If you grew up loving red licorice, today’s Cocktail of the Day turns that familiar candy flavor into a fun adults-only drink.

The Red Licorice Cocktail is sweet, fruity, colorful, and unapologetically playful. With bright berry flavors, a splash of citrus, and a candy garnish, this is the kind of cocktail that immediately gets attention when you put it on the table.

It is especially fun during October. Its deep red color fits Halloween parties, horror movie nights, fall gatherings, and themed celebrations, but there is nothing stopping you from making it any time you are craving something sweet.

This isn’t a sophisticated cocktail pretending to be something it isn’t. It is supposed to be fun.

So grab some red licorice and let’s make today’s Cocktail of the Day: Red Licorice Cocktail.

What Is a Red Licorice Cocktail?

The Red Licorice Cocktail is a candy-inspired vodka drink designed to capture some of the sweet, fruity character people associate with red licorice candy.

Interestingly, what many Americans call “red licorice” usually isn’t traditional licorice at all. Red candy twists are typically fruit flavored rather than flavored with licorice root.

That makes fruit flavors the natural foundation for this cocktail.

Strawberry vodka provides the base, raspberry liqueur adds rich berry sweetness, cranberry juice gives the cocktail its beautiful red appearance, and lemon juice keeps all that sweetness from becoming overwhelming.

The result is somewhere between a fruity cocktail and your favorite childhood candy—except this version is definitely for adults.

Red Licorice Cocktail Recipe

Servings: 1 cocktail
Prep Time: About 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces strawberry vodka
• ¾ ounce raspberry liqueur
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce grenadine
• Ice
• Lemon-lime soda, to top
• Red licorice twist for garnish

Optional Candy Rim

• 1 tablespoon red sanding sugar
• A small amount of grenadine or simple syrup

How to Make the Red Licorice Cocktail

Start by preparing your glass.

If you want to give the drink an extra candy-inspired appearance, pour a little grenadine or simple syrup onto a small plate. Place red sanding sugar on another plate.

Lightly dip the rim of your glass into the syrup and then into the sugar.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

Add the strawberry vodka, raspberry liqueur, cranberry juice, fresh lemon juice, and grenadine.

Shake vigorously for approximately 10 to 15 seconds.

Fill your prepared glass with fresh ice and strain the cocktail over it.

Top with a small splash of lemon-lime soda.

Finally, add a red licorice twist as the garnish.

Your Red Licorice Cocktail is ready.

What Does It Taste Like?

As you might expect, this cocktail lands firmly on the sweeter side.

The strawberry vodka and raspberry liqueur create the candy-like berry foundation. Cranberry juice adds fruitiness and a little tartness, while grenadine deepens the sweetness and red color.

Fresh lemon juice is particularly important.

Without something acidic, combining flavored vodka, raspberry liqueur, grenadine, and soda could produce an overly sugary drink. Lemon provides enough tartness to help balance everything.

Then there is the lemon-lime soda.

Besides adding another touch of sweetness, the carbonation makes the cocktail lighter and more refreshing.

The overall flavor is:

Sweet. Fruity. Berry-forward. Slightly tart. Fizzy. Candy-inspired.

And that’s exactly what a Red Licorice Cocktail should be.

Why Strawberry Vodka Works

You could make this drink using regular vodka, but strawberry vodka reinforces the candy theme.

Red licorice candies commonly lean toward strawberry, cherry, raspberry, or mixed red-fruit flavors. Strawberry vodka therefore provides a great starting point without requiring complicated homemade ingredients.

If you don’t have strawberry vodka, regular vodka will work.

You can also experiment with raspberry or cherry vodka.

Each changes the flavor slightly while keeping the basic idea intact.

Don’t Skip the Raspberry Liqueur

Raspberry liqueur is where the cocktail begins developing a deeper candy-like berry character.

Strawberry alone can sometimes taste fairly light in a mixed drink. Adding raspberry gives it another layer.

It also works beautifully with cranberry.

If you’re making several cocktails for a party, however, remember that raspberry liqueur adds both sweetness and alcohol. It can be tempting to pour more because of its fruity flavor, but measuring your ingredients will give you a more balanced drink.

Adjusting the Sweetness

Not everyone likes candy-level sweetness in a cocktail.

Fortunately, this recipe is easy to adjust.

For a less sweet version, reduce the grenadine to ¼ ounce and use less lemon-lime soda. You can even substitute sparkling water for the soda.

If you love extremely sweet cocktails, add a little more grenadine or soda.

Just make small adjustments.

It is much easier to make a drink sweeter than it is to rescue one that has become overwhelmingly sugary.

The Red Licorice Garnish

The garnish might be my favorite part of this drink.

Instead of the traditional lime wheel, lemon twist, or cocktail cherry, we’re going straight for the candy aisle.

Add a red licorice twist directly to the glass.

You can leave it sticking above the rim or cut it into a smaller piece and place it across the top.

For a party, you could even place a few extra pieces of red licorice beside each drink.

It instantly tells your guests what inspired the cocktail.

Make It a Halloween Cocktail

October is a great time for this drink because the bright red color can easily be pushed in a spooky direction.

Use a black cocktail glass or dark serving tray and suddenly the playful candy cocktail looks much more sinister.

You can also drizzle a small amount of grenadine down the inside of the glass before adding the cocktail for a dramatic red effect.

Add red licorice pieces around the serving area and you’ve got an easy Halloween drink station.

You could even rename it for your party.

Bloody Licorice.

Red Twisted Nightmare.

Licorice Blood Punch.

The Red Rope.

The basic recipe stays the same while the presentation completely changes the personality of the drink.

Turn It Into a Party Pitcher

Having friends over?

You don’t have to spend the entire evening shaking individual cocktails.

For approximately eight servings, combine:

• 12 ounces strawberry vodka
• 6 ounces raspberry liqueur
• 16 ounces cranberry juice
• 4 ounces fresh lemon juice
• 4 ounces grenadine

Mix everything except the soda in a pitcher and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

When serving, pour the mixture into ice-filled glasses and top each drink individually with lemon-lime soda.

Add a red licorice garnish to every glass.

Keeping the soda separate until serving helps preserve the carbonation.

Frozen Red Licorice Cocktail

Here’s another way to have some fun with the recipe.

Turn it into a frozen cocktail.

Add the strawberry vodka, raspberry liqueur, cranberry juice, lemon juice, grenadine, and approximately 1½ cups of ice to a blender.

Blend until smooth.

You may need to adjust the amount of ice depending on how thick you want your drink.

Pour it into a chilled glass and garnish with red licorice.

The frozen version moves even further into adult-candy territory and would be especially good for a warm-weather party.

Make a Red Licorice Mocktail

You can also make an alcohol-free version so everyone can enjoy the theme.

Combine:

• 3 ounces cranberry juice
• 1 ounce strawberry juice or strawberry syrup
• ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
• ¼ ounce grenadine
• Lemon-lime soda
• Ice
• Red licorice for garnish

Shake the cranberry juice, strawberry flavoring, lemon juice, and grenadine with ice.

Pour into an ice-filled glass and top with lemon-lime soda.

Add your red licorice garnish.

You still get the bright red color and sweet berry-candy flavor without the alcohol.

What to Serve With It

Because the Red Licorice Cocktail is already sweet, I’d pair it with salty or savory foods rather than extremely sugary desserts.

Try it alongside:

• Pepperoni pizza
• BBQ chicken wings
• Mozzarella sticks
• Loaded nachos
• Bacon-wrapped appetizers
• Cheeseburger sliders
• Salty popcorn
• Pretzels
• Charcuterie
• Spicy chicken bites

That sweet-and-salty contrast works particularly well.

For a Halloween party, put out bowls of candy too. Guests can alternate between savory appetizers, candy, and cocktails throughout the evening.

A Cocktail That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

There is a time for an expertly stirred Manhattan.

There is a time for an Old Fashioned.

There is a time for expensive whiskey served neat.

And sometimes you just want to stick a piece of red licorice into a bright red cocktail.

That’s what makes experimenting with drinks so much fun.

Not every cocktail has to be sophisticated. Not every recipe needs ten specialty ingredients or a complicated technique.

Sometimes the entire point is making something that makes people smile.

The Red Licorice Cocktail accomplishes exactly that.

It is nostalgic without actually being a childhood drink. It takes something familiar from the candy aisle and uses it as inspiration for something completely different.

Tips for the Best Red Licorice Cocktail

The recipe is simple, but a few details can make it even better.

Use fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch, but fresh lemon provides a brighter flavor.

Chill your ingredients. Starting with cold cranberry juice and soda helps keep the finished cocktail colder without excessive dilution.

Measure the grenadine. Pouring directly from the bottle can quickly turn the cocktail overly sweet.

Don’t overdo the soda. You only need enough to provide some fizz and lighten the cocktail.

Add the garnish last. Red licorice can soften when it sits in liquid for too long, so add it immediately before serving.

Taste and adjust. Different brands of cranberry juice, flavored vodka, and raspberry liqueur vary in sweetness. Taste your drink before serving and add a little lemon juice if it needs more acidity.

Responsible Enjoyment

Candy-inspired cocktails can taste deceptively easy to drink because the alcohol is hidden behind fruit juice and sweetness.

The vodka and raspberry liqueur still make this an alcoholic cocktail, so enjoy it responsibly and measure your pours.

If you’re hosting a party, having the alcohol-free Red Licorice Mocktail available is also a great option for designated drivers and anyone who simply doesn’t want alcohol.

Cocktail of the Day: Red Licorice Cocktail

Today’s cocktail isn’t trying to reinvent mixology.

It’s trying to be fun.

The Red Licorice Cocktail combines strawberry vodka, raspberry liqueur, cranberry juice, lemon, grenadine, and a little lemon-lime soda to create a sweet red drink inspired by a classic candy favorite.

The red licorice garnish brings the entire idea together.

Make it for a Halloween party, movie night, get-together with friends, or simply because you want to experiment with something different.

Some cocktails are elegant.

Some cocktails are sophisticated.

And some cocktails are basically an excuse to put candy in your glass.

Today, we’re choosing the candy.

Would you try the Red Licorice Cocktail, or what candy would you turn into your own Cocktail of the Day?