Purple People Eater Drink

This bright and yummy Purple People Eater Cocktail is perfect for Halloween! Made with vodka, grenadine, Blue Curacao, cranberry juice, and sweet & sour, it is an adult-only treat this spooky Halloween season. 

A perfect drink for an adult-only Halloween party that only takes 5 minutes to mix up. A refreshing blend of sweet, sour, and tart flavors in one sip with a distinctive purple hue.

Witchy, easy to make, sweet, and delicious.

Why Is It Called The Purple People Eater?

The cocktail’s name is most often associated with the late 50s song The Purple People Eater which topped the Billboard chart in a few countries at that time.

In this song, a “one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple people eater” ended up on Earth and came up with the idea to join a band (ask me, why? This song is weird and inspired by a child’s joke).

The Purple People Eaters was also a nickname for the Minnesota Vikings’s defense as it was one of the best defense lines in NFL history.

What really sparked the original drink recipe is hard to tell, but today, there are so many variations it is almost impossible to find out which came first.

I’ve also seen people calling it The Grimace Cocktail (and this I have no idea why! Maybe because of the sour mix?).

Ingredients & Substitutes To Make Purple People Eater Cocktail

To make one 5 1/2 oz of this drink recipe, you will need these 5 ingredients and some optional garnish.

Make sure all ingredients are chilled before assembling the cocktail.

• Vodka. Buy good quality vodka like Ketel One, Smirnoff, Grey Goose or similar. I use plain vodka but you can use Raspberry kind, like we do for Purple Hooter.
• Sweet and sour mix adds the tang. You can use fresh lime or lemon juice mixed with club soda, lemon-lime soda, lemonade, Sprite, or 7Up. A replacement I haven’t yet tried but sounds good – ginger ale.
• Blue curaçao. Blue curacao taste comes from laraha oranges, and it is dyed blue. You can use other berry or fruit liqueurs, like Grand Marnier, coconut rum, or Triple Sec (also orange liqueur but not tinted). Using different rums and liqueurs will affect the color and it can be very light, if you want very bright purple, stick with blue curacao or use Ube liqueur – a purple drink from purple yam.
• Cranberry juice is absolutely delicious and slightly tart and has a bright red color. You can use cocktail cranberry juice or any variety of grape juice, or pomegranate juice, in place of the cranberry juice. 
• Grenadine – a sweet bar syrup that also has a red color, mixed with blue curacao it gives the cocktail the bright purple color.
• Ice cubes (optional) to serve. If using ice, pour the drink into a glass filled with ice, and not add ice cubes later, that’s how cool bartenders do it.

Big Batch Variation. To make a big batch for holidays, simply multiply by the number of guests and how many glasses they would likely have (you know your friends!). You can also treat the oz like parts for whatever measurements you use. Serve in a punch bowl.

Optional Garnish

• Light corn syrup. You can use simple syrup in place of corn syrup or even melted chocolate.
• Purple sanding sugar as a topping. To make the cocktail look bar-worthy, sprinkle the rim of a glass with purple sugar. If you can’t find it, use edible glitter or sprinkles.
• Maraschino cherries

To imitate a one-horned creature you can use a cinnamon stick a quarter of a lemon slice or a lemon swath. For a little Beetlejuice vibe, use black and white striped straws.

Items Needed:

• Cocktail Shaker
• Cocktail Spoon
• Cocktail Glass. As it is a 5 oz portion, use a tall glass like a highball glass or regular cocktail glass. It looks fancy in a martini glass!
• 2 small plates (for garnish, if using)
• Plastic Spiders (optional)
• Purple Straws (optional)

Decoration for a Halloween party can be anything, from spiders or straws I use to eyeballs (candy or made with lychee and blueberries), candy, and simple Halloween-themed sprinkles.

How To Make This Purple People Eater Drink

Making Purple People Eater drinks is super easy and quite fun!

1: Mix & Shake All The Ingredients

1. First, combine all the ingredients (vodka, blue curacao, cranberry juice, sweet and sour mix, and grenadine) in a cocktail shaker.  
2. If you do not have the ice in the cup, fill the shaker with ice. Stir for a few seconds.

2: Garnish The Glass With Purple Sugar

1. Drizzle some light corn syrup on a small plate. 
2. Pour a small portion of purple sanding sugar on a separate small plate.
3. Dip the top of the glass in the corn syrup and let the excess drip off the rim before dipping it in the purple sugar. Roll it around in the sugar until it’s nicely covered.
4. It is best to set them aside for a few minutes upside down so the sugar really sticks.

3: Serve The Purple People Eater Drink

1. If using ice, carefully fill the cup with ice. 
2. Strain the cocktail into the glass with ice.
3. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, a plastic spider, and a purple straw, if desired before serving.

Storage

This drink tastes best when enjoyed immediately after mixing all the ingredients. I don’t recommend making this ahead.

However, if you have leftovers you can store them in the fridge for a maximum of 2 days and without ice. Otherwise, it will be watered down and will lose much of both color and flavor.

I would not make the drink or decorate the glasses in advance, maybe a maximum of 4-5 hours in advance.

Tips For Making This Purple Cocktail

• Missing purple color? Use Powerade, Gatorade, or any other purple-color electrolytes sports drink. A nice healthy add-on to keep you hydrated while sipping alcohol. That works when you don’t add blue curacao and the color ends up not that bright.
• Sprinkle grape-flavored Kool-Aidas garnish to make it pop with colors and sweet flavor!
• Add fruitiness. To add some light fruity flavors you can use flavored Schnapps: raspberry Schnapps and peach Schnapps are my two favorites.
• For an extra spooky drink, use dry ice for the smoke effect.

Popular Questions

Can I Make Non-Alcoholic Purple People Eater Drink?

Yes! Just skip the alcohol and add more lemon soda for fizz and grenadine for color. So Purple People Eater mocktail ingredients would be grenadine, blue sports drink or blue food coloring, and lemonade or lemon-lime soda.

What Is The Purple Color Drink Called?

There are a few famous purple drink recipes like Purple Hooter Shooter cocktail or jello shots, Purple People Eater, Purple Haze, Purple Rain, Barbie’s Revenge, and Butterfly Effect.

What Can I Use Instead Of Sweet And Sour Mix?

Sweet and sour mix is a typical bar ingredient but lemon-lime soda, lemon juice or lime juice and even Sprite can substitute it in cocktails made at home.

Can I Use Grape Juice In Purple People Eater Drink Recipes?

While the recipe calls for cranberry juice any other berry juice, including grape juice or Cran Grape (a mix of grape and cranberry juice), will work. Experiment to find the best flavor combo for you.

What Makes A Drink Turn Purple?

When you mix red and blue alcohol or juices, or lemon and butterfly pea, in the drink it will turn purple. Adding purple jello, fresh lavender, purple rock candy, or food coloring can also make a cocktail purple.

Purple coloring doesn’t always affect the taste.

DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!

If you love this holiday drink recipe, you’re going to love these other holiday ideas for your party too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Fall Party Recipes

Candy Corn Jello Shots

Instant Pot Apple Cider

Apple Cranberry Spritzer

Cinnamon Spiced Moscow Mule

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