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A Maui Island Breeze is a cocktail that will make you dream of Hawaii! It’s made with vodka, pineapple juice, and cranberry and is the perfect tropical summer drink recipe. If you love vodka drinks you’ll LOVE this recipe!
Plus, this Island Breeze Drink can be made as a single cocktail or a party punch for a crowd!
What is your favorite thing to do on a relaxing vacation? Sleep? Swim? Suntan?
My favorite thing to do on any vacation, especially a relaxing beach vacation, is to read. I can devour book after book while I sit on my lounge chair drinking cocktails. I read two whole books over the week we were in Hawaii. Mel and Jordan spent 8 hours IN the pool, I spent 8 hours next to it, parked in a lounge chair, reading books and drinking Island Breeze Cocktails.
Why can’t that kind of day be every day? #wishfulthinking
We’ll pretend that the sandblasting heat here in Sacramento is a trade wind off the coast of Maui…or something.
Table of Contents
What is an Island Breeze Cocktail?
An Island Breeze Cocktail is a fruity vodka drink made with pineapple and cranberry juice. It’s the perfect drink for one or to make as a party punch!
This cocktail was one of my favorites from vacation. I say “one of” because I had a lot. Too many! But I discovered something I didn’t know about myself: I love pineapple juice. Especially when it’s mixed with alcohol!
You’ll find this cocktail on the menu at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club where we stayed. If I’d have been smart while we were there I would have gone to the grocery store and bought a bottle of vodka and some juice and had cocktails for days. Instead I spent $10 a pop on this drink.
Dare I say it was worth it? It was.
Ingredients in the best vodka drink
This is a vodka cocktail mixed with pineapple juice and a splash of cranberry. It has the perfect amount of sweet and tart flavor. It goes down like juice, which can be a bad thing in the hot midday sun. Or a good thing, depending on how you look at it.
Garnish it with a cherry and pineapple wedge (or even a slice of lime) and you’ve got a gorgeous cocktail for any party (of one). Or, make this as a punch for a party. That’s what I’m planning to do at our next pool party – I’m going to mix vodka, pineapple juice, and cranberry with some diet soda to make a delicious punch.
(You could even leave out the vodka and let the adults add it themselves. The kids will love a Virgin Island Breeze!)
When you drink this cocktail I want you to think of warm weather, the beach, and a good book. That’s what I’ll be dreaming about!
Well that and how fast I can make myself another one of these babies. 🙂
How to make the best ever vodka drink, an Island Breeze Cocktail:
- I say 1-2 ounces vodka because it depends on how strong you want it. When in doubt add more vodka (or more juice).
- Make it sparkling by adding some soda water.
- When making a pitcher, taste test to make sure it’s not too strong or too weak for your guests.
- I’ve also seen this called a Tropical Bay Breeze, which is what my friend Holly calls it.
Other Vodka Drinks to try:
Have you made this recipe?
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Maui Island Breeze Cocktail
Ingredients
To make one cocktail:
- 1-2 ounces vodka
- 6 ounces pineapple juice
- Splash of cranberry juice
- Pineapple and a maraschino cherry for garnish optional
To make as a punch:
- 36 ounces pineapple juice
- 12 ounces vodka more or less depending on how strong you want it
- ½ cup cranberry juice
- Up to 1L Sparkling water or diet lemon-lime soda as a filler
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients over ice, stir, and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
Click here to see more DRINK recipes! And if you love fruity drinks with vodka, be sure to check out Erin’s Vodka Cranberry with Lime or Karyn’s Raspberry Lemon Infused Vodka!
An Island Breeze is the best vodka drink with a twist of Hawaii and the beach: vodka, pineapple and cranberry juice. Make this cocktail for one or for a crowd as a vodka party punch.
I’m a part-time bartender, and this is a fun riff of the super popular Malibu baybreeze. It’s easily one of the tastiest fruity drinks to make. Since I hardly have Malibu on hand at home, this vodka version could definitely be my go-to for those poolside days!
How fun! I love just kicking back and relaxing over the summer 🙂
Gah – now I want to go to Maui! Time to start planning my next vacay! 🙂
I have really needed some new suggestions because I am finished with my reading list for the summer already! I actually just started The Help for like the third time because I didn’t know what else to read! And I am so with you on the pool sitting-reading on vacation! Especially with a cocktail like this!
This looks so good, and I bet it would be delicious with rum too. We just got back from vacation and I’ve been fantasizing about a pineapple-y rum drink I had by the beach.
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