Average
Sweet & Fruity
5 minutes
Cocktail Glass
Ingredients
Served in a martini glass and garnished with a skewered pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry, it’s a drink famously tied to 90s pop culture, when fruit martinis (aka fruitins) were the drink to drink. You could even say that the Flirtini is the ultimate fruitini.
Endlessly chic and delicious to sip, the Flirtini works anytime you want to add glamour to your party or event.
How to Make a Flirtini
Bar tools you’ll need
Fine Strainer
Jigger
Hawthorne Strainer
Boston Shaker
Blender
Knife
How to Mix
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Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
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Use a jigger (or other measuring instrument) to measure and pour pineapple juice into the shaker. See the FAQ section for step-by-step instructions on how to make pineapple juice.
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Use the jigger (or other measuring instrument) to measure and add triple sec, followed by Absolut Vodka.
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Seal the shaker and then shake vigorously until the shaker is frosty on the outside.
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Open the cocktail shaker, place a Hawthorne strainer over the shaker, and, in your other hand, hold a fine mesh strainer above a cocktail glass.
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Pour the cocktail through both strainers into the glass.
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Skewer a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry on a cocktail stick to garnish.
All about the Flirtini
The Flirtini is both a fruit martini and a champagne cocktail made by shaking vodka, triple sec, and pineapple juice in a cocktail shaker with ice, then fine strained into a cocktail glass or champagne flute, topped with champagne.
Synonymous with 1990s and early 2000s cocktail and pop culture, the Flirtini is perfect for serving at fancy dinner parties, cocktail soirées, New Year’s Eve celebrations, or even when planning a special night in.
Absolutely delicious. Sweet and fruity, you’ll taste sweet orange, sweet and tangy pineapple, balanced by a dry, sparkling finish from Champagne. It’s a perfect cocktail.
Although the exact creator and origin of the Flirtini is unknown, what we do know for sure is that the cocktail gained fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s, largely due to its appearances in a popular TV series about the glamorous lives of four working women in Manhattan, New York City.
In the show, the Flirtini was depicted as a symbol of trendy sophistication and chic urban living. As a result the Flirtini quickly becoming a hit in bars worldwide for people seeking a fruitier cocktail than a Cosmopolitan, which was also heavily featured in the TV series.
Despite its heyday being the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Flirtini continues to be a favorite for upscale events and celebrations.
- Pink Flirtini
This tart berry-forward variation uses Absolut Raspberri instead of original Absolut Vodka together with black raspberry liqueur, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice, topped with Prosecco. A must-try!
- With vanilla-flavored vodka
Follow the recipe on this page but then swap original Absolut Vodka for Absolut Vanilia (vanilla-flavored vodka) for a slightly sweeter drink with the warm, creamy notes of vanilla. Pineapple and vanilla are one of the best flavor combinations and they work wonderfully in a Flirtini. - French Martini
Very much its own drink as opposed to a variation, the French Martini is an 80s classic, combining vodka, black raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice. A personal favorite of mine, check out the recipe for a French Martini.
- Fine strain
As a rule of thumb, whenever you’re making any shaken martini with ice, you should fine strain (or double strain) your drink so you don’t get any ice shards or muddled fruit bits like pulp in your drink.Fine straining your drink, using a Hawthorne strainer together with a fine strainer, will ensure you have a smoother, cleaner cocktail. And yes, this applies to the Flirtini.
- Make your own fruit juice
If you’ve read any of our drink recipes, you’ll know by now that we almost always recommend you making your own fruit juice instead using store-bought, pre-made stuff. Homemade, fresh squeezed juice is not only fresher but more nuanced – you taste the real fruit and nothing else.In the case of the Fruitini, we recommend making your own pineapple juice. To see how to make your own pineapple juice, see the FAQ.
- We recommend serving a Flirtini in a chilled cocktail glass or a chilled coupe glass. However, since it’s a champagne cocktail, it’s not uncommon to serve a Flirtini in a champagne flute.
- The Flirtini should be garnished with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry both skewered together on a cocktail stick. It’s traditionally and, well, it’s perfect.
Flirtini FAQ
If you’re asking if a Flirtini is similar to a classic martini, like a Dry Martini or Gibson then absolutely not!
A fruitini belongs to the group of fresh fruit martinis, often referred to as fruitinis, which are much, much sweeter and not as spirit-forward as a classic martini.
Yes, you can. The measurements are easy to scale – 1 part Absolut Vodka, 2 parts Pineapple Juice and 1 part Triple Sec. This means you can easily prepare everything in advance in a jug or pitcher, leaving out the champagne until serving.
Store it in the fridge (at least 1-2 hours) until your guests arrive. When you’re ready to serve, take it out of the fridge, pour into individual cocktail glasses, top with champagne, and finish with the garnish.
We recommend Absolut Vodka, which enhances the dry, tart notes of the champagne, the sweetness of the triple sec, and the sweet-tartness of the pineapple juice.
Champagne is traditionally used in a Flirtini, but you can use another dry sparkling wine, like Prosecco.
Making your own pineapple juice for your Flirtini will almost certainly result in a better-tasting drink. All you need is a blender, a knife and a fine mesh strainer. Here’s how to make pineapple juice for your cocktail:
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Select a fresh pineapple with a sweet aroma and firm skin.
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Prepare the pineapple by cutting off the top and bottom, then stand it upright and slice off the skin, removing the brown spots as you go.
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Remove the core by cutting the pineapple into quarters lengthwise and slicing out the tough core from each quarter.
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Cut the pineapple flesh into small chunks to make it easier to blend.
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Juice the pineapple by placing the chunks in a blender and blending until smooth.
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Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a container, pressing down with a spoon to extract the juice.
- Stote the pineapple juice in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
