You’ve got your barbeque recipes all set and the outdoor furniture tastefully spread out around the patio. Don’t let your drinks be an afterthought this 4th of July! On these hot, sultry days the summer cocktail & mocktail are an integral part of any celebration.
Check out these spectacular cocktails and iced drinks to make the most of your home bar. Plus, enter to win GoVino Go Anywhere Glasses - a set of four wine/cocktail glasses and a set of four beer glasses.
GoVino makes shatter-proof, reusable and recyclable glassware that looks like fine crystal. The Oprah Magazine calls GoVino "The best wine glasses for every pour" and PopSugar included them in their editor's 15 favorite must-have items. Plus, we love their signature finger imprint!
"Bomb Pop" Three-Ingredient Cocktail
One drink that is sure to bring back more than just a little nostalgia for a certain red, white and blue popsicle, is the frozen spiked “bomb pop” drink. SheSpeaks member CupcakesandCrossbones gives all the recipe details to make this multi-colored frozen drink, with both alcohol and non-alcohol options.
Her alcoholic version requires equal parts of just these three ingredients:
Bacardi Razz Rum
Lemonade
Blue Curacao
Photo Credit: Jessica Elizarraras
If you want to make it non-alcoholic, simply replace rum with cranberry juice and Blue Curacao with blue Gatorade.
CupcakesandCrossbones adds one warning to her recipe, “Note: These are delicious and go down super smooth...you have been warned!”
Watermelon Rum Punch
Good Housekeeping’s Watermelon Rum Punch recipe also has us counting down the days to the 4th.
Ingredients for this include:
8 cups seedless watermelon chunks
1 cup light rum
I cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup lime juice
1 12 oz bottle ginger beer
Photo Credit: Safeway
The punch itself can be garnished with fresh watermelon and is a perfect pink melon color. Skip the rum and use ginger ale or non-alcholic ginger bear for a kid-friendly version.
Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush
What says summer time better than an iced cold glass of pink lemonade? Well, maybe one with vodka added in. Why not make it a slushy just for fun? Culinary Hill has a super easy and delicious Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush that doesn’t even require a blender. The icy drink will keep your guests cool and they will be saying “yes, please!” before you even offer a refill.
Just three ingredients make up this slushy drink. Or for a non-alcoholic version, leave out the vodka:
1 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate
Vodka
Lemon lime soda like Sprite or 7-up.
Photo Credit: Yummly
All American Daiquiri
The daquiri from The Tipsy Bartender will get you in the July 4th mood. Make each layer separately and then pour one on top of the other. It takes a bit of extra time than the other drinks, but the look and taste makes it worth it. Want it non-alcoholic? Pour a blueberrry smoothie on top of a strawberry one. Top with whipped cream.
Photo Credit: The Tipsy Bartender
Update: Thanks to all who entered! Congrats to our winner, SheSpeaks member laurenpeterson2014.
lemonade
the pink lemonade slushy looks yummy!
I love margaritas on the rocks! Any flavor will do but I love top shelf Cuervo Margaritas!
Lemonade is my favorite summer drink!
I love different kinds of Iced tea or lemonade mixed with vodka or rum with ice and a piece of fresh fruit. I also like margaritas on the rocks, sangria with fresh fruit in it, a cold beer, chilled pinot grigio or sauvingnon blanc, and Froze!
Moscow Mule!
I love a good unsweetened iced tea.
Mango sangria is the best!
I love sangria and in the summer fresh fruit is abundant so I add that to my iced sangria
Frozen drinks are my favorite!
Frozen fruity rum and vodka cocktails are great this time of year. Plus any frozen slushy drinks for the kids
I love sodas especially during summer.
My favorite go to summer drink would be a margarita on the rocks with salt or a nice cold beer. I am looking forward to trying out these drink recipes; especially the red, white and blue one. I'm hosting Bunco at my house in July and I am also hosting a huge graduation party for my son who graduated from college via virtual graduation ceremony.
i love a nice cold unsweetened tea!
I love any type of frozen cocktail just nearly, not crazy about coconut flavors tho. I love sweet drinks and you can also never go wrong with a good chilled wine. These look great especially the watermellon one. Might have to give these a whirl. We just stocked up on rum and vodka too :D