Like many of you, I love a good cocktail. However, we think of them as “party“ drinks for special occasions, so we rarely have them. And let’s not forget the calories… I would rather use my allowance of calories on cheeses or cream sauces.

On occasion, I have mentioned my blogger friend Valentina from Cooking on the Weekends. She often posts recipes that call for passion fruit. I have wanted to make several of those recipes, and told her so in my comments, adding that finding passion fruits in Tucson is impossible.

The other day, a mysterious package arrived from California. Valentina had sent me a box with seven perfectly ugly passion fruits! (They are pretty ugly when they are ripe…). Per Valentina’s instructions, I immediately juiced them, and strained the pulp to get 1/3 of a cup of passionfruit juice.

It was just enough to make two Maracuya Sours (maracuya is Spanish for passion fruit), which I had sipped on several occasions when staying at Explora Rapa Nui (Easter Island) four years ago. The bartender, Tersa, shared her recipe with me and now I am sharing it with you, in the hope that you can find passion fruit in your grocery store.

~ David

37 Comments

  1. Kate Maguire Jensen

    January 28, 2023 at 6:45 am

    I became obsessed with passion fruit when I discovered them in Sydney. Some times of the year you can find them at Sprouts.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:30 am

      Kate —mIf you ever see them again at Sprouts, please let me know! I once saw them at AJs, but it was many, many years ago.

      Reply
  2. Mad Dog

    January 28, 2023 at 7:33 am

    That looks delicious and so kind of Valentina!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:29 am

      It really was so kind, and so unexpected! It’s a great cocktail, Mad Dog. I imagine you can get passionfruit easily where you are?

      Reply
  3. Chef Mimi

    January 28, 2023 at 7:41 am

    Wow! what a wonderful surprise. Hey Valentina! I’d like to try passion fruit too! Great sounding drink. It would be perfect to start off a spring or summer party.

    Reply
  4. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    January 28, 2023 at 8:41 am

    How nice of Valentina to share the passion fruit. Equally nice is you sharing your recipe from another part of the world.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:28 am

      Thanks, Karen! I do love sharing things with blog friends around the world — this one was such a nice surprise.

      Reply
  5. Jeff

    January 28, 2023 at 10:25 am

    Looks amazing. We’re off today to buy the ingredients. Hopefully we’ll be sipping tomorrow. We’re thinking of traveling to Easter Island this fall.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:27 am

      Were you able to find fresh passion, fruit, Jeff? Let me know if you did! I have found a sweetened passion fruit cocktail purée in Total Wine, and it works pretty well. But you need to leave out the sugar.

      Reply
  6. Fran @ G'day Souffle

    January 28, 2023 at 1:54 pm

    Those passion fruit don’t look quite so ugly when they’re photographed on that lovely tapestry fabric! I usually see passion fruit sold in supermarkets in both Australia and San Diego but they’re not my favorite due to all those seeds. However, I note your recipe uses strained passion fruit so I might give this one a try. My favorite cocktail now is ‘Tequila Sunrise’, using tequila, orange juice and grenadine. It goes down really easily, but as you say, you gotta watch those calories!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:26 am

      Fran – even when I was in South America, I didn’t enjoy the passion fruit seeds in my drinks. I very much prefer them strained out… I haven’t had a tequila. Sunrise since 1977! They were very big when I was in college and I was a bartender. I’ve had plenty for my lifetime…

      Reply
  7. Eha

    January 28, 2023 at 2:52 pm

    How lovely of Valentina to send the passionfruit . . . since she did – are they not so common in Arizona? We have them in huge piles in every supermarket . . . at the same time, we have to search for your other ingredients – geography again 🙂 ! As you may remember I am not big on cocktails – somehow to most of us they are ‘an American thuing’ . . . I do eat lots of the fruit, seeds and all, usually over the kitchen sink or piled high over a pavlova with strawberries . . . . beautiful photos!

    Reply
    • Eha

      January 28, 2023 at 5:57 pm

      I love posts which teach! Have taken some time this morning to look up ‘passionfruit’ and ‘fruits in Australia’ and am so grateful to you and Valentina in teaching me that a fruit so commonplace here perhaps was not quite so in other parts of the world . , ,

      Reply
      • Cocoa & Lavender

        January 31, 2023 at 9:24 am

        I have to say that it’s especially rare in Tucson, as we have such a dry climate. Passion fruit does enjoy the humidity offered by Los Angeles.

        Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:24 am

      It is funny how each country or region has its own specialties. Well, you are munching on burgers with beet root, we are sipping on our cocktails north of the equator!

      Reply
      • Eha

        January 31, 2023 at 3:19 pm

        To me learning of differences such as this is probably one of the most fascinating features of blogging! In this case remember 80% of the population lives within a 2-hour drive of the coastline and most of that is warm>hot and too humid for comfort . . . ‘Cocktails’ is a big-city term in international hotels and certain ‘flashy’ suburbs – we do have mixed drinks naturally, but they are called just that !

        Reply
  8. sherry

    January 29, 2023 at 1:50 am

    how kind of her! that’s funny to see this recipe here as a friend has just given me half a dozen passionfruit from her vine. She says it drops about 20 per day!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:23 am

      How lucky is your friend? I have so many passion fruit recipes that I want to try, that I wish I live next-door to your friend.

      Reply
  9. Jeff the Chef

    January 29, 2023 at 8:37 am

    Nice! And what a nice gift!

    Reply
  10. wattoote

    January 29, 2023 at 11:35 am

    wonderfull I would love this cocktail

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:22 am

      It’s really refreshing and quite wonderful! I’m glad you like the post.

      Reply
  11. Christina Conte

    January 29, 2023 at 10:26 pm

    Oh my goodness, what a star Valentina is! We’ve been messaging all weekend about lupini, so it was funny to see you mention her here, too!

    I LOVE passion fruit and don’t buy them nearly enough! I actually has Pisco, so its time to get some passion fruit to make this delicious cocktail! YUM!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:21 am

      Oh, Cristina, if you already have the Pisco, you really need to make these! You won’t regret it. And, yes, Valentina a rockstar!

      Reply
  12. Pauline McNee

    January 29, 2023 at 11:19 pm

    How lovely to receive a special foodie gift in the mail. There is no shortage of passionfruit here, wish I could send you some too, wouldn’t get through customs though. I love them, but not the seeds. We drank quite a few Pisco Sours in South America, Chile and Peru, which were very nice. We don’t make many cocktails either, but I would love to try your recipe David, so Summery. Cheers.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:21 am

      Mark and I aren’t really cocktail people, either. But every once in a while, a special evening comes around and this is my new cocktail of choice! I hope you get to try them sometime, Pauline. Pisco sours were very popular on Easter Island, as well. But once I had the Maracuya sour, I fell in love.

      Reply
  13. Valentina

    January 30, 2023 at 10:43 am

    Hi David! The fruit looks so pretty on that embroidered fabric – you made the ugly pretty! 😉 So happy you could use them in this delicious sounding cocktail, which I will definitely be trying it very soon. ~Valentina

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:19 am

      I know you will like this cocktail, Valentina, is it really showcases the passion fruit beautifully. Thank you again for such a lovely gift, and I’m glad you like the photographs!

      Reply
  14. Ronit

    January 30, 2023 at 9:09 pm

    This is such a nice gift! Passion fruit are so delicious and aromatic, so this much be very delicious. 🙂

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      January 31, 2023 at 9:17 am

      It was truly kind, and I’m very grateful to Valentina! I love the fragrance of passion fruit.

      Reply
  15. Inger

    February 2, 2023 at 6:16 am

    Positively decadent with all that passionfruit. The color is amazing! My Florida vacation spot (Captiva) where for the past 4 years (less the pandemic) we got our fix, was sadly devastated, so no tropical experiments for me this year.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 6, 2023 at 8:17 am

      And, by some miracle, one of the vendors at the farmers market had passion fruits yesterday. His price was high but I did but some…

      Reply
  16. 2pots2cook

    February 9, 2023 at 5:08 am

    How nice to have such a people around, right? Bravo for Valentina and for your cocktail!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      February 12, 2023 at 11:59 am

      Thanks, Davorka. I’m very lucky to have so many wonderful blog friends in the world.

      Reply
  17. Raymund

    February 13, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    Sounds delicious! The passion fruit adds a unique twist to the classic sour and it’s great to hear about the personal story behind the recipe. I love when drinks have a special meaning. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe soon.

    Reply
  18. Recipe for Cremoso de Mote – Cocoa & Lavender

    August 5, 2023 at 8:40 am

    […] incredible Tarta de Maracuyá (passion fruit tart), which we all loved. And let’s not forget the Maracuyá Sour […]

    Reply

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