How to Make Fresh Fruit Puree for Cocktails

Using homemade fruit purées in a cocktail is one of the best and easiest ways to give a drink a pop of color and a punch of flavor without needing a specific type of liquor. Whether it's in a fruit-forward margarita or you just want something to sip on the deck, fruit purées allow you to mix up colorful, tasty cocktails and mocktails quickly. Fruit purées for cocktails are also easy to freeze and have at the ready, so they're perfect for drop-in guests or any time you want a fruity drink.

How to Make Fruit Purée for Cocktails

Making a fruit purée isn't tough. Some require simmering before blending, while others are as simple as putting the ingredients in a blender and then straining. Most keep well and add bright fruit flavors and colors to your cocktails.

Soft Fruit Pureé

Whip up a soft fruit pureé, pun fully intended, with this easy recipe. Write it down, print it, or live green and screenshot it, so you always have it at your fingertips. This recipe is great for soft fruits such as plums, cherries, melons, berries, and other soft melons or stone fruits.

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups soft fruit, peeled (if necessary), pitted (if necessary), and sliced
• ¼ cup water
• 1-3 teaspoons sugar, to taste - optional

Instructions

1. In a blender, add fruit and water.
2. Blend until totally smooth.
3. Add sugar if desired or additional water to thin.
4. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to extract as many of the solids as possible. Discard any solids that remain in the sieve.
5. Refrigerate in an airtight container for approximately two weeks or freeze for up to six months.

Hard Fruit Pureé

Think pears, apples, and pineapples for these fruits. Grab your cutting board, a knife, and possibly a peeler for these hard, or generally firmer, fruit recipes to make a pureé that'll be the star in any blending of flavors.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups fruit, peeled and sliced or frozen
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar, to taste

Instructions

1. In a blender, add fruits and water.
2. Blend until totally smooth.
3. Add more water to thin or additional sugar if desired.
4. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to extract as many of the solids as possible. Discard any solids that remain in the sieve.
5. Store for up to two weeks in a refrigerator in an airtight container or approximately six months in a freezer.

Strawberry Purée

If you're familiar with making simple syrup, fruit purée adds a blender to the equation; otherwise, you'll find the process quite familiar. While you don't need to simmer the fruit, it does make for a richer, juicer flavor. You can use the same formula for other berry purées, such as blackberry or raspberry.

Ingredients

• 3 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, hulled and sliced
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, approximately half of a lemon
• ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. If using fresh strawberries, wash and clean first.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add strawberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
3. Simmer for approximately six to eight minutes, stirring frequently while it simmers. Add extra sugar if desired.
4. After sugar has fully dissolved, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for several minutes.
5. Using a traditional or immersion blender, blend the strawberry sugar mix until completely smooth.
6. Store the strawberry purée in an airtight container in the refrigerator for approximately two weeks. Alternatively, you can store it in a freezer for approximately six months.

Passion Fruit Purée

Passion fruit purée is far easier to assemble than its fruit purée counterparts; there's no cooking required, just scooping and straining.

Ingredients

• 6-8 fresh passion fruits
• 3-4 ounces water
• Sugar to taste

Instructions

1. Halve the passion fruits, and scoop out the flesh and seeds.
2. In a blender, add flesh and water.
3. Blend for approximately three to five seconds.
4. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to extract as many of the solids as possible. Discard any solids that remain in the sieve.
5. Add sugar to taste or water to thin out the purée.
6. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for approximately one week or freeze for up to six months.

Raspberry Purée

Don't limit yourself to margaritas with the raspberry purée; think of elevated gin drinks, drizzles on desserts, or even a great topping to oatmeal. Find any other ingredient that's so versatile.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, approximately half of a lemon
• ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ ounce water

Instructions

1. If using fresh raspberries, wash and clean first.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add raspberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
3. Simmer for approximately five minutes, stirring frequently while it simmers.
4. After sugar has fully dissolved, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for several minutes.
5. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to extract as many of the solids as possible. Discard any solids that remain in the sieve.
6. Add water to thin or sugar to sweeten if needed.
7. Store the raspberry purée in an airtight container in the refrigerator for approximately two weeks. Alternatively, you can store it in a freezer for approximately six months.

Peach Purée

Few flavors are as luscious and juicy as peaches; after all, what other fruit requires you to be hosed down after eating it? In purée form, the peach is less messy but no less tasty. More than just cocktails, the peach purée makes any mocktail instantly and is a great addition to most sweet foods.

Ingredients

• 8-10 fresh or frozen peaches, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
• 2-4 tablespoons water, as needed

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add peaches, sugar, and water.
2. Simmer for approximately two minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool.
4. Add peach mix to blender.
5. Blend until completely smooth. Add extra water to thin the purée if necessary.
6. Store in an airtight container in a refrigerator for approximately two weeks or in a freezer for approximately six months.

Blueberry Purée

Blueberries are nature's candy, so don't immediately jump to adding sugar to this purée. Give it a taste and only add it if you need it. Not only does this puree make for an excellent addition to any cocktail, but it's a delicious topping for yogurt or oatmeal.

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar, if needed

Instructions

1. If using fresh blueberries, wash thoroughly.
2. In a blender, add blueberries, water, and sugar.
3. Blend until totally smooth.
4. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to extract as many of the solids as possible. Discard any solids that remain in the sieve.
5. Store in an airtight container for two weeks in a refrigerator or freeze for up to two weeks.

Mango Purée

With a little mango purée and a healthy splash of rum, you're more than halfway to a cocktail. Or, if you want to make your morning tropical, mix a little purée into your orange juice. Sunshine is a state of mind.

Ingredients

• 4-6 fresh ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted OR 3 cups fresh or frozen mango, thawed and diced
• 2-4 tablespoons of water
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar, if desired

Instructions

1. In a blender, add mangoes and water.
2. Blend until totally smooth.
3. Add sugar if desired or additional water to thin.
4. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to extract as many of the solids as possible. Discard any solids that remain in the sieve.
5. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze for approximately six months.

Apple Purée

Don't get it mashed; apple purée and apple sauce are two very different things. Can you imagine adding applesauce to a cocktail?

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
• ¼-½ cup water
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add apples, water, and sugar.
2. Simmer for approximately fifteen minutes, stirring often.
3. Remove from heat and allow mix to cool.
4. Using an immersion or traditional blender, blend until fully and completely smooth.
5. Add additional water to thin out or add sugar to sweeten the puree.
6. Store in a refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container, or freeze for no more than six months.

Cocktails to Make With Fruit Pureés

Once you've got your purees, they're great to add to cocktails or mocktails to give them a fruity pop.

Fruit Purée Margarita

Pick out your favorite homemade fruit purée to add to an easy and classic margarita recipe for an out-of-this-world drink.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces silver tequila
• 1 ounce fruit purée of your choice
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ ounce orange liqueur
• ½ ounce agave
• Ice
• Raspberry and mint sprig for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add tequila, purée, lime juice, orange liqueur, and agave.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Garnish with raspberry and mint sprig.

Fruit Purée Daiquiri

The classic daiquiri isn't frozen; it's a simple three-ingredient recipe or four with your preferred fruit purée. Your daiquiris will be the talk of the neighborhood -- or at least of your friends.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces light rum
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¾ ounce fruit purée
• ¼ ounce simple syrup
• Ice
• Strawberry for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, rum, lime juice, purée, and simple syrup.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Strain into chilled glass.
5. Garnish with strawberry.

Fruit Purée Martini

Whether you use gin or vodka, you can lighten up your usual classic martini to something a bit lighter and even, dare we say, appropriate for an afternoon drink.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces vodka or gin
• 1 ounce passion fruit or fruit purée
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ ounce simple syrup, optional
• Ice
• Passion fruit for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a martini glass or coupe.
2. In a cocktail shaker, add vodka, passion fruit purée, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
3. Shake to chill.
4. Strain into chilled glass.
5. Garnish with passion fruit.

Fruit Purée Prosecco

You can add a little purée to your prosecco instead of orange juice to make a bellini or craft a new flavor combination. Dream big with your fruit purée prosecco in hand.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce peach or fruit purée
• Prosecco to top off
• Peach slice for garnish

Instructions

1. Chill a Champagne flute or coupe.
2. In chilled glass, add purée.
3. Top off with prosecco.
4. Garnish with peach slice.

Fruit Purée Mocktail

Utilizing your fruit purée with a little club soda is the quickest way to enjoy a colorful cocktail that isn't lacking in flavor or beauty. Craft a flavorful fruit martini mocktail with fruit juices and purée, topping it off with sparkling grape juice, or serve sparkling apple juice with purée in a flute. Skip the tequila in a margarita, topping off with a splash of club soda or some homemade nonalcoholic margarita mix.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces fruit purée
• 1 ounce tart cherry juice
• ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• Ice
• Ginger ale or sparkling fruit juice to top off
• Mint sprig and fresh berries for garnish

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, fruit purée, cherry juice, and lime juice.
2. Shake to chill.
3. Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
4. Top off with ginger ale.
5. Garnish with mint sprig and fresh berries.

Combining Fruit Purée Flavors

Stack a few fruit purée flavors together for a medley of flavors-- recipes only you know. Or not. Insert shrug emoji here.

• Strawberry + raspberry
• Blueberry + apple
• Banana + strawberry
• Raspberry + pear
• Passion fruit + pineapple
• Mango + blueberry
• Peach + raspberry

Using Fruit Purée in Cocktails

Toss in a fruit purée with a classic cocktail to make your own perfect flavor. From something as simple as a highball to an elevated cosmo, you'll never be the same again.

• Add 1 ounce raspberry purée to a gin and tonic
• Add 1 ounce blackberry purée to a vodka soda
• Add 1 ounce of apple purée to a cosmo
• Add 1 ounce of pineapple purée to a piña colada
• Add 1 ounce of peach purée to a whiskey Smash
• Add 1 ounce of mango purée to a mai tai
• Add 1 ounce of passion fruit purée to a tequila Soda
• Add 1 ounce blueberry purée to a mojito
• Add 1 ounce of strawberry purée to a Tom Collins
• Add 1 ounce of raspberry purée to a whiskey sour
• Add 1 ounce of pear purée to a Moscow mule

Making and Enjoying Fruit Purée for Cocktails

Skip the fruit purée you find at the store next time. Especially when you can so easily whip up your own with less than three ingredients. Not only do you get to control the flavor and what you add, but it's a great way to use up those strawberries you know you won't finish before they go bad. Plan a guilt trip for another day, not when you can put those overly ripe fruits to good use.