If we’re talking beach house vibes, it doesn’t get much more classic than a Bay Breeze cocktail. Vodka, cranberry juice, and pineapple juice are poured over ice to create a tall, frosty summer cocktail that’s the perfect blend of sweet and tangy, fruity and boozy.
The Bay Breeze is actually a variant of the classic Cape Codder, a traditional New England cocktail composed of vodka and cranberry juice stirred together over ice. The Bay Breeze adds a splash of pineapple juice with the cranberry, which adds a touch of sweetness that really balances out the drink. The traditional ratio of cranberry juice to pineapple juice is 2 to 1—and in testing, we found that was the perfect ratio for us. If you like your cocktail on the sweeter side, you can always add a splash more pineapple juice. Whatever you do, make sure you’re using pure juices rather than cocktail juices—the cocktail blends bring a lot of added sweeteners and other flavors that will totally throw off the balance of the cocktail.
Garnishes on a simple stir-together cocktail like this are typically optional, but in this case, we really want you to spring for that lime wheel. In addition to the fun, classy vibe it brings, the addition of the lime juice rim adds a note of fruity acidity (different from the cranberry’s tanginess), which really makes the all the other flavors in the cocktail pop. If you’re like us, you’ll take it one step farther by squeezing the lime wheel into the glass and dropping it in too.
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