National Fruit Cocktail Day

National Fruit Cocktail Day, observed annually on May 13, celebrates fruit cocktail—a mixture of fruits commonly served in syrup or fruit juice. It may be made with fresh fruit or enjoyed from a can, offering a colorful dessert or snack with a blend of flavors and textures. Despite the word “cocktail,” the dish itself does not contain alcohol; the name refers to a mixture of food. The Mercury News explains that the familiar version combines diced peaches and pears with pineapple, grapes, and cherries.

Canned fruit mixtures became popular as food preservation developed in the early 20th century. The history of the modern fruit cocktail is disputed: Herbert Gray of San Jose’s Barron-Gray Packing Company is credited with creating it in 1930, while some accounts credit UC Berkeley food scientist William V. Cruess. An earlier canned “fruit salad” was marketed by the Ainsley cannery in 1893, but it was not called fruit cocktail. The holiday’s own creator is not identified in the supplied accounts, so May 13 is best treated as an opportunity to enjoy and experiment with this nostalgic fruit mixture.

How to Observe National Fruit Cocktail Day

Celebrate by enjoying fruit cocktail chilled from a can or making your own with diced fresh fruit. Try serving it with a meal, using fruit packed in juice or syrup, or experimenting with different combinations and simple additions such as yogurt, honey, spices, or nuts. You can also turn the mixture into a parfait, dessert topping, or nonalcoholic fruit drink.

Exclusive Content

Enjoying Checkiday? It takes a lot of support from fans like you to run a free website. For exclusive content and other perks, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Thank you!

Sponsor

This event does not currently have a sponsor. If you'd like to increase visibility for this event while gaining exposure for yourself or your brand, you can learn more here.

Something Wrong or Missing?

We would love to hear from you! Please contact us using this form.

Observation Notifications

Would you like to be notified before the next observation? Add this event directly to your calendar with this link. You may also sign up here to be told when other notifications are available!