This beautiful and absolutely delicious purple mocktail I’m calling the ‘Riff Ram’bler’ is an ode to my alma mater – Texas Christian University – and the oldest college football chant in the Southwest Conference.
Whether you’re headed to a tailgate or cheering on the Frogs from home, this purple mocktail recipe is on point.
But wait ...
You don’t have to be a Horned Frog fan to enjoy this drink!
8 Reasons to Say 'Cheers!' to This Purple Mocktail
- Simple to make.
- Comes together in 10 minutes or less.
- Features easy-to-find ingredients.
- Ridiculously refreshing.
- Low in calories, big on flavor.
- Non-alcoholic mocktail for all ages.
- Perfect for cheering your favorite purple sports team. (I’m looking at you, LSU, K-State, Northwestern and Clemson fans! And while I’m at it, this is for the Vikings and Ravens fans, Lakers, Kings and Jazz fans, Rockies … you get the idea.)
- Beautiful deep purple hue to celebrate birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, bachelorette parties and all of the other special occasions that call for a purple mocktail everyone will love.
The Ingredients
- Blue curacao – non-alcoholic syrup
- Grape juice – Opt for sugar-free, low-sugar or no-added-sugar
- Sparkling Ice – Grape Raspberry or Black Cherry flavor
- Turbinado sugar – For the glass rim
- Blackberries – Fresh or frozen, for garnish
- Rosemary or mint – For garnish
Quick Tip
The purple color in this mocktail can be tricky to achieve, so make a test round in advance to ensure you get the color exactly the way you want it.
How to Make a Perfect Purple Mocktail
Step 1.
Use a rimming dish, two small bowls or plates to rim the glasses. Pour the turbinado sugar into your dish of choice and then add a thin layer of water or lemon juice to the second dish. Dip the rim of each glass into the liquid and gently tap or shake to remove the excess liquid. Immediately dip the rim of the glass into the sugar, ensuring that the sugar thoroughly coats around the rim of the glass. Tap or shake off the extra sugar. Add ice cubes to each glass.
Step 2.
In a cocktail shaker, add the blue curacao and grape juice. Shake, shake, shake.
Step 3.
Pour into the glasses and top with Sparkling Ice. Garnish and serve.
Make Ahead + Storage
This purple mocktail is great for serving a crowd. To plan ahead, you can certainly mix the juice and blue curacao up to 24 hours in advance, but you’ll want to add the Sparkling Ice just before serving – otherwise, you’ll lose the bubbles and your drink will be flat.
Store in a pitcher with a lid or an airtight container in the fridge.
Serving a Crowd
Speaking of planning ahead to serve a crowd, simply triple the recipe. This mocktail is beautifully served in a large glass pitcher garnished with fresh or frozen blackberries. Add sprigs of rosemary or mint for a lovely touch.
Serve this drink at:
- Tailgates and game watching parties
- Pool parties
- Bridal showers
- Bachelorette parties
- Birthday parties
- Graduation celebrations
- Baby showers
- ‘Sip and see’ gatherings
Recipe FAQs
What is turbinado sugar?
Turbinado sugar is a natural brown sugar. You may have also heard it referred to as raw sugar, though it’s not actually raw. It maintains its natural color as its less refined than granulated white sugar. The golden brown color that makes turbinado sugar so beautiful as a rimming sugar is thanks to the natural molasses.
What can I use in place of turbinado sugar?
You can certainly use regular granulated sugar or find a specialty rimming sugar for craft cocktails if you’re planning a special gathering. The sugar rim is for decorative purposes more than anything, so feel free to omit it altogether.
Can I use a different juice than grape juice?
Sure! Cranberry juice is a tasty alternative, as is cranberry-grape juice or pomegranate juice. You’ll just want to ensure it’s a reddish-purple hue to ensure the mocktail retains its color.
Is there an alternative for Sparkling Ice?
You could use a diet grape soda or try a flavored sparkling water, such as raspberry or black cherry. Izze Sparkling Blackberry or Blueberry flavors are also tasty alternatives.
Can I make a non-carbonated version?
If you’re not big on bubbles, feel free to use another type of low-sugar or no-added-sugar juice.
What Else Should I Know?
Great question. A few things to keep in mind:
- The purple color in this cocktail can be tricky to achieve, so make a test round in advance to ensure you get the color exactly the way you want it.
- When testing this recipe I muddled blackberry for a plan on the more traditional whiskey Rambler cocktail. The drink was delicious but it turned out to be exceptionally dark in color and I lost the beautiful purple hue I was going for.
More Drink Recipes I Think You'll Love
TCU ‘Riff Ram’bler Purple Mocktail
The purple mocktail is a ton of fun to make and drink – minus the alcohol and added calories. Whether you’re cheering on your favorite sports team or planning a bachelorette or birthday party, this purple drink recipe is fruity, bubbly and a cinch to create at home. Cheers!
- Total Time: 10 mins.
- Yield: 2 drinks 1x
Ingredients
- 2 ounces blue curacao non-alcoholic syrup
- 2 ounces sugar-free, low-sugar or no-added-sugar grape juice
- 10–12 ounces Sparkling Ice, Grape Raspberry or Cherry flavor
- Turbinado sugar, for glass rim
- Blackberries (fresh or frozen), for garnish
- Rosemary or mint, for garnish
Instructions
- Use a rimming dish, two small bowls or plates to rim the glasses. Pour the turbinado sugar into your dish of choice and then add a thin layer of water or lemon juice to the second dish. Dip the rim of each glass into the liquid and gently tap or shake to remove the excess liquid. Immediately dip the rim of the glass into the sugar, ensuring that the sugar thoroughly coats around the rim of the glass. Tap or shake off the extra sugar. Add ice cubes to each glass.
- In a cocktail shaker, add the blue curacao and grape juice. Shake, shake, shake.
- Pour into the glasses and top with Sparkling Ice. Garnish and serve.
Notes
- The purple color in this cocktail can be tricky to achieve, so make a test round in advance to ensure you get the color exactly the way you want it.
- When testing this recipe I muddled blackberry for a plan on the more traditional whiskey Rambler cocktail. The drink was delicious but it turned out to be exceptionally dark in color and I lost the beautiful purple hue I was going for.
- The perfect garnish combo for me turned out to be fresh blackberries for garnish added to the drink just before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 mins.
- Cook Time: 0 mins.
- Category: Drinks, Mocktails
- Method: By Hand
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: mocktail recipe, purple mocktail, non-alcoholic drink recipe, purple drink, TCU, Texas Christian University football, tailgate recipes
Article originally posted January 6, 2023; Last updated August 16, 2023.
3 Responses
I can’t wait to make this one!
★★★★★
This drink looks good. Is there a version without sparkling water or soda, possibly another juice that would mix well?
★★★★
Hi Marcia, So glad you’d like to try this recipe! My recommendation is to replace the Sparkling Ice with 4-5 ounces pure pomegranate (such as Pom Wonderful) or cranberry juice and increase the Sugar Free Grape Juice to 2-3 ounces. The grape juice has a very strong taste so if that’s your thing then go for the 3 ounces. Let me know how this works for you! I made this with sugar-free cranberry juice for a pool party and enjoyed it, but I love cranberry!