20 Perfect Cocktails and Mocktails for Brunch

Fuzzy Navel cocktail recipe — The Spruce Eats

Light drinks filled with fruit flavors are ideal for brunch, and several fantastic cocktail and mocktail recipes are perfect for a mid-morning meal. A few are easy-drinking wine cocktails, while others feature gin, tequila, and vodka, and you'll find zero-proof drinks if you want to skip the alcohol entirely. With brunch favorites like the bloody Mary, screwdriver, and mimosa leading the way, these drinks are easy to mix up, great with food, and sure to be a hit with your guests.

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Screwdriver

The Spruce Eats / Ali Redmond

A staple at the brunch table, the screwdriver is simply vodka-spiked orange juice. It's easy to make by the glass or pitcher and pairs wonderfully with a variety of foods. For the best screwdriver, don't overpour the vodka and use fresh-squeezed orange juice.
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Bloody Mary

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The bloody Mary's tomato flavor is an excellent choice for brunch. It's most satisfying when served with breakfast casseroles, pancakes, and other savory dishes. Make it spicy or keep it mild, and mix up an entire pitcher without the alcohol to let everyone decide whether they want it spiked or not.
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Crazy Bloody Mary

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This crazy bloody Mary is like a meal in a glass. It starts with a traditional vodka-tomato juice mix, but the garnish makes it far more enjoyable. The drink is adorned with a mini grilled cheese sandwich and dill pickle skewer with a bacon "straw" that's as fun to make as it is to eat.
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Mimosa

The Spruce Eats / Loren Runion

The mimosa is an iconic brunch cocktail because it's soft, effervescent, and incredibly easy to mix up. You'll need just three ingredients—triple sec, orange juice, and Champagne—for the basic mimosa. There are many fabulous variations to try, as well.

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Bellini

The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

When you're feeling a little peachy, turn to the Bellini. While you could take a few shortcuts to this classic drink, a fresh peach purée keeps it authentic and ensures the freshest taste. The sparkling wine cocktail goes well with fish and white meat dishes as well as light omelets.
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New Orleans Fizz

The Spruce Eats / Claire Cohen

Show off your cocktail skills with the New Orleans fizz. Filled with a delightful mix of citrus, a shot of gin, and its creamy effervescence, this drink never fails to impress. The real secret to pulling off the Big Easy favorite is to shake until it hurts. Don't worry; you'll forget the pain after the first sip!
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Melon Patch

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Easy and refreshing, the melon patch is perfect alongside fruit salads on a warm summer day. The recipe uses a melon liqueur, triple sec, and vodka topped with club soda. Despite the three liquors, it's not a potent vodka cocktail and is similar to enjoying a glass of wine.
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Greyhound

The Spruce Eats / Emily Baker

Grapefruit is another popular morning fruit, and the greyhound flaunts it spectacularly. For this recipe, you'll use grapefruit juice instead of the screwdriver's orange juice. If you offer vodka with both juices, guests can choose between the two mixed drinks, so everyone's sure to be happy.

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Irish Coffee

The Spruce Eats

There are many coffee cocktails to choose from, though few can beat the charm of an authentic Irish coffee. Spiked with Irish whiskey and sweetened with brown sugar, this recipe is best topped with lightly whipped heavy cream.

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Sea Breeze

The Spruce Eats / Karen Hibbard

A muffin, a grapefruit, and a sea breeze combine for a quick and straightforward brunch on short notice. The vodka-cranberry drink adds a touch of grapefruit juice for extra dimension without additional hassle. Garnish it with a slice of grapefruit, and a brilliant drink is ready to serve.
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Fuzzy Navel

The Spruce Eats

Take the fuzzy navel out of the bar and bring it to brunch for a quick mixed drink. If you're feeling a little wilder one morning, add vodka to the peach schnapps and orange juice mix for a hairy navel.
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Abbey Cocktail

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When it comes to morning martinis, the abbey cocktail is always a winner. Gin, an apéritif, and orange juice combine for this easy neat drink, and the dash of orange bitters makes it a little more interesting.

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Cucumber Collins

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The cucumber collins is delightfully refreshing and perfect for a summer brunch in the garden. It begins with a muddle of fresh cucumber and lime and is fabulous with either vodka or gin. Pour a hard seltzer if you like or keep it gentle with club soda, and have fun arranging the cucumber ribbons in the glass.
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Bacon Me Angry

Angry Orchard

If you're the adventurous type, give the bacon me angry cocktail a whirl. This funky drink recipe begins with bacon-infused vodka, which you'll have to make yourself. When that's ready, mix it with maple syrup, bitters, and hard cider for an unforgettable drink.
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White Wine Sangria

The Spruce Eats/ Laura Scherb

Sangria is ideal for any party, large or small, and it makes serving drinks a little easier. While the traditional red wine version may be a little heavy, this white wine sangria with brandy and fresh citrus is light and refreshing, so it's a better choice for brunch.
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Raspberry Lemonade Sangria

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When you want to shake up your routine, go with the raspberry lemonade sangria. You'll make the moscato, lemonade, and raspberry base the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Add citrus soda to the pitcher when guests arrive, and you can enjoy the meal without worrying about drinks.

Moscato Wine and Its Preferred Food Pairings

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Cranberry Mule

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

During cranberry season, mix up a seasonal Moscow mule. This recipe adds fresh berries to that popular mix of lime juice, vodka, and ginger beer. It's a perfect big-batch cocktail for a small party.
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Papaya Smash

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Aged tequila is the star of the papaya smash. The tropical mix combines papaya, lime, and orange and is sweetened with agave nectar. Fitting for brunch, it includes Aperol, the bitter orange liqueur that turns any drink into a meal-worthy delight.
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Basil-Rosemary Orange Shandy

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Beer on your mind? This orange-flavored shandy recipe is an outstanding choice. You can make the orangeade ahead of time, and you'll love the additional flavor from the basil and rosemary-infused simple syrup. When it's time for drinks, fill half the glass, then add your favorite wheat ale or lager.
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Zipper

The Spruce Eats

It doesn't get much easier than a cocktail with just three ingredients. The zipper is a raspberry-flavored, sparkling vodka cocktail that offers a taste everyone will appreciate. Though typically served very short, this recipe is an excellent candidate for a pitcher drink as well.

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Amaretto Sour

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Low-proof and simultaneously sweet and tart, the amaretto sour is a fun mixed drink. Requiring nothing more than amaretto and lemon juice—with a dash of simple syrup if you like—it's a charming and easy drink.
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Sweet Sunrise

The Spruce Eats / Nyssa Tanner

Hold the tequila and mix up a sweet (or virgin) sunrise. This mocktail recipe offers the same showstopping look of the tequila sunrise but in a more innocent form. The grenadine adds a perfect amount of sweetness to counteract the orange juice's tart acidity. No matter what food you're serving, it's an ideal match for breakfast or brunch.
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Orange Fizz

The Spruce Eats / Madhumita Sathishkumar

Some of the best drinks simply enhance ordinary ingredients, and that's what you'll find in the orange fizz. It's a budget-friendly nonalcoholic drink recipe for a crowd made with frozen orange juice concentrate and ginger ale. Adding orange garnishes hides the fact that it's an effortless drink.
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Copycat Caramel Frappuccino

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Skip the coffee shop run and make caramel Frappuccinos at home! It's easy to replicate this blended coffee drink using instant coffee, milk, and caramel syrup. Taking a tip from baristas in the know, the addition of xanthan gum ensures a perfect consistency.

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Sweet Pepper Spritzer Mocktail

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For a light and savory zero-proof drink, go with the sweet pepper spritzer. Unusual to say the least, this recipe gives you the chance to taste freshly muddled sweet peppers mixed with fresh basil and lemon juice. Topped with ginger ale, it pairs wonderfully with an array of food, too.