This fruity mocktail is made with four ingredients and it's quick, easy and refreshing. If you love a summery pink drink as much as I do, this might just become your new favorite mocktail.
Why I use dragon fruit
This recipe uses a dragon fruit syrup to add vibrant color and a hint of melon-like flavor (that goes so well with strawberry). But don't worry, it's not complicated. The syrup is quick and easy and uses frozen dragon fruit that's readily available in your grocer's freezer section. I've also included tips below for substituting with a pre-made dragon fruit syrup like this one from Monin.
If you're not familiar, dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that comes from a cactus. It's native to Central America but is now grown in many tropical areas around the world. The fruit is very unique looking, with a spiky skin that is bright pink, yellow, or red.
The flesh of the fruit is similar in texture to watermelon, but with loads of tiny black seeds. Dragon fruit's flavor is quite mild and reminiscent of kiwi and melon. In my opinion, the red or pink-fleshed fruits are much sweeter and more flavorful than the more common white-fleshed fruits.
Ingredients you'll need
This recipe uses strawberries, homemade dragon fruit syrup, fresh lime juice, and Mexican Sprite soda. I'll explain more about each ingredient below as well as how to make substitutions.
Strawberries
You'll need just one strawberry per drink. Choose a fat, juicy berry (or two small, ripe berries). Prep the strawberry by removing its top and then cutting the fruit in half. We'll be muddling it, so smaller pieces will make that process quicker.
Lime juice
Always use fresh lime juice! It's critical for the best flavor in your finished drink and to avoid the acrid, almost bitter flavor that bottled citrus juices can have. An elbow-style citrus squeezer will make squeezing your own lime juice a breeze.
Dragon fruit syrup
I've used dragon fruit syrup in a ton of drinks over the years, and you can more about it and how to use it in my Dragon Fruit Simple Syrup Recipe. For this mocktail, we'll only need a half ounce of dragon fruit syrup, so you can make a very small batch, if you prefer, following the instructions below.
If you aren't able to make this syrup or if you happen to already have a dragon fruit syrup like the popular one from Monin, you can use that instead. In my experience, Monin's syrups are quite sweet, more so than a basic simple syrup. Because of this, I would recommend starting with half the amount of dragon fruit syrup this recipe calls for, and then adjusting to taste. Using a full half ounce may make your mocktail too sweet.
Mexican Sprite
I used Mexican Sprite for this recipe because it contains pure cane sugar, rather than corn syrup, and is bottled in glass. In my opinion, Mexican Sprite and Coca-Cola just taste better, but you be the judge! You can absolutely substitute with regular Sprite or any similar lemon-lime soda.
For the best color in your finished mocktail, make sure that your lemon-lime soda is clear, or a very pale color. Whole Foods has a nice Italian lemon-lime soda if you'd prefer a more natural soda option.
How to make the dragon fruit syrup
There are a few ways to make a syrup with dragon fruit, but this method is my favorite because its quick and convenient. I use frozen dragon fruit packets from Pitaya Foods, so I can buy a bag of them and have them on hand when I need them. I've found these at Shaw's, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Walmart, and Whole Foods.
There's nothing worse than wanting to make a recipe right now and having to go to the store to buy a missing ingredient. Or worse, the store being out of that ingredient! With fresh dragon fruit, it's kind of a gamble whether or not it will be available in store (at least where I live).
In my Dragon Fruit Simple Syrup recipe, I use one full packet (roughly a half cup of frozen dragon fruit) with one cup of sugar and one cup of hot water. If you want to make a smaller batch, you could use half of a packet with a half cup of sugar and a half cup of hot water.
In a mason jar or other heat proof container, add your frozen dragon fruit and sugar, then pour the hot water over and stir. It will take a minute or two for the dragon fruit to thaw and the sugar to dissolve. If you thaw your fruit in advance, this step will be even quicker.
Once the mixture is fully incorporated and the sugar has dissolved, strain out the seeds and any dragon fruit solids using a fine mesh strainer. Store your syrup in a sealable glass bottle or jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
This syrup is also used in my Dragon Fruit Cucumber Limeade and my viral Barbie Margarita.
How to make the mocktail
For this drink, you'll need a few bar tools. Learn all about these bar tools (and what to use at home if you don't have one!) in my Essential Bar Tools for the Home Bartender.
- Cocktail shaker
- Muddler
- Jigger
- Citrus squeezer or reamer
- Fine mesh strainer
To make the mocktail, remove the top of your strawberry and cut the berry in half. Add the strawberry and the dragon fruit syrup to your cocktail shaker and muddle thoroughly.
Next, add the lime juice and one ounce of water*, then fill the shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then fine strain the liquid into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with chilled Sprite and garnish with a strawberry.
*Adding a splash of water helps to combine all the ingredients when shaking with ice. Without it, there will be very little liquid in the shaker and it may be difficult to strain. You can replace the water with one ounce of another (non-carbonated, unsweetened) liquid like a non-alcoholic spirit or even iced tea. Seedlip, Ritual, and Lyre's are a few well-loved brands of non-alcoholic spirits.
You may also enjoy these other delicious mocktails:
Strawberry Dragon Fruit Mocktail
Ingredients
For the mocktail:
- 1 large, ripe strawberry
- ½ oz dragon fruit simple syrup
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 oz water or non-alcoholic spirit such as Seedlip
- 4-6 oz Sprite
For the dragon fruit simple syrup:
- 1 packet Pitaya Foods frozen pink dragon fruit or about a half cup fresh or frozen pink dragon fruit
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup hot water
Instructions
For the mocktail:
- Remove the top of the strawberry and cut the berry in half.
- Add the strawberry and the syrup to a cocktail shaker and muddle thoroughly.
- Next, pour the lime juice and water into the shaker and fill it three quarters with ice.
- Shake until chilled, then fine strain the liquid into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a strawberry, if desired.
For the dragon fruit simple syrup:
- Combine the dragon fruit and sugar in a mason jar or another heatproof container.
- Pour the hot water into the jar and stir. Continue stirring the mixture until the fruit has broken down and all of the sugar has dissolved, about 2-3 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and store in a covered glass jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- 1 strawberry muddled
- ½ oz dragonfruit syrup
- 1 oz lime juice
- Top with Mexican sprite (ok, any sprite)