Tropical Passion Fruit Martini

Take one sip of this tropical passion fruit martini and you’ll feel like you were instantly whisked away to a relaxing beach vacation! For maximum fruit flavor, this martini is shaken with both a passion fruit purée and liqueur to give you one refreshing sipper that’s perfect for patio nights. Don’t be surprised if this delightful drink becomes your new favorite summer cocktail.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Make a Pitcher of Martinis
• Recipe FAQs
• Variations and Substitutions
• Expert Tips
• Perfect Pairing
• Enjoy More Fruity Cocktail Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Bursting with passion fruit flavor: Passion fruit liqueur always adds a nice dose of island flavor, but the passion purée gives it an extra boost. This drink was created with passion fruit lovers in mind.

Quick and simple to mix: Both beginner and expert bartenders alike can whip up this drink in no time with impressive results. No matter your skill level, your guests will think this drink came from a craft cocktail bar. Yes, it’s that delicious — I honestly can’t stop thinking about how good this drink is.

Includes a make-ahead option: Entertaining is always easier when you can make a pitcher of drinks ahead of party time. Your hosting duties are as simple as can be when this drink is on your cocktail menu.

Bonus: If you love this drink, make sure you also try my passion fruit margarita and passion fruit mojito.

Ingredients

Vodka: Low-quality vodka is harsh and does not make for a pleasant drinking experience. You don’t need to get the most expensive vodka available, but go with a reputable brand, like Absolut, Tito’s or Grey Goose if you’re feeling fancy. For a little inspiration, here’s a list of great vodkas for mixing cocktails.

Passion fruit purée: You have two options here — fresh or frozen passion fruit purée. While fresh passion fruit is always appreciated, it’s not the easiest to find in many locations, and it’s on the pricier side. Frozen passion fruit is available by other frozen fruits in the grocery store. You might also find passion fruit juice on the shelves, but I definitely recommend opting for frozen purée over the juice.

Passion fruit liqueur: The two brands you’ll likely see are Passoa and Chinola. Passoa is made in France from Brazilian passion fruits while Chinola comes from the Dominican Republic and is made with local, estate-grown fruit. I’m partial to Chinola for its more pure flavor, but either option works.

Lemon juice: We want freshly squeezed lemon juice, not bottled juice. A good cocktail is all about the quality of its ingredients, and bottled lemon juice can’t match fresh.

Simple syrup: This gives us just the perfect touch of sweetness to go with those tart flavors. We need a little balance here.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Let’s start mixing. We begin by pouring the vodka, passion fruit purée, passion fruit liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup into a cocktail shaker and add plenty of ice cubes (photo 1).

Step 2: Now we secure the cap on the cocktail shaker to ensure it’s sealed and shake vigorously for about 15-30 seconds (photo 2). 

Step 3: With our drink perfectly mixed, we remove the cap and strain that tropical martini into our chilled cocktail glass (photo 3).

Step 4: To give it the perfect garnish, we place a slice of passion fruit in the middle of the glass like so (photo 4). This step is optional, but it adds a little flair to the drinking experience. 

There you have it. We’re ready to sip on this refreshing passion fruit cocktail. 

Oh, and if you can’t get enough fruity martinis, don’t miss these tasty drinks:

• Peach martini
• Raspberry-chocolate martini
• Key lime pie martini
• Strawberry-basil limoncello martini

How to Make a Pitcher of Martinis

Now let’s show you how to prepare a pitcher of passion fruit martinis.

• Grab a pitcher and stir in the vodka, passion fruit purée, passion fruit liqueur, lemon juice and simple syrup.
• Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. After that, the lemon juice won’t taste quite as bright.
• When you’re ready to serve, stir the mixture again, pour 6 ½ ounces per drink into a cocktail shaker and shake as originally directed. This is recommended so that you still get the aeration from shaking for a better texture.
• However, if you’d like for guests to serve themselves, add a handful or two of ice to the pitcher, stir for about 15-30 seconds and remove any remaining ice with a slotted spoon. This method still gives you the dilution that comes from shaking, but you won't get the aeration.

Look for the notes section of the recipe card to find the exact quantities.

Recipe FAQs

Variations and Substitutions

Want a passion fruit martini with a twist? Here are a few ways you can tweak the recipe.

• Add a spicy kick and first muddle jalapeño slices or even habanero slices in the cocktail shaker with the simple syrup.
• Substitute regular vodka for flavored vodka — passion fruit vodka, vanilla vodka and pineapple vodka are all nice options.
• Swap regular simple syrup for passion fruit syrup for an extra tropical dose or another flavored syrup. This ginger simple syrup, for instance, would add a nice touch of spice and is great with tropical fruit.
• Give it a bubbly finish with a club soda or sparkling wine topping. Some people even like to serve passion fruit martinis with a shot of prosecco or Champagne on the side.
• If you don't have passion fruit liqueur, you can use orange liqueur, such as triple sec or Cointreau.
• Not a vodka fan? Try white rum instead. 

Expert Tips

Chill your martini glasses before serving: Simply place the glasses in the freezer 15-30 minutes before serving. If you forget, fill the glass with ice water as you make the drink. Before straining, stir the ice water for 30 seconds, and your glass will have a nice chill.

Make your own simple syrup: While you can buy simple sugar syrup, it’s much cheaper to make your own. Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Every so often, stir the mixture to help dissolve the sugar. Once it boils and the sugar dissolves, you have your simple syrup.

Keep it in a sterile, airtight container in the refrigerator, and it should last for several weeks. When it turns cloudy, it’s time for a new batch.

Strain the seeds if you don’t want the added texture: If you use fresh pulp instead of seedless purée, you can remove the passion fruit seeds by holding a fine-mesh cocktail strainer over the martini glass.

Perfect Pairing

This passion fruit martini calls for a tropical meal. Start the evening with a batch of this fresh pineapple pico de gallo and mango-habanero wings, and then serve a big platter of grilled jerk chicken and Hawaiian potato salad. For dessert, you can't go wrong with this passion fruit curd or passion fruit cheesecake.

How’s that for one island-inspired meal? 

When you need a beach escape, treat yourself to this delicious passion fruit martini recipe. With one sip, it will give you those laid-back, easy-going Caribbean vibes.

Cheers!

Enjoy More Fruity Cocktail Recipes

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