All of the best orange juice cocktails! These cocktails are easy to make, bright, citrusy, and great for all occasions. You’ll love these classic cocktail recipes, from mimosas to easy mixed drinks!
Packed with a bright and citrusy flavor, oranges are the perfect fruit to add to your favorite cocktail. Best known as a companion to vodka, orange juice tastes great with almost any liquor.
Whether you prefer a mimosa, a tequila sunrise, or a refreshing twist on a margarita, there’s sure to be an orange juice cocktail for you.
All About Orange Juice
Made by extracting the juice of oranges, orange juice is a classic refrigerator staple. Fresh juice can be made using any orange and is thus available in several varieties, including:
- Blood orange
- Navel orange
- Valencia orange
- Clementine
- Tangerine
Grown in warmer areas like California and Florida, oranges are packed with vitamin C, most notably. The sun-kissed growing process gives freshly squeezed orange juice a bright, energizing citrus flavor.
What alcohol does orange juice go with?
With its refreshing citrus flavor, orange juice is compatible with almost any alcohol. Some of the most notable pairings for the juice include:
- Vodka
- Bourbon
- Champagne
- Tequila
- Gin
The orange juice works to cut through the intense liquor flavor of each spirit for a bright, zippy taste, making it the perfect additive to any cocktail.
Best Orange Juice Cocktails
Scroll through to make any of these refreshing orange juice cocktail recipes! They make lovely brunch cocktails or easy mixed drinks for any party.
Vodka Orange Juice Cocktail
A classic screwdriver recipe! Vodka is a light-colored and flavored spirit and goes well with most mixers. This cocktail is as simple as our vodka soda. Add a little soda water to this recipe to add some extra bubbles.
Rum Orange Juice Cocktail
Rum and orange juice have all the summer’s tropical vibes! Make it with coconut rum for even more flavor. This is the perfect summer cocktail.
Tequila Orange Juice Cocktail
Tequila and fresh orange juice are a no-brainer! Like our lemonade margarita recipe, this cocktail has just two ingredients. Add a little grenadine over the top for a tequila sunrise!
Bourbon Orange Juice Cocktail
This is the most accessible mixed drink for all your bourbon and whiskey lovers! Bourbon and orange juice pair well together and can be served any time of the year.
Classic Mimosa
Undoubtedly, the most famous orange juice cocktail is a mimosa. This quintessential two-ingredient cocktail is easy to make with Champagne and orange juice. Add a little Cointreau in there for extra flavor. Try our grapefruit mimosa, too.
Prosecco Mimosa
A twist in the classic, a Prosecco mimosa uses Italian Prosecco and adds sweetness to the drink. You can also try our carrot juice mimosa too. It’s perfect for Easter brunch!
Rum Punch
Another tropical cocktail that uses orange juice, rum, fresh pineapple juice, and lime. This rum punch is a vacation in a cup! Perfect for sunny beach days.
Brass Monkey
This brass monkey is a fun cocktail from the 70s made with orange juice, rum, and vodka.
Virgin Mimosa Recipe
If you want a refreshing drink without alcohol, try our virgin mimosa recipe! It tastes just as refreshing and bubbly!
Skinny Margarita Recipe
Our skinny margarita recipe uses fresh ingredients and orange and lime juice. This cocktail is low-calorie and sugar-free and tastes fantastic.
Prosecco Cocktail
If you love sparkling drinks, our Prosecco cocktail has orange juice, ginger beer, and liqueur. It’s very refreshing and bubbly. Perfect for any occasion!
Add a Little Sweetness
- The best way to add sweetness to a cocktail is homemade simple syrup. A mixture of sugar and water simmered together to make a sweet syrup. To make flavors, follow our complete guide on making simple syrup. You can also make honey syrup by swapping out the sugar with honey.
- Another way to add sweetness is using orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Triple Sec.
Cocktail Garnishes
Cocktail garnishes add charm and elevate the presentation. Here are some ways you can garnish orange juice cocktails:
Dried Orange Slice – We keep dried orange slices on hand to add to our cocktails.
Cherry – Add a maraschino cherry to this cocktail for extra sweetness.
Cocktail Umbrella – If you’re making a summer cocktail, garnish it with a charming umbrella.
Zest – Add a little lemon zest, lime zest, or orange zest over the top of the drink for added fragrance, color, and flavor.
Edible Flowers – We use flowers often to add charm to our cocktails. Check out our edible flower chart to learn more about what flowers you can use.
Clear Ice – You can use clear ice in this drink. The more giant ice cubes are great for melting slowly.
Pink Ice – Adding pink ice to a cocktail is a fun way to create vibrant colors.
Orange Peel – Peels add a beautiful aroma and a touch of color.
Tips for Making Orange Juice Cocktails
Here are a few tips for recipe success:
Use fresh-squeezed orange juice when making these drinks.
If the cocktail is too potent, add a little club soda to dilute it.
If making a shaken cocktail, shake the drink with ice for 20 seconds.
Mixers for Orange Juice
Here are some mixers that go well with orange juice when making cocktails:
- Club soda/soda water
- Tonic water
- Ginger ale/ginger beer
- Cranberry juice
- Pineapple juice
- Coconut water
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking for a health-conscious cocktail, vodka and orange juice may be the perfect pairing.
Vodka contains no sugar and contains fewer calories than most liquors. In contrast, freshly squeezed orange juice naturally contains many vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, calcium, and iron—not to mention it tastes great! Orange juice also keeps you hydrated, effectively diluting the effects of the alcohol.
In addition to your favorite spirit, you can add plenty of other elements to your orange juice cocktail.
Orange juice shines when combined with other fruits like cherries, strawberries, and cranberries that can be added to your cocktail muddled, whole, or syrup. Add sparkling water for some fizz, or finish your drink with a sprig of fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
If you’re a whiskey lover, you’re lucky because the spirit is the perfect companion to freshly squeezed orange juice.
Orange juice works well with whiskey because its natural sweetness tones down the alcohol’s sharp flavor. It also cuts through the drink’s bitterness for the perfect balance that has become wildly popular in cocktails like the whiskey sour.
If you don’t have a juicer, you can still make a cocktail with freshly squeezed orange juice.
To extract the juice from an orange cut the orange into eight wedges and squeeze the juice out into a small bowl with your hands. Alternatively, you can cut an orange in half and twist the juice out with the tines of a fork. Firmly rolling the orange on the counter before squeezing will loosen the membranes and yield more juice. embranes inside and yield more juice.
When to Serve Orange Juice Cocktails
Since you can find oranges year-round in grocery stores, these cocktails can be served anytime. However, some have more of a spring and summer vibe, and others are perfect for year-round brunch. Here are some fun occasions you can serve orange juice cocktails:
- Brunch
- Pool Party or Beach Bonfire
- Birthday Party: it’s also perfect for a last-minute birthday party!
- Carnival Party
- Tropical Party or Garden Party
Also, check out more great cocktail recipes, tequila cocktails, gin cocktails, vodka cocktails, and cheap drinks to make at home!
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Orange Juice Cocktails – Gin and Orange Juice
Ingredients
- 4 ounces orange juice
- 2 ounces gin
Instructions
- Fill an old-fashioned glass with ice.
- Pour orange juice over the ice.
- Add the gin.
- Garnish with a flour and an orange slice.
Notes
Nutrition
