43 Cocktails Perfect For Your Next Brunch
After all, brunch without booze is just...breakfast?
Is it even brunch if someone’s not drinking a bloody mary or mimosa? Without booze, it's really just breakfast. Make brunch a little more special with these delicious and easy-to-make cocktails—whether you like wine, beer, sparkling wine, tequila, or vodka, we've got something for you! These classic daytime drinks are light, refreshing, and will pair well with any brunch spread. Check out our list of 43 brunch cocktails for ideas on what to serve at yours.
We’ve got recipes for all the brunch classics as well as TONS of twists, too. Try our flamin’ hot bloody marys (yep, like the Cheetos!) or taco bloody marys, or our mimosa margaritas or cherry bomb mimosas. The spin-off options are truly endless.
Bored of the basics, and want something extra outstanding to go with your pancakes or waffles and scrambled, poached, or fried eggs? Try a vanilla peach bellini, a St. Germain spritz, or a michelada for a drink that’ll taste new and exciting and familiar.
Serving a crowd? We got you too. Try our wine cocktail recipes (red sangria or cold brew sangria), or one of our punches, like our lemon-lime berry brunch punch or pineapple peach Prosecco punch. They’ll go great alongside our favorite brunch bakes, like our french toast casserole or our cheesy croissant casserole.
Need a pick-me-up with your cocktail? Try our fluffy dalgona martini, espresso martini, or our vodka spiked Black Russian for a little caffeine with your booze. If you wanted to pair them with one of our coffee dessert recipes, we won’t judge. It’s brunch, after all—anything goes!
Want more brunch inspiration? Check out our favorite brunch breakfast recipes too.
Screwdriver Cocktail
If you asked people what is the first “cocktail” they’ve ever had, they’d probably say it was a screwdriver. It’s a stalwart of college parties and boozy brunches for its simplicity and accessibility. Love two-ingredient cocktails? Why not try out another fruity classic, like the Cape Codder. Or get a little fancy with a vodka tonic.
Get the Screwdriver Cocktail recipe.
Dill Pickle Bloody Marys
Get ready for a life-changing Bloody Mary hack: PICKLE JUICE ICE CUBES! 😵 Brunch will never be the same.
Get the Dill Pickle Bloody Marys recipe.
Lemonade Mimosas
Meet the ultimate spring and summer brunch drink—feel free to use either regular lemonade or pink strawberry lemonade to make these extra special.
Get the Lemonade Mimosas recipe.
Tom Collins
What’s not to love about a simple, classic cocktail like the Tom Collins? It’s basically a spiked and sparkling lemonade, served in a Collins glass, obviously, which immediately inducts it into the summer cocktail hall of fame.
Get the Tom Collins recipe.
Espresso Martini
This buzzy '90s throwback has surged in popularity the last few years, and we are all the happier (and more caffeinated) for it. We love it as a pre-game drink to keep us going all through the night.
Get the Espresso Martini recipe.
Classic Bloody Mary
A Bloody Mary always starts with a mix of tomato juice and vodka, but from there it can go anywhere. We love our classic with a bit of heat from hot sauce, horseradish, and black pepper. We also added pickle juice to ours, but feel free to skip!
Get the Classic Bloody Mary recipe.
Classic Mimosa
To bring that sweet and tangy flavor you can only find in fresh citrus, squeezing juice from fresh oranges is a must! To play off the sweet orange juice, we prefer a dry or semi-dry sparkling white wine. Since Champagne can be particularly pricey, a dry Prosecco or Cava will also do the trick.
Get the Classic Mimosa recipe.
Honey Deuce
Even if you don't play tennis, you're going to love this drink that's served at the US Open. Simply put, this cocktail is as delicious as it is simple: the raspberry liqueur, tart lemonade (homemade is best!), and cute honeydew melon balls will surely be a brunch-time winner.
Get the Honey Deuce recipe.
Red Sangria
Our classic version of sangria is light and bubbly with an addition of seltzer water and the perfect ratio of wine to brandy. It's also perfect all year round: Skip the summer berries and swap in fall fruits like pears and apples to keep enjoying this summer classic whenever the craving strikes.
Get the Red Sangria recipe.
Michelada
If you've never had a michelada, you're in for a treat. The addition of hot sauce and lime juice add a spicy/sour kick that takes your average light beer from good to great. Thanks to our secret ingredient (soy sauce!) there's also a hint of umami flavor that keeps you coming back for more.
Get the Michelada recipe.
Vanilla Peach Bellini
If you can get your hands on some good, ripe peaches, taste your puree before adding honey. Orange zest helps coax some sweetness from out-of-season peaches, but the drink will still be delicious without it. For a ginger variation, swap the vanilla for a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger.
Get the Vanilla-Peach Bellinis recipe.
St. Germain Spritz
If you're a fan of refreshing, low-alcohol drinks like the ever-popular Aperol Spritz, you're going to love this sweet and floral cocktail.
Get the St. Germain Spritz recipe.
Cold Brew Sangria
Drink this coffee black—the fruit, Cointreau and simple syrup sweeten things up, so you won't even miss milk or cream.
Get the Cold Brew Sangria recipe.
Prosecco Mint Julep
This festive sparkling drink is perfect for a low-key Easter cocktail hour. A sort of lightened-up mint julep, the addition of a dry sparkling wine provides a pleasant brightness and effervescence that plays well with the rich, caramelized tones of bourbon whiskey.
Get the Prosecco Mint Julep recipe.
Painkiller Cocktail
Created in the 1970s at the Soggy Dollar Bar in British Virgin Islands, the Painkiller lives up to its name, delivering plenty of booze in a frothy, nutmeg-dusted package. Looking for a way to use up the rest of that pineapple juice? Our dole whip mimosas are another favorite brunch staple.
Get the Painkiller Cocktail recipe.
Cherry Bomb Mimosa
Pineapple, maraschino cherry juice, and sparkling wine come together to make this tropical, grown-up take on a Shirley Temple.
Get the Cherry Bomb Mimosa recipe.
Black Russian Cocktail
You may have heard of the classic White Russian, a creamy coffee cocktail that gained popularity in the 1990s, but its predecessor the Black Russian delivers on simplicity and strong coffee flavor. This two-ingredient, spirit-forward cocktail combines vodka and coffee liqueur served over ice, making it a flavorful cocktail for any extra-caffeinated brunchers.
Get the Black Russian Cocktail recipe.
Brunch Punch
Sure, mimosas are great. But when you're hosting brunch for a big group, brunch punch is where it's at. With a full bottle of bubbly and plenty of vodka, it's just the thing to get the party going.
Get the Brunch Punch recipe.
Mimosa Margaritas
A classic bubbly mimosa + a sweet tart margarita—there might not be a more perfect brunch cocktail.
Get the Mimosa Margarita recipe.
Dalgona Martini
Dalgona, or whipped coffee, is now the coolest thing to top all of your drinks with. Try it on top of this simple Baileys martini for an instant trendy pick me up.
Get the Dalgona Martini recipe.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
