweetness from the wine and honey, but they’re also fresh and refreshing and just a tiny bit bitter, thanks to the grapefruit. I’m not sure why, but all my favorite cocktails have just a bite of bitterness to them, so this one is almost perfect.
2. Kir Royale
If you’re looking for a couple of cocktails you can whip up in 5 minutes or less, try this recipe for Kir Royale. All you’ll need is some champagne and French berry liqueur (Chambord or crème de cassis). It’s light, bubbly, and incredibly fruity. Feel free to drop in a raspberry for a prettier aesthetic.
3. Sangria Lemonade
If you like wine, enjoy fruit, and love lemonade, then this is the drink for you. With rum, white wine, lemonade, raspberries, oranges, and Granny Smith apples, this is a fizzy, fruity, fantastic drink. It’s super cute with the large pieces of fruit floating in it, and it’s remarkably cool and refreshing, making it the perfect summer drink.
4. Frozen Mudslide
Full of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate syrup and sprinkles, this drink may look like something a 6-year-old would order, but it packs one heck of a vodka punch. This drink is terrific, not just because it looks and tastes great, but also because it doesn’t make you pick between dessert and a strong drink. With this one, you’ll get both.
5. Raspberry Mimosa
This raspberry mimosa isn’t an incredibly strong drink, but it’s beautiful, bubbly, and a brilliant shade of red. It’s gorgeous for any occasion, but it’s especially fitting around Valentine’s Day or Christmas. It takes 5 minutes to make, and it’s both sweet and tart at the same time. It also pairs perfectly with dark chocolate.
6. Blackberry Champagne Mule
This drink is beloved by all. Women love it because it’s charming and fruity, and men appreciate its strong vodka and ginger beer flavor. It takes only 5 minutes to make and even less time to consume. Go slow, though. This one is deceptively strong.
7. Strawberry Margarita
Margaritas are the ultimate brunch drink, particularly in the summertime. They’re sweet and salty, and who can turn down that cold slushiness on a hot summer day? Plus, between the tequila and the triple sec, it’s hard not to get tipsy off just one or two tall glasses.
8. Rosé Lemonade
If it looks like lemonade, smells like lemonade, and tastes like lemonade, then it must be lemonade. Unless, of course, it’s rosé lemonade. Rosé lemonade is the authentic, traditional lemonade we all know and love, but it has a cup of rosé wine added for good measure. It’s a light, invigorating drink that’ll soon have you reaching for a second glass.
9. Sweet Tea Sangria
This drink combines a true Southern staple – sweet tea – with a bottle of white wine and some fresh fruit for a caffeinated, intoxicating sangria. If you like your cocktails exceptionally sweet, this one is the one for you.
10. Frozen Orange Prosecco
Who doesn’t love slushy orange juice with a kick? That’s precisely what this drink is; it’s thick, tangy, and ice cold. This one isn’t my favorite cocktail, but it is one of my favorite cocktails specifically for brunch. If you love a tall glass of OJ with your pancakes, bacon, and eggs, frozen orange prosecco is an excellent substitute. Especially if you want to leave the table feeling a bit buzzed.
11. Bellini
You really need to love peaches to enjoy this drink because that’s about all you can taste. It has prosecco, simple syrup, and even some lemon juice in it, but the peaches steal the show. It’s sugary sweet and bubbly, and it’ll leave your mouth feeling a bit tingly after drinking it. If you’re going to serve these cocktails, you’ll want to be sure you have plenty of salty foods on the table. Cheeses work well, also. Anything that can help offset the overwhelming sweetness of the drink is ideal.
12. Mango Orange Bellini
This mango orange bellini is as tart and tangy as the peach bellini is sweet. Unlike the peach, you’ll want to drink this with something sweet. Adding sugar around the rim of the glass is a great way to start. Pancakes with powdered sugar and maple syrup are even better.
13. Bloody Mary
As much as I love fruit, I’m a vegetable girl at heart, and that’s probably why the Bloody Mary is one of my all-time favorite cocktails. And of all the Bloody Mary recipes I’ve ever tried, this one is probably the best. You’ll get the typical tomato juice, celery, and vodka flavors, but there’s so much more going on with this one. The Worcestershire sauce and garlic add a bit of complexity, and the hot sauce brings the spice and heat. It also has a salty kick that lingers on your lips long after you finish the drink. Best of all, it’s strong. You won’t need more than one or two of these tomato treats before you’re feeling really good.
14. Irish Coffee
If you’re having coffee for brunch, it might as well be Irish coffee. It’ll give you a caffeine boost, a boozy buzz, and a sugar high (from the whipped cream) all at the same time! Plus, it tastes phenomenal. It’s sweet, syrupy, and borderline decadent.
15. Sea Breeze Cocktail
People seeing this pretty, pink drink for the first time often think it’s going to be full of sugar and saccharine sweet. They couldn’t be more wrong. While there is a subtle sweetness to the Sea Breeze Cocktail, the cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, and lime make it more tart and sour than anything else.
16. Salty Dog Cocktail
With salt and lime on the rim and gin (or vodka) and grapefruit juice in the glass, this is another salty, somewhat bitter cocktail that anyone can appreciate. The fact that you can make four drinks in 5 minutes doesn’t hurt, either.
17. French 75
If you’re looking for a sweet, sparkly drink that’ll make you happy while you’re drinking it, the French 75 is the cocktail for you. It’s a mixture of gin and champagne, with some simple syrup and lemon juice. It’s mostly sweet, but it has a bit of tang to it, and if you can get that lemon peel spiral just right, no one will believe that a professional bartender didn’t make this drink.
18. Madras
Madras is the cocktail for people who really wish they were drinking juice but want to get a little buzzed while doing it. You can barely taste the vodka in this fruit punch-like drink, but it’s definitely there, so don’t go overboard!
19. Champagne Pomegranate Cocktail
As much as I enjoy them, pomegranates always seem like so much work for such a small reward. But the sweetness of the pomegranate syrup in this drink is the perfect complement to the bitterness of the orange liqueur. Top it off with champagne for that gorgeous bubbly effect and an extra kick of alcohol.
20. Champagne Punch
Champagne punch is really just champagne with some berries and fruit juice mixed in. It takes 5 minutes to make, and it looks like something you’d get in a high-class boutique while shopping for wedding dresses with your best friends. If you’re looking for a drink that’ll add a touch of elegance and beauty to the table – and still taste amazing – then champagne punch is one recipe you must add to your repertoire.
21. Honeydew Margarita
Honeydew margaritas are for those people who like to experience the full range of tastes on their tongues. While there’s not exactly any umami flavor in them, they manage to squeeze sweet, sour, bitter, and salty into a single glass. There’s a whole lot of spicy in there, as well. Best of all, there’s plenty of tequila in every sip, and who doesn’t love tequila? (Insert groovy saxophone beat for “Tequila” here.)
22. Mixed Berry Rosemary Gin Refresher
Believe it or not, when you mix blueberries and blackberries, you’ll get a gorgeous drink with an almost watermelon red color. When my main goal for cocktails is making them look spectacular, this one is one of my go-to’s. The blueberries and blackberries are striking against the pinkish-red of the drink, and the top is translucent and bubbly. There’s no denying that it’s a stunning drink. Luckily, it also tastes incredible. It’s fruity and sweet, with just a bit of tartness.
23. Iced Drunken Mocha
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if Starbucks would spike your morning mocha with a bit of Kahlua? Well, they tried serving alcohol once, but it never really became popular. Luckily, you don’t need Starbucks to make a delicious, chocolate-heavy mocha. And you certainly won’t need Starbucks to pump it full of Kahlua. Hey! It’s your morning pick-me-up, so it should be precisely the way you want it!
24. Earl Grey Tea Cocktail
As much as I love the smell of coffee, I’m a tea woman at heart. Combine some Earl Grey with gin, lavender, honey simple syrup, and just a touch of lemon juice, and that’s a drink I won’t want to put down. To me, this tall glass of lightly lavender-scented caffeine is better than a sugary, fruity cocktail any day of the week. (And I love sugary, fruity cocktails, so you know this is good.)
25. Honeycrisp Apple Cocktail
If you love apples, this Honeycrisp apple cocktail will be your new favorite fall drink because it’s 100% apple, at least in flavor. All you’ll need to make these drinks are Honeycrisp apples, water, sugar, vodka, ginger beer, and a dash of cinnamon. Imagine injecting an apple with vodka and sprinkling a little cinnamon and ground ginger on top. That’s how this drink tastes. So the next time the weather gets cool, pull on a sweater, light a bonfire, and sip on this while sitting beside it. It won’t be heaven on Earth, but it’s about as close as you can get.
26. Mixed Citrus Daiquiri
If there’s a drink that captures “sitting on the beach while the waves roll in,” the mixed citrus daiquiri is it. After the rum and brown sugar, the rest of the ingredients don’t even matter because those two are about as summer beach vacation as you can get. Still, add the grapefruit, kumquat, and lime. They’ll give it a unique, citrusy taste that’ll make it even better.
27. Cucumber Melon Gin Spritzer
These drinks take a bit longer to make than some others on the list, but if you like cocktails that look as good as they taste, you’ll love this one. It has a lovely peachy-orange color, and the ice and the cucumber garnishes look perfect against it. It also has a wonderful fresh taste that’s not sweet, but not bitter.
28. Blueberry Mojitos
I’ve loved mojitos since the first time I tasted one in 2013, and I didn’t think there was anything a person could do to make them better. Then I discovered this recipe for blueberry mojitos. All I can say is turn off the lights, lock the door, and head on home because this drink shuts everything down. It’s sweet and tart, but it retains the delightful fresh mintiness that makes mojitos great. The white rum comes through just enough to taste, and the buzz you’ll get from it hits quick and strong.
29. Cosmopolitan
Whether you’re having a Sex In the City marathon with your girls or sitting down to brunch with your mom, the Cosmo is a classic, and everyone should know how to make it. Luckily, it’s super easy. With six simple ingredients, you can have it ready in 5 minutes or less. So tell the ladies to drink up. You can always whip up another batch in no time.
30. Cucumber Mint Gimlet
The cucumber mint gimlet is a light, crisp, invigorating drink. It’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy. The gin in it goes down nice and smooth, and the cucumbers and mint leave your mouth feeling clean and minty fresh. This just might become your new favorite cocktail, particularly if you’re already a fan of cucumber water. Click on a star to rate it!
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