Name: Bay Breeze
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 3 fl oz Cranberry Juice; 1.5 fl oz Vodka; 1.5 fl oz Pineapple Juice; 1 Lime Wheel

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Cocktail History

The Bay Breeze is a modern cocktail that was most likely created in the 1980s by Ocean Spray and the Cranberry Growers Association during a push to sell more cranberries in the United States. The recipe is made with just three ingredients—cranberry juice, vodka, and pineapple juice—all of which are mixed right in the glass, making the drink extremely easy and palatable to the masses.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Cranberry Juice: This is the liquid extracted from ripe cranberries that’s blended with water to develop a dark, tart flavor.

Vodka: This is a spirit made with fermented grains or potatoes and water, which are distilled and then filtered to develop a clean, neutral flavor.

Pineapple Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe pineapples that has a sweet, tangy tropical flavor and bright yellow color.

Lime Wheel: This is a lime slice that has been cut into a circular shape.

Brands I Used

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Bar Mat: This is a rubber or silicone mat that’s placed on the bar surface and used for catching spills, providing grip for glasses and tools, and keeping the workspace clean and organized.

Jigger: This is a small double-sided tool with different volume measurements on each side that’s used for accurately portioning ingredients.

Cutting Board: This is a flat, durable kitchen surface made from materials like wood or plastic that’s used for slicing ingredients and preparing garnishes.

Chef’s Knife: This is a large kitchen knife with a broad, sharp blade that’s used for chopping and slicing ingredients.

Pineapple Corer: This is a kitchen tool with a circular cutting blade that’s used for coring and slicing pineapples into rings or chunks.

Big Mouth Juicer: This is a kitchen appliance with a wide, bowl-shaped reamer and deep reservoir that’s used for efficiently extracting juice from large fruits.

Measuring Cup: This is a kitchen tool with a handled cup and marked volume measurements that’s used for accurately measuring and pouring liquid ingredients.

Bar Spoon: This is a long-handled spoon with a twisted shaft that’s used for stirring cocktails, layering ingredients, and reaching the bottom of tall glasses and mixing vessels.

Paring Knife: This is a small kitchen knife with a narrow, sharp blade that’s used for peeling fruit and trimming garnishes.

Highball Glass: This is a tall, slim glass that’s used for serving mixed drinks made with a larger proportion of non-alcoholic mixers.

Tools I Used

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Bright magenta pink color

• Aroma: Bright pineapple

• Taste: Straightforward sweet pineapple flavor mixed with slightly tart cranberry

• Finish: Alcohol burn mixed with bitter cranberry

Kendall’s Take: “As far as easy cocktails go, this one couldn’t be simpler given that it’s made with vodka and a couple of fruit juices. I’ll be honest, I expected a lot more from the Bay Breeze. It’s one of the most frequently searched cocktails on the web, after all, but it just didn’t do much for me. I like to be wowed by my drinks these days and crave at least a bit of contemplation as I sip. Maybe if I’d started out with it like so many people do, I’d be more fond of it, but there are droves of beachy recipes that are ten times better than this one. It would be extremely palatable for a group at a summer get-together though, so don’t write it off based on my word alone.”