Rainbow Rush

Meet 'The Rainbow Rush,' a layered spectacle of flavors as colorful as your collective love stories. It’s not just a drink; it’s a rocketship. Between the alcohol and sugar, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear the whole time you’re drinking. A perfect drink to serve at Pride parties, but be careful you don’t overserve or you’ll have a gorgeous headache hangover in the morning.

BE V CAREFUL BECAUSE THESE PACK A PUNCH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED <3

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz Gay Water Peach
  • 1 oz coconut rum
  • 1 oz blue curaçao
  • 2 oz pineapple juice
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • Grenadine (for layering effect)
  • Club soda (for a bit of fizz)
  • Garnish: Pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, and a rainbow cocktail stirrer

Instructions:

  1. Layer the Grenadine: Pour a splash of grenadine into the bottom of your glass to create the first layer (the red).
  2. Mix the Cocktail: In a cocktail shaker, add vodka, coconut rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, and ice. Shake well until chilled.
  3. Create the Layers: Gently pour the mixture over the back of a spoon into the glass to float on top of the grenadine (creating a yellow/orange effect).
  4. Add Blue Curaçao: Slowly pour blue curaçao in a thin stream over the back of a spoon to create the final blue layer.
  5. Top (lol) with Soda: Add a splash of club soda for some fizz and to blend the colors slightly for a rainbow gradient.
  6. Garnish: Add a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry to the rim. For a fun, queer twist, throw in a rainbow stirrer!

why it works

this one is pure theater. the layers work because of density: grenadine is the heaviest (it sinks), the juice-and-rum mix floats above it, and blue curaçao poured slowly over a spoon sits on top before it starts to blend. gay water peach in the mix keeps the middle layer from tasting like straight sugar.

make it for a crowd

layering doesn't scale to pitchers, so pre-batch the middle: shake or stir together the peach, coconut rum, pineapple and lime for however many drinks you need, keep it cold, then build each glass in about 20 seconds. it's a party trick, lean into it.

swaps

for a lighter version, swap the pineapple juice for gay water peach entirely and skip the grenadine for a splash of cranberry (still red, way less sugar). it's still a strong drink. pace yourselves.

gay water is 80 calories, 0 sugar and 4% abv per can, so most of the calories in any of these come from what you add. must be 21+. drink responsibly.