Food & Drink
The 6 Best Fruity Shot Recipes You’ll Actually Enjoy Drinking
Enjoy six fruity shot recipes with unexpected flavors. From more complex to simple two-ingredient shots, there is something for even the pickiest drink aficionado.
November 16, 2021
When you think of fruity shot recipes, your mind may jump to a nasty hangover, but these cocktail recipes have way more to offer. We’re here to show you how to make highly palatable shots that go down smoothly and leave a pleasant aftertaste (nothing that burns, we promise) in your mouth.
If you want to think of them in a more sophisticated way, call these fruit-forward drink recipes. Consider it a healthy, flavorful way to go improve your next party. All of these shots double as mixed drinks if you add a little bit extra and pour them over ice, if shots aren’t for you. Pre-mixing a bunch can also save you some prep time.
1. Pink Starburst shots
What’s better than a strawberry flavored candy? A Pink Starburst drink—one part sugary joy, one part alcohol. Actually, this shot has three parts, but they still equal one great drink. You’ll need vodka, sweet and sour mix, and Watermelon Pucker schnapps. If you’ve never made shots with Watermelon Pucker before, don’t forget that this liqueur is very sweet and quite tart.
To make, combine 1 ounce of all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. After shaking well, strain into a large shot glass. If the shot glasses on your bar won’t hold all of the liquid, slightly cale down the recipe or split it across two 1 ½ ounce shot glasses. Garnish with a Starburst candy on the rim of the glass. And, if your sweet tooth still isn’t satiated, you can rim the shot glass with sugar before pouring in the shot. Dip the rim in simple syrup, then dip the glass into sugar.
2. Blue kamikaze shot
It should come as no surprise that this neon blue drink recipe contains the famed blue curaçao. What you may not know is that citrus peels give blue curaçao its flavor.
A blue kamikaze is a tart drink, despite its blue color. The orange liqueur mixes with fresh lime juice to make this drink far less artificial than it appears. To make, shake up three-quarter ounces of vodka, three-quarter ounces of blue curacao, and a big squeeze of lime juice with plenty of ice. Strain the cocktail into a shot glass, and enjoy.
If you were looking for a way to make this drink taste more artificial and way sweeter, some recipes recommend putting vanilla frosting on the rim of the glass and dipping it in crushed Pop Rocks candy as a garnish. Sounds delicious!
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3. Pineapple upside down cake
While vodka shots are never a good idea, making shots with vanilla vodka gives a drink that tastes like a boozy baked good. But this way, you skip the hour of waiting for a cake to come out of the oven. To prepare, combine 1 ounce of vanilla vodka and 1 ounce of pineapple juice in a shot glass. Stir gently to blend the flavors, then drop in a tiny splash of grenadine syrup.
This isn’t in the original recipe, but we recommend chasing this shooter with some actual pineapple upside-down cake.
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4. Blackberry shot
This two ingredient shot is so sophisticated it’s practically a cocktail recipe—and we’re sure that if you doubled up on quantities, you could make it into one. To make this fruity shot with tequila, simply combine 1 ounce of your favorite silver variety with one-half ounce of blackberry liqueur in a shaker with plenty of ice. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, you can also stir the ingredients together in the shot glass gently using a chopstick or similar kitchen tool. If using the shaker method, strain the drink into a shot glass. While you could shoot this drink back, it’s so tasty that you could also get away with sipping it.
One last thing: Can’t find blackberry liqueur? Not a problem. Try making this with raspberry liqueur or a citrus variety like triple sec. The flavor won’t be the same, but both of these liqueurs pair well with tequila. You can also try muddling blackberries—crushing them up in the bottom of a glass—for a hint of authentic blackberry flavor. How fruit-forward is that?
There are many other fruit-flavored alcohols that you can experiment with like peach schnapps or melon liqueur.
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5. Strawberry patch
Bring the flavors of late summer to this fruity shot with rum, which features strawberry liqueur. Get ready to impress your friends at upcoming parties because this drink is simpler than it looks and tastes (but we won’t tell). This is another two-ingredient shot, so it’s easy to memorize.
To prepare, simply shake up 1 ounce of light (white) rum and a one-half ounce of strawberry liqueur with ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, then strain into a shot glass. We don’t know about you, but this seems like another shot that’s good for sipping. And, if you’d rather sip, double up on the quantities of each ingredient and strain the drink into a martini glass for a dreamy summer cocktail. You can make this drink a touch more tropical by using Malibu rum or another coconut rum of your choosing instead of the light variety recommended above.
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6. Washington apple
This shot contains two fruit ingredients—or three, if you count lemon-lime soda. We think that covers your daily intake, but we’re not doctors.
Shake up one-third ounce of whisky, one-third ounce of apple schnapps, and one-third ounce of cranberry juice with ice, then strain into a shot glass. Top up with a splash of lemon-lime soda like 7-Up or Sprite and garnish the shot glass with a real slice of Washington apple. That must be the world’s healthiest chaser.
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It’s time to stock your bar. Pick up base liquors, mixers, and even bar tools from your favorite virtual grocery store, Gopuff. You can even have them stop by the produce aisle for citrus and other garnishes. It’s time to get your friends together to try out these delicious shots.