Fresh Vs Frozen Passion Fruit: Which Is Better For Cocktails?

Fruit-based cocktails are known for being colorful, refreshing, and full of flavor. Whether you've been jonesing for creative margarita flavors that aren't lime or simply want a new flavor to pair with all your favorite spirits, passion fruit has a tart, tropical taste with distinct floral notes and hints of vanilla that can't be matched. Given the fact you can use either fresh or frozen passion fruit to make a variety of tasty drinks, which option is more resourceful?

In the world of cocktail-making, the most common applications include using raw passion fruit pulp directly or transforming the flesh into an easy-to-use syrup. To achieve the highest level of consistency, though, you may want to use frozen passion fruit over fresh: Nothing beats the taste of a perfectly fresh and ripe passion fruit, but these tropical fruits aren't always readily available in the produce section of conventional grocery stores. Your best bet is venturing to Asian markets or large supermarkets with designated sections of tropical produce. 

Still, you can't see the flesh of fresh passion fruit at the time of purchase and the underlying flavor and texture of raw passion fruit may vary; factors such as harvesting practices, storage, and ripeness all play a role in the flavor of this fruit. Therefore, forgo strategically scooping out the inner seeds for your next martini and streamline the entire process by using frozen passion fruit without compromising on taste.

While you might think frozen passion fruit may not taste as bright and flavorful as raw, there's actually a fresh secret behind frozen foods: Produce such as passion fruit is often processed at its prime in order to retain its tart and refreshing flavor. Not to mention, you have a few different options when it comes to purchasing frozen passion fruit.

If you're making cocktails such as blended passion fruit daiquiris or fruity margaritas that require passion fruit pulp, purchase frozen seedless purée. Brands such as Pitaya Foods are sold in major retailers — including Sprouts Farmers Market and Walmart – and come in small individual cubes. You can also use this frozen purée to make a simple syrup for martinis, mojitos, and tropical drinks over ice with rum and citrus juices such as lemon or lime. 

On the other hand, if you want to use chunks of frozen passion fruit with the seeds included, check the freezer section of select international markets. Frozen seeded passion fruit is especially beneficial for popular vodka cocktails to sip such as the Caipiroska, which is made with raw passion fruit, lime, and simple syrup; simply allow the passion fruit to thaw and use accordingly. While fresh passion fruit is a delicious ingredient worth using, when you want the added benefits of convenience and reliability, frozen purée is an excellent alternative.