The difference between fruit cocktail and fruit salad is that the latter contains larger pieces of fruit, while fruit cocktail is diced into like-size pieces. More recently, with consumer demands for less sugar, lower-sugar varieties are available in natural fruit juices (“no sugar added,” although fruit juice has natural sugar). The original fruit cocktail sat in a sugar syrup. Few to no cherry halves, any light sweet or artificial red variety.6% to 20% whole grapes, any seedless variety.30% to 50% diced peaches, any yellow variety.It must contain grapes, peaches, and pineapples optional maraschino cherries and other fruits are permitted. The USDA actually stipulates the ingredients in canned fruit cocktail. Serve fresh fruit salad in a stemmed glass, tossed with some Grand Marnier-one of our mother’s favorite preparations, garnished with a fresh mint leaf-and it’s even more so. While fruit cocktail is sold canned, it can be made fresh and served in a coupe glass or other stemmed glass, where it puns on an alcoholic cocktail. However, the smart money says that when you’re selling canned fruit, “fruit cocktail” sounds more exciting than “mixed fruits.” There’s a second definition of “cocktail,” as in shrimp cocktail: “An appetizer made by combining pieces of food, such as fruit or seafood.”
So why is it called fruit cocktail, instead of simply fruit salad? But who first created it, and why is it called “cocktail?”įirst: There is no alcohol in a conventional fruit cocktail. We’re all familiar with cans of fruit cocktail from Del Monte, Dole and Libby’s.