Cheers to the red, white and blue!
Treat the gang to something special this Fourth of July—cocktails and mocktails inspired by the colors of the flag!
Set up your drink stations!
Since you’ll be serving cocktails and mocktails, it’s wise to create separate drink stations so the two don’t get mixed up— especially if little ones will be running around. The easy solution: Use blue and red tablecloths! Cover a small table with the red cloth and add a sign saying “cocktails,” and cover another table with the blue cloth and add a sign saying “mocktails.”
Turn fruit into cool cubes!
Giving a festive touch to just about any drink is as easy as freezing blueberries, blackberries and strawberries in ice cubes! Blogger Megan Porta of Pipandebby.com fills an empty ice cube tray with as much fruit as possible, then adds water and freezes for at least an hour. As the cubes melt in the drink, they’ll infuse it with a fresh and fruity taste!
Fire up taste buds with a “Bomb Pop” cocktail!
On a hot night, a Popsicle is superrefreshing! And those classic “Bomb Pops” inspired blogger Kelsey Chelanne of Musingsonmomentum.com to create this so-easy drink: Just add the red, white and blue pops to a glass of Champagne or sparkling wine. As the pop melts, it’ll add a sweet kick! Make it a mocktail: Use lemon-lime soda instead of sparkling wine.
kids with a layered patriotic punch!
Add a bit of magic to your party with a red, white and blue punch—and don’t be surprised if grownups want a taste! The key to perfect layers? Blogger Sara Wellensiek of Momendeavors.com says the secret is using juices with different sugar contents—the bigger the difference, the more distinct the layers!
Start by filling a glass 1/4 full with crancherry juice to create a red layer, then fill glass with ice. Next, very slowly pour non-alcoholic piña colada mix on the ice to create a white layer. Finally, slowly pour blue raspberry juice on the ice to create a blue layer. Finish with a Twizzler “straw.”
Serve “cherry pie” in a glass!
A little sweet, a little tart, this recipe by Brandi of Poshlittledesigns.com turns the classic summer dessert into a delicious cocktail! Start by adding 1 vanilla bean and 1 cinnamon stick to a 32 oz. bottle of tart cherry juice, then let sit for 1-2 hours. Remove the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix 5 parts juice with 2 parts cranberry juice, 2 parts amaretto and 2 parts vodka. Shake well, then strain into 2 glasses. Make it a mocktail: Combine the cherry juice and cranberry juice and serve with a splash of ginger ale or cream soda.
Mix up red, white and blue sangria!
Sangria is a crowd-pleaser, and blogger Lori Fortini of Peoniesand Pears.com gives it a July 4th twist with fruits in a patriotic palette. In a large pitcher, layer fresh halved cherries, chopped apples and blueberries. Then pour in a bottle of your favorite red wine. Top with 16 oz. of your favorite juice (like cherry or cranberry) and 2 cups seltzer for a little sparkle. Make it a mocktail: Swap the wine for cranberry juice or grape juice.
Toast fireworks with Rocket-red Lemonade!
Sweet red berries and tart limoncello combine to create a grown-up take on classic lemonade! This recipe by Alexandra of Brighteyedbaker.com stars fresh raspberry juice made by muddling raspberries, then straining the pulp through cheesecloth to get the juice—you can make your juice up to two days ahead of time, and store in the refrigerator.
In a cocktail shaker, combine 2 oz. raspberry juice with 1 1/2 oz. limoncello, 1 oz. vodka and 1/2 oz. simple syrup. Shake well, then pour into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with fresh raspberries. Make it a mocktail: Add raspberry juice to premade lemonade.