Bay Breeze Drink - Refreshing Classic Cocktail Recipe

The Bay Breeze is an easy drink to make. This classic cocktail is comprised of just three ingredients: vodka, pineapple juice and cranberry juice.

It is a great cocktail recipe for any home bartender to have up their sleeve, especially since you only have to have one liquor on hand, plus cranberry and pineapple juices. It is also a nice choice for those who love tropical drinks, but aren't a fan of the taste of rum.

Bay Breeze Drink

This refreshing cocktail is considered a spin-off of the Cape Codder, despite not only adding pineapple to the drink, but varying greatly on ratios. It is one of many juice based vodka cocktails, and has itself led numerous new cocktail creations, such as the Summer Breeze Cocktail and  Madras drink, both of which I feature here on the blog.

The Bay Breeze is also known as a Downeaster or a Hawaiian Sea Breeze.

What ingredients are in a Bay Breeze?

There is a lot of variation between bar manuals in the ratios used in the baybreeze cocktail recipe. The three ingredients are always the same though.

According to the International Bartenders Association (IBA) the Bay Breeze is made up of:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 6 ounces cranberry juice
• 1 ½ ounces pineapple juice

I personally prefer to make mine more pineapple  heavy, which is popular among many modern bartenders as well.

• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• 4 ounces pineapple juice

Notice the deeper red color of the top example, which has a larger ratio of cranberry juice.

Garnish with pineapple with or without maraschino cherry. Add a paper umbrella if you like 🙂

How do you make a Bay Breeze?

Here is a quick visual guide to how I make a Bay Breeze cocktail. Printable recipe card can be found below.

Start with a highball glass filled with ice. Tulip or other decorative glass are also great.

Pour vodka over ice.

I pour in the cranberry juice next.

Then top off with pineapple juice and shake or stir.

Finally, add your garnish if you want one. Pineapple wedges with maraschino cherries are most commonly used.

What's the difference between a Bay Breeze and a Sea Breeze?

When comparing the bay breeze drink vs sea breeze the difference is really one juice.

The Bay Breeze cocktail features pineapple juice with vodka and cranberry, whereas the Sea Breeze has grapefruit juice rather than pineapple. Garnish with pineapple slices and a wedge of lime.

Malibu Bay Breeze

The malibu bay breeze cocktail is made just as above, except swapping the vodka for Malibu rum. The tasty flavor of coconut rum gives the refreshing bay breeze cocktail an even more tropical taste! Perfect for summer!

Some like to add a splash of lime juice to this version of the drink.

More Fun Classic Summer Cocktails

More fabulous poolside drinks you may like.

• Salty Dog Drink
• Shark Bite Drink
• Tequila Sunrise Punch
• Blue Lagoon Cocktail

In the mood for a shot? Try my Buttery Nipple or Duck Fart Shots.