Get ready for summer with a refreshing Shark Bite drink in hand! This delicious cocktail or mocktail gets its name because drops of grenadine look like blood in the greenish-blue water. Those delicious gummy sharks add to the fun, too! Whether you're hosting a Shark Week watch party or just looking to add some bite to your summer pool parties, this drink will easily make a splash.
This drink is inspired by the Ocean Attack cocktail at Chez Alcatraz bar in Universal Studios Florida. It's a blue cocktail made with rum and blue curacao, very refreshing in the Florida sun. I have fond memories of being absolutely terrorized by my dad trying to feed 6 year old me to Bruce, the Jaws shark that's hanging in front of the bar.
If you're an Internet Auntie of our dear Grey, then you may know all about his love of all things space, dino, and ocean. Especially sharks.
Every year, he obsesses over Shark Week and we spend that July between the Discovery channel and the Smithsonian Zoo and National Aquarium. I think next year we'll take a mini road trip to the coast to visit the beach and some marine museums for Shark Week, just to shake things up.
While we have learned that most sharks are actually pretty gentle creatures despite the old Jaws marketing, we bust out our version of the Ocean Attack -- the non-alcoholic Shark Bite for a bit of fun in the summer and sometimes for Halloween as well. I mean, the appearance of blood in your glass is definitely giving spooky season, amiright?!
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There's Blood in the Water!
Okay it's really a splash of grenadine, but you get it.
This drink is such a fun and easy summer recipe, it's got a big citrus punch from the lime juice, the pineapple, and the non-alcoholic blue curacao syrup, topped with sweet and bubbly lemon lime soda. Cannot get any simpler and littles love the gummy sharks, who doesn't?
I have instructions for by the glass and a pitcherful for those summertime parties! This is such an easy drink to make for the kiddos and a really fun cocktail for guests at your next summer shindig, honey.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Blue Curacao - this is a liqueur made from laraha orange peels and herbs, with a strong citrus flavor. You can use the alcoholic liqueur version for the cocktail and the syrup version for the mocktail.
- Pineapple Juice - not only for great flavor, this gives our drink that blue-green ocean effect that's just so gorgeous.
- Lime Juice
- Lemon Lime Soda - you can also use ginger beer or club soda, I have used all three. The Sprite is the classic but that ginger beer? My favorite!
- Grenadine - this is a non-alcoholic pomegranate syrup that'll make the 'blood' effect in our glass.
- Coconut or Spiced Rum for cocktails only - the one at Chez Alcatraz uses coconut rum!
How to Make a Shark Bite Cocktail or Mocktail
Step 1 | Pour the blue curacao, lime juice, and pineapple juice together in a mixing glass or pitcher with ice and mix well. If you're making the cocktail, add your rum here.
Step 2 | Prep your big ol' round wine glass as an 'ocean of sharks'. Make a layer of crushed ice, then place a couple of sharks 'swimming' on top, then repeat with more crushed ice and sharks most of the way up, ending with a garnish of gummy sharks.
Step 3 | Strain the drink into the prepared glass, then fill to the top with soda. I like adding a little extra splash of blue curacao on top to make the top a little extra blue.
Step 4 | Serve with a little vial or use a little dropper of grenadine to make a terrifying shark attack visual. Just note, the grenadine will pool at the bottom of the glass after a while.
Serve a Big Batch of Shark Bite
When you've got a party to share with, this makes a standard 60 ounce pitcher!
***For the Cocktail***
20 oz Coconut Rum
10 oz Blue Curacao
30 oz Pineapple Juice
3 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Grenadine
Sprite (to top off, 10-15 oz depending on your taste)
***For the Mocktail***
10 oz Non-Alcoholic Blue Curacao
30 oz Pineapple Juice
3 oz Lime Juice
2 oz Grenadine
15 oz Sprite (or to taste, adjust based on your preference for sweetness)
Variations and Pro Tips
- Make lemonade ice cubes and add some of the gummy sharks to them. That way you don't dilute your drink and your sharks are right in there!
- Add in coconut syrup to your mocktail to mimic the flavor of the coconut rum.
- Don't have pineapple juice? Try sweet and sour mix, lemonade, or passionfruit juice (I really like the passionfruit juice sub, y'all).
- Don't have grenadine? Use maraschino cherry juice or even strawberry syrup (I have used the one you stir into milk that you buy at the store with the chocolate syrup, you know?).
Storage Instructions
If you're making the big batch ahead of time, you can make it two days in a pitcher with a lid. Keep it in the fridge until you need to serve. Just keep the grenadine out, it's for serving.
Equipment
- A big ol' Olivia Pope-esque round red wine glass - you can use a double rocks glass, or a highball glass -- you could use any large glass you like. But I love the big sphere wine glasses. It looks like a fish bowl, I just couldn't help myself!
- A Cocktail Mixer Glass or Cocktail Shaker - I like mixing it myself but I know it's shaken at bars.
More Summertime Drinks to Try
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Shark Bite Drink Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounce blue curacao, the liqueur for the cocktail or non-alcoholic syrup for mocktail
- 3 ounces pineapple juice
- 1 ounce lime juice, fresh preferred
- 2 ounces coconut rum, for cocktails only
- crushed ice, for serving
- gummy sharks, for garnish
- ½ teaspoon grenadine, for serving
- 4 ounces lemon lime soda, or club soda or ginger beer
Instructions
- In a mixing glass or pitcher, combine the blue curacao, lime juice, pineapple juice, and ice. If making the cocktail version, add the coconut rum. Mix well.2 ounce blue curacao, 3 ounces pineapple juice, 1 ounce lime juice, 2 ounces coconut rum
- Take your glass and create an "ocean of sharks" by adding a layer of crushed ice, placing a couple of gummy sharks on top, and then repeating the layers with more crushed ice and gummy sharks until the glass is filled, finishing with a garnish of gummy sharks on top.gummy sharks, crushed ice
- Strain the mixed drink into the prepared glass, filling it to the top with soda. For a vibrant look, add a splash of blue curacao on top.4 ounces lemon lime soda
- Present your shark bite drink with a small vial or dropper of grenadine for a "shark attack" effect. The grenadine will sink and pool at the bottom over time.½ teaspoon grenadine
Recipe Notes
Variations and Pro Tips
- Make lemonade ice cubes and add some of the gummy sharks to them. That way you don't dilute your drink and your sharks are right in there!
- Add in coconut syrup to your mocktail to mimic the flavor of the coconut rum.
- Don't have pineapple juice? Try sweet and sour mix, lemonade, or passionfruit juice (I really like the passionfruit juice sub, y'all).
- Don't have grenadine? Use maraschino cherry juice or even strawberry syrup (I have used the one you stir into milk that you buy at the store with the chocolate syrup, you know?).
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