You could drink the same layered, sweet slushies you often find on July 4th. Or you could try something a little different like a red, white, and blue gin and tonic! I’ve got four July 4th cocktails simple enough to serve to a few guests or just to mix up for yourself.

Next week is Independence Day here in the US and while our celebrations may look a little different this year (thanks pandemic), one thing probably remains the same… you’ll want a nice cocktail.

July 4th Cocktails WITHOUT Blue Curacao

There are tons of recipes online for red, white, and blue layered slushy drinks. These generally involve creating three different batches of slushies: one with strawberries, one with lemonade, and one with blue curacao.

You make them ahead of time and store them in three separate bags in your freezer. Before serving, let them thaw a bit and then layer them in a glass. They look lovely and taste sweet.

I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like a lot of work and risk. What if they didn’t thaw properly? What if I didn’t have enough for my guests?

Also? Not really a fan of Blue Curacao.

I wanted something simpler. So I set out to create some cocktails that are festive, easy, and a little different. Here’s what I came up with:

What goes with Red White and Berry Smirnoff Vodka?

If you’ve browsed the liquor store in early summer, you’ve seen Smirnoff’s Red White & Berry Vodka featured on an end cap. Yes, it tastes just like the label looks: like the classic Bomb Pop (aka Firecracker).

Independence Lemonade

The easiest way to use this vodka is in lemonade! So my first recipe was a simple vodka lemonade. Mix two ounces of Smirnoff into your favorite sparkling lemonade.

This recipe is fantastic because it’s so flexible. Instead of sparkling lemonade, you could use regular lemonade, a low-cal version, a homemade lemonade with the sugar of your choice, club soda, or lemon seltzer.

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Patriotic Moscow Mule

This is my own take on a Moscow Mule using lemon juice and Luxardo maraschino liqueur to complement the Red, White and Berry vodka.

First, make the blue sugar by adding two drops of blue food coloring to two heaping tablespoons of white sugar in a Ziploc bag. Mash it around with your fingers and shake the bag until the coloring is evenly distributed.

Dump the sugar onto a plate or a wide bowl. Rub a piece of lemon around the edge of your glass, then roll it in the sugar.

In a cocktail shaker with ice, pour 2 ounces of Smirnoff, 1/2 ounce of Luxardo, and 1 ounce of lemon juice. Shake and strain into a glass over ice. Top with ginger beer. I like Q Mixers Ginger Beer because it’s natural and not too sweet.

Please ignore the ice in my photo! I tried to freeze cherries in my ice ball tray… but they just look like eyeballs. (Or something worse!)

Firecracker Hard Lemonade

This is for all the fans of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. It used to be one of my absolute favorites, though I’m slowly growing out of overly-sweet, malt beverages. My 21-year-old son loved this one though!

For this super-simple cocktail, just pour a chilled Mike’s Hard Lemonade into a highball or collins glass and add 2 ounces of Smirnoff’s Red, White & Berry vodka. The vodka cuts the malt taste of the Mike’s and gives your drink a boost of alcohol (since the Mike’s has barely any!).

Float a Bomb Pop in there for extra presentation points!

Red, White and Blue Gin and Tonic

And now we get to the pièce de résistance! The layered, red, white and blue gin and tonic!

It was Naomi that originally found this recipe on Instagram. The first time I made it, I used plain tonic water. It was just “ok.” I like a little more sweetness in my G&T.

On my next try I used Fever Tree Lemon Tonic Water and OMG. It is delicious!

For this impressive-looking drink, you simply need to pour a half-ounce (or one ounce if you like it sweeter) of Grenadine in the bottom of a tall glass. Then fill the glass with crushed ice all the way to the top and pour in about 5 ounces of tonic water. The amount of tonic will depend on your glass size. Just leave an inch or so at the top for the blue gin!

Measure two ounces of Empress 1908 Gin into a jigger or large shot glass. Using a bar spoon, slowly pour the gin over the back of the spoon so it spreads across the top of your tonic water.

This 4th of July-themed gin and tonic is easy to make and your guests will love it! Give it a nice stir before drinking to mix up the flavors and it will settle into a nice bright pinkish-red color.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone and please share your drinks with us on Instagram – just tag us @spillingtequila!

Red White and Blue Gin & Tonic

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 3 minutes

This layered, red, white and blue gin & tonic is impressive to look at and easy to make!

Print

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz Grenadine
• 5 oz Fever Tree Lemon Tonic Water
• 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin
• Tall glass of crushed ice

Instructions

1. Pour the Grenadine into the bottom of an EMPTY glass.
2. Add crushed ice to fill to the top.
3. Slowly pour 5 ounces of lemon tonic water (use more if your glass is tall - you want about an inch left at the top of the glass).
4. Pour the Gin into a jigger or shot glass, then SLOWLY pour it over the back of a bar spoon to float it on top of your drink.
5. Serve for presentation, but give it a stir before drinking.
6. Please drink responsibly.

Notes

If you like your drinks sweeter, use one ounce of Grenadine. You can also experiment with different flavors of tonic water.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 240

Nutritional information is estimated and should only be used as a general guideline.

The post Red White and Blue Gin & Tonic (and 3 More July 4th Cocktails) appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

This New York Sour recipe uses Proof Syrup for just a touch of that “Old Fashioned” flavor. The cocktail is not only tasty, it’s beautiful too!

The classic New York Sour is a whiskey sour with a layer of red wine floated on top. I love a whiskey sour and the addition of a nice red wine gives it a bolder, richer taste profile.

Because sometimes you just need a little more alcohol in your drink.

I discovered this cocktail about 6 months ago when I was looking for something elegant and pretty to serve at a holiday gathering. It’s the perfect mix of sweet, sour, and smooth – and it packs a punch if you use a 100+ proof bourbon like Knob Creek!

I’ve made the classic New York Sour recipe – with 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz simple syrup, 1 oz lemon juice, and 2 oz red wine – many times. It happens to be my favorite cocktail at the moment.

But then I discovered Proof Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup.

A Slight Variation on the New York Sour Recipe

Proof Syrup intrigued me with its claim to make the perfect tasting cocktail by just adding alcohol. It comes in three flavors: Traditional, Pecan, and Maple Bacon.

It’s a combination of sugar syrup and bitters, and is designed to make a perfect Old Fashioned (another drink I looovvve). Mix Proof with bourbon or rye whiskey and you’ve got a fast, easy, balanced Old Fashioned.

But you can do so much more with it. So I wondered if it might work in a sour recipe. Guess what? It most definitely does.

I created a slight variation of the traditional New York Sour using Proof Syrup for just a touch of that “Old Fashioned” flavor.

To make this cocktail, put a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Add in 2 oz of your favorite bourbon, 1/2 oz of Proof Traditional Syrup, and 1/2 oz lemon juice.

Shake well and strain into a glass of crushed ice. DON’T skimp on the crushed ice! I’m serious! If you want this New York Sour to have that beautiful layered look, the crushed ice is essential in the presentation.

The final step is to slowly pour a couple ounces of red wine into the glass. Sometimes the wine will float on top, sometimes it will sink. I haven’t experimented enough to figure out why (clearly NOT a professional mixologist here). But I suspect it has to do with the heaviness of the wine. And in the classic New York Sour, there is more simple sugar and lemon juice that probably helps the sour portion sink.

In any case, it WILL separate and it will look beautiful. I hope you’ll try Proof Syrup and I hope you enjoy this recipe! I’d love to hear if you have created any of your own variations on the New York Sour cocktail.

Old Fashioned New York Sour

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This New York Sour recipe uses Proof Syrup for just a touch of that “Old Fashioned” flavor. The cocktail is not only tasty, it’s beautiful too!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1/2 oz Proof Cocktail Syrup
• 1/2 oz lemon juice
• 2 oz red wine
• Ice cubes and crushed ice
• If Proof Syrup is not available, use 1 oz simple syrup and an additional 1/2 ounce lemon juice.

Instructions

1. Put a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker.
2. Pour in the bourbon, Proof Syrup, and lemon juice.
3. Shake, then strain into a glass of crushed ice. Don't skip the crushed ice - it makes the drink look beautiful!
4. Slowly pour a couple ounces of red wine into the glass. The wine may float or sink, depending on the heaviness of your wine.
5. Please drink responsibly.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Nutritional information is estimated and should only be used as a general guideline.

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The post Old Fashioned New York Sour Recipe appeared first on Spilling Tequila.

We are Chrissy, Naomi, and Shannon – three friends who enjoy hanging out together with a nice adult beverage. The more we learned about cocktails, mixology, beer, and wine, the more obsessed we became.

Join us as we taste, create, and laugh. We’ll be spilling ALL the “tea”quila!

Quarantine Drinking? You Bet.

Spilling tequila was born during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Stuck at home, Shannon started experimenting with creating cocktails. When she texted Naomi and Chrissy to ask if they were interested in starting a cocktail blog, the answer was “OMG. Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Chrissy is the creative mind behind the name “Spilling Tequila.” Our teenage kids loved it, and the name was available on every social media network. It was meant to be.

Making It Our Job to Drink

We each bring something unique to the table – or the bar, shall we say. Naomi takes amazing photos. Chrissy creates delicious healthy cocktails. Shannon’s a wiz at the tech side of running a web site. And we all love the challenge of concocting new drinks, learning about mixology, and making drinking our job.

We’ll be bringing you classic drink recipes, our own cocktail creations, wine and beer reviews and even visits to bars, wineries, breweries and more. We’re looking forward to drinking with you!

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