Woo Woo Cocktail

Woo woo cocktails in tall glasses with ice, garnished with lime wedges.

The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serving: 1 serving

The woo woo is a fun cocktail to make—and to order. Just by saying "woo woo," you can taste the playfulness of this fruity mix. It's a tasty indulgence that's hard to resist. Our easy recipe is mixed in minutes and makes a wonderful cocktail or aperitif. Another reason to get on the woo woo train is its simplicity: vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice. Think of it as a mix between the popular cosmopolitan and hairy navel cocktails.

Transform or enhance this three-ingredient drink to fit your mood or the occasion. Try adding different garnishes or serving it in playful glassware, adding some sparkles, flavored vodka, or sliced pieces of fruit.

It's common for the woo woo to be served on the rocks, though it can be served up and it can also become a fun shot. Take three minutes and let the woo woo cocktail woo you.

"Woo woo is a tasty cocktail with a great name! Like many drinks from this era, it doesn't use citrus and relies on cranberry to cut the sweetness. I think it could use a squeeze of fresh lime to balance things out. Using quality peach schnapps makes a difference." —Tom Macy

Woo Woo cocktail in a martini glass garnished with lime
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce vodka

  • 1 ounce peach schnapps

  • 2 ounces cranberry juice

  • Lime wedge, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make woo woo cocktail.

    The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  2. Fill a highball glass with plenty of ice. Add the vodka, cranberry juice, and schnapps. Stir until chilled and well combined.

    Tall glass with ice and cocktail ingredients.

    The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

  3. Garnish with a lime wedge or wheel.

    Woo woo cocktail in tall glass with ice, garnished with lime wedge.

    The Spruce Eats/Julia Hartbeck

    Find Your Inner Woo Woo

    Once you learn to love the woo woo for the wacky, fun cocktail that it is, you will soon find that it's the perfect base for experimentation. Add a little this or that, and you have a whimsical, new drink to enjoy:

    • Add a touch of sparkle: There are times when the woo woo can be too sweet, so a little sparkle will quickly liven it up and make it more refreshing. Top it with seltzer, club soda, or ginger ale, or fancy it up a bit with sparkling wine. This is a fabulous idea when making it as a punch because it dilutes the drink so that your guests won't get drunk off of two glasses.
    • Use flavored vodka: Whether you make your own or buy it at the liquor store, the woo woo is a perfect candidate for almost any flavored vodka you want to throw into it: strawberry, vanilla, cucumber, or watermelon are all great choices. Try adding fruit liqueurs, syrups, or fruit juices.
    • Add fruits: Toss in fruit to beautify the woo woo. From berries to watermelon, it's hard to go wrong when adding fruit to this drink. For whole or cut fruit, muddle it in the shaker before adding the other ingredients.
    • Add citrus: Although the cranberry juice provides some acidity, adding a little bit of fresh lemon or lime juice (1/4 to 1/2 ounce) will brighten the whole drink.

    Woo Woo Punch or Party Shot

    • Woo Woo Party Punch: Increase the ingredients proportionally to fill a pitcher or punch bowl. For instance, use full 750-milliliter bottles of vodka and peach schnapps with about 50 ounces of cranberry juice. This will produce about 25 4-ounce drinks that can be served with or without ice.
    • Woo Woo Party Shot: When transforming this drink into a shooter, the cranberry juice is typically cut in half, so there's more alcohol content. Pour equal parts—about 1/2 ounce each—of the three ingredients. Shake it to ensure a good mix.

    How Strong Is the Woo Woo Cocktail?

    The woo woo is a relatively mild cocktail, not much stronger than the average glass of wine. That's what makes it so appealing—but also what makes it easy to have one too many. When made with Peachtree at 48 proof and an 80 proof vodka, this woo woo recipe has an alcohol content of about 14 percent ABV (28 proof). But if you cut the cranberry juice to make a 2-ounce shooter, that content more than doubles to a whopping 32 percent ABV (64 proof).

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
162 Calories
0g Fat
21g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 6mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 38mg 191%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 114mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)