Enjoying a purple people eater cocktail is going to be very easy. The drink is what we would call one of those “dangerous” ones, in which we have to pace ourselves lest we stand up and fall over! The Purple People Eater drink is definitely one you will enjoy over and over again.
We find it typically at Halloween get togethers, but they are fun to drink and enjoy no matter what time of year it is. It’s a fun beverage that you can make with alcohol for adults or even with non-alcoholic ingredients for kids. It is attractive and colorful and will definitely make your guests smile when they get it. So, stick with us and learn about this drink…you’re going to want one!
Origins of the Purple People Eater
We do not know exactly where this drink came from. Like many drinks, the bartender probably was messing around with ingredients on a slow night and came up with this genius purple cocktail that is now a party favorite whether it is Halloween, a purple themed party, or a wedding in which purple is the color. It is so beautiful sitting in its glass, and it features salt on the rim.
What could be better?
The name “Purple People Eater” comes from the fun song written by Sheb Wooley. It was a worldwide hit and topped the charts in the USA, Australia, the UK and is still loved today at the Halloween time of the year.
The song definitely strikes you as something that would come about as the result of too many cocktails. It is about a strange alien creature that comes to earth in search of joining a rock n’ roll group. If you have never heard this song, go look it up on YouTube! It’s pretty crazy and will make you smile (or cringe).
What is A Purple People Eater?
This purple mixed drink is definitely something unique and fun. If you or your friends have a sweet tooth, this drink is sure to satisfy your needs. You just need the following ingredients in making your very own Purple People Eater drink. It is a vodka candy drink.
Start by getting together all the ingredients:
You will need a shaker for this.
- Blue curacao
- Sweet and Sour mix
- Grenadine
- Cranberry Juice
- Purple sugar
- Lemon
- And of course, VODKA
Start by rimming your glass. On one plate pour out the purple sugar and then use coconut creme to rim the glass or just use water. Using your shaker, pour in 1.5 oz of vodka and then 1 oz of blue curacao. Then add in 1 oz of sweet and sour mix. After that add in 1 oz of grenadine. Then add in 1 oz of cranberry juice.
Mix it up and give it a good shake and pour it all over ice. Then add the lemon wheel to the edge of the glass and serve with a funky straw if you really want to get creative.
Need Anything Special to Make A Purple People Eater?
Purple cocktails with blue curacao do not require any special equipment to make. It might be a little crazy trying to find all these amazing ingredients, but your local liquor store employees can help you out and get you turned in the right direction.
Assembling the Purple People Eater cocktail won’t be so difficult. You just need a drinking glass that can hold the liquid-so go for one of those 16 oz glasses to be safe. (We would hate to see any of this precious purple gold being spilled out of the top!)
We also recommend the use of a shaker when mixing up the ingredients. It just makes things easier and gets all the ingredients blended up pretty well.
The folks over on another website we reviewed did things a little differently. They poured the ingredients into the glass over the ice and stirred it all up. You could do this too, if you want. We just like the use of a shaker because it makes it easier. Plus, you can delight your friends when you pour it out and they watch that lovely purple liquid come out and enter the glass.
The big thing to remember is to get yourself a set of beautiful drinking glasses that you can take pride in and serve to everybody without having to worry about running out of space when making up these super cool drinks.
Are There Variations of the Purple People Eater?
There are a few variations of the Purple People Eater drink and a bunch of other purple alcoholic drinks with vodka. Some of these are just so crazy different from the original recipe it is almost like you are getting an entirely new drink altogether!
Every bartender will make their Purple People Eater a little differently than the others, because nothing is perfect across the board. One bartender might use a different brand of vodka, for instance, another might not use the purple sugar.
But this does not mean that all of them are delicious!
For example, some people do not care for cranberry juice. Therefore, they might use cran-grape or just grape juice. This might lend a too-sweet flavor to a drink that already tastes like a grown-up version of some very sweet Halloween candy.
Purple People Eater Recipe
So, we gave you the standard drink recipe for the Purple People Eater. But some purple people eater ingredients are just so different from the standard recipe that we have to share them with you!
This particular recipe we are about to share is a little more upscale, maybe this would be best if you are at a fancy party or even a tropical setting. This recipe is a great way to drink a lot of alcohol quickly and do it in a delicious way. (Ahh, reminds me of my college days).
This version brings together those nice sweet amaretto flavors and some actual fruit juices. This will really sneak up on you if you’re not careful! This is the drink that will make you fall off your barstool if you don’t pace yourself. It tastes just like candy and features six ounces of liquor-granted this is not the super strong stuff, but we don’t suggest you guzzle it like water!
Here is the recipe for this variant:
- 2 ounces of Chambord
- An ounce of blackberry brandy
- 1 oz cherry brandy
- 1 oz amaretto
- 1 oz vodka, we recommend Absolut Citron
- A splash of pineapple juice
- A splash of orange juice
- A splash of grapefruit juice
So, you are going to need a cocktail shaker for this particular recipe. Fill that cocktail shaker up halfway with some ice, and then pour in all your ingredients. Give it a good shake-shake it hard! And then pour that mixture into a nice tall glass that is filled with ice cubes.
As you can see, this particular recipe does not call for the rimmed glass with purple sugar, but we do not think your friends would guffaw at the drink if you did that.
And whatever you do, don’t forget the funky straws!
If it’s near Halloween, you can find some cool crazy straws or even ones that are printed with little bats or pumpkins at major retailers. And if you can’t find any, oh well. This drink is super tasty and fits no matter what time of the year it is. I mean come on, pineapple juice? Count me in!
Where Can I Find Purple People Eater Shots?
Purple people eater shots are absolutely a thing and we are so excited to share it with you. To start off this great recipe and get your friends and family tipsy as can be, get these ingredients together:
- 1 box of grape flavor gelatin dessert
- ½ cup of vodka
- ½ cup watermelon schnapps
Start by making the gelatin dessert. Dissolve one cup of the powder in boiling water. Then remove from the heat. Add in your vodka and the watermelon schnapps. Now pour the gelatin mixture into the individual plastic shot cups. Then comes the hard part-getting these things refrigerated until they are ready to drink.
Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part in our opinion!
We recommend you get those little plastic cups for these jello shots. If you’ve never had a jello shot and you don’t know what we are talking about, imagine those little plastic cups sauces come in at restaurants when you ask for a side of ketchup or barbecue sauce.
Plus, your guests can just throw them away and you don’t have to worry about cleanup. These things will make your whole party smile and they are super fun to make. Just don’t drink them all yourself while waiting for guests to come over, that won’t be very fun!
This will make about 15 shots. 1 small box of gelatin dessert gives you about 15 shots, and 2 boxes will give you about 30 shots. These will fit really well onto a baking sheet and this will make it super easy to transport them to the fridge where they can firm up.
If you are concerned about how much alcohol you need, just get yourself a fifth of vodka, a fifth of watermelon schnapps, and 6 boxes of jell. This will make 90 to 100 shots! Enough for everybody and then some!
Another think that you should remember is that you have to cover the shots before you chill them. This way they will not get hard and gummy. They keep for a month or so when you cover them. You simply need to use a layer of plastic wrap that you simply find at the grocery store.
And yes, you can use sugar free jello. So, get ready to have fun and get your friends feeling funky!
Other Purple Drinks
Purple People Eater has some crazy cousins that kind of related to it. Some of them are even music based.
Enter the Purple Haze. Again, if you have never heard this masterpiece by Jimi Hendrix, you better get your butt to YouTube and take a listen. The Purple Haze is fun and popular just like the Purple People Eater. It uses some of the same ingredients and is also one of those tasty dangerous drinks. It is not as sweet as the Purple People Eater but will still make you crave another the second you take the last sip.
It is much simpler than the Purple People Eater.
For instance, you need only three ingredients, and you do not need to sugar the rim. It requires a little bit of bartending science to get the color just right. This recipe uses Chambord, a raspberry liqueur, to get that deep purple just where we want it.
The liqueur will add a nice sweetness that brings out the fruitiness in full force. It is a variant of the good old classic vodka cranberry, something that everybody enjoys. If it becomes way too sweet for your tastes, just add a splash of soda or even some ginger ale to make it a little more palatable. You can even use seltzer water if that’s more your taste.
So, gather up these ingredients:
- 1 and a half ounces of vodka
- 5 ounces of black raspberry liqueur
- 2 ounces of cranberry juice
The Steps
- Start by getting all your ingredients together.
- Then pour the vodka and black raspberry liqueur into the cocktail shaker along with some ice and shake it up really well!
- Then strain it into a mason jar or other nice, tall glass with some fresh ice.
- Then top it off with some cranberry juice.
- You can add in some blackberries to serve as a nice garnish too.
There are some fun variations to this particular Purple Haze drink, also.
The Purple Haze Martini, for instance, uses 1 and a half ounces of vodka, 1 ounce of blue curacao, and a half ounce of grenadine in a cocktail shaker. Just shake it up and put it into a chilled cocktail vessel. You can even garnish it with a lime if you like. And this one is similar in ingredients to our Purple People eater drink!
There is also a lemonade Purple Haze that you can make. You just take 1 and ½ ounces of vodka and an ounce of Chambord into a highball glass that is filled with ice. Just top it off with equal parts of lemonade and some Sprite or other lemon lime soda drink, stir it up, and add a lemon wedge for good measure.
What We Think About Purple People Eater
For the heck of it, we mixed up some of these at a family BBQ to see what the general consensus would be. Yeah, it was not exactly Halloween, but I wanted to see what others would say.
I mixed them up into little clear cups and began setting them up onto the table. My family wandered over.
“Look at that condensation. So refreshing looking.”
“Why is it purple? What’s going on with this?” (My grandpa).
“Is that salt or sugar?”
I had some brave takers and they sipped on it. It was not long before they started coming back and asking for more as well as what went into the drink. My grandpa was the only one who did not care for it, but he has always been a gin and tonic kind of fellow.
Needless to say, the drink was a hit among my family and friends. One thing bothered me though, and that was the kids. They saw the cool purple color and wanted one but of course they cannot have it. So, I had to think fast, and this is my kid-friendly Purple People eater recipe for use at the next kid party you host:
Kid Friendly Purple People Eater Drink
- Grape Juice
- Lemon Lime Soda Drink
- Raspberry Sherbet
All you have to do to make this cool drink is combine grape juice and soda in a glass. Then top it off with a little bit of ice cream.
Put in a cool straw and enjoy!
I was not so happy about having to use the raspberry sherbet I bought but seeing my little cousins’ mope around and bother their parents about the purple drink made me feel bad. So, get ready to be the coolest mom, dad, aunt or uncle at the party.
Besides, who didn’t love pretending they were grown up with a Shirley Temple when they were kids?
Conclusion
The purple people eater drink is one that you are sure to love year after year. It does not have to be Halloween to enjoy it. This amazing purple people eater cocktail will make you the life of the party and it is full of stuff we all love to consume. Get that shaker and make your own purple people eater drink!
