Fourth of July Drink Recipes: Non Alcoholic and Alcoholic

Author:
Rose Clearfield
Updated date:
Apr 22, 2017

Rose is a full-time freelance writer who frequently writes about education, special education, DIY projects, food, Milwaukee, and more.

If you want to get inspired about throwing a Fourth of July party, check out this post.

Any Fourth of July get together is a good excuse for a patriotic drink or two. Whether you are looking for non alcoholic drinks, alcoholic drinks, or a combination of both, there are lots of fun options, including layered drinks. All of these beverages are easy to make and will add a colorful, tasty cheer to your celebrations. Happy Fourth!

Classic Patriotic Punch

There are a handful of versions of this recipe that all create beautiful red, blue, and clear layers with non alcoholic beverages. When you're making a layered drink, the key is to use drinks with different amounts of sugar. Drinks with more sugar are more dense than those with less sugar, which allows the layers to "stack" on top of each other.

All of these punch recipes use some variation of the following beverages:

red fruit punch or juice (i.e. cranberry juice)
blue Gatorade
diet 7Up, Sprite, or other clear soda

Please note: It is important to use a diet, sugar free soda so that least one of your layers has little or no sugar. Pour the beverage with the most sugar first (so that it's on the bottom) and the beverage with the least sugar last (so that it's on the top).

Pour equal amounts of all of the beverages to create a colorful, layered glass or pitcher.

Many people choose to add ice. The best time to add the ice is after you've added the second layer and before you've added the third layer.

4th of July Layered Drink Recipe | Divas Can Cook

Raspberry Lemonade with Patriotic Touches

If you're in the mood for lemonade, consider a red pairing for it for the Fourth of July, such as raspberry or strawberry. This recipe doesn't include instructions for the decorative glass detail or the stars. Many recipes suggest pop rocks candy or rock candy for the rims and coconut or pineapple for the stars.

Raspberry Lemonade Recipe | MyRecipes.com

Additional Fourth of July Resources

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the-forgiven-2022-review-a-desert-drama-where-the-mouth-is-faster-than-the-gun

Patriotic Frozen Drink

If you like the non alcoholic layered drink idea but want a frozen drink, check this out. It's a little time intensive to blend each layer separately, but the effect is well worth it. As always, if you don't want to use fruit punch, you can switch it up for another red juice drink, such as cranberry.

Patriotic Frozen Drink Recipe & Aldi Summer Fun Gift Certificate Giveaway! | Saving Dollars &amp

Patriotic Sangria

You can't go wrong with sangria for any summer occasion. Add a patriotic touch to your favorite sangria recipe with blueberries, your favorite red fruits, and/or pineapple stars. You can switch up the fruits any way you like.

Weekend Wind Down with 4th of July Sangria : The Lovely Bits
Sangria: Easy Recipe to Make it at Home
Sangria is a wine and fruit punch, originating in Spain and Portugal. This page details how you can make sangria at home, when your Spanish trip is nothing but a fond and distant memeory.

Jello Shots

Jello shots are another classic choice for any summer get together. I had never seen a Jello shots recipe with layers like this, but it wouldn't be any more time consuming to make than any other layered Jello dessert. Aren't they pretty? Consider using cookie cutters to make them into star shapes.

Check out Italian Handful's post for a non alcoholic Jello shots recipe, too.

How to Jello Shots | heathervescent

Blackberry-Mint Julep

Yet another classic choice for summer, you can add a patriotic touch to your mint juleps with blackberries or blueberries. A mint sprig for garnish will also make for a nice finish for your drinks.

Blackberry-Mint Julep Recipe - Jeff Banker | Food & Wine

This great patriotic drink recipe round up includes the following:

Fourth of July Cocktail (cranberry juice, watermelon schnapps, and blue curacao)
Strawberry Sucker (Strawberry schnapps, vodka, and club soda)
Watermelon Mint Cooler (watermelon, lemonade, mint)
Patriotic Margarita (blue HPNOTIQ Liqueur, strawberry puree, coconut milk,and more)
Red, White, and Blue Martini (blue liqueur, grenadine)

Looking for more Fourth of July alcoholic drink recipes? Check this out!

Red, White and Booze: Curbly | DIY Design Community
Pick from one of a handful of patriotic alcoholic drinks.
20 Fourth of July Alcoholic Drinks: Celebrate Our Independance with a Punch! - Yahoo! Voices - voice
Fourth of July is a great chance to celebrate our independence and have a few drinks! Just don't try all of these in one 24 hour time frame!

Patriotic Drink Stirrer

Add an extra patriotic touch to any Fourth of July drink with a red, white, and blue drink stirrer. This stirrer from Martha Stewart features a blueberry, a raspberry, and a coconut star. You can customize this option with other fruits (sliced strawberries, cherries, etc.) and/or with purely decorative elements, such as miniature American flags. Additionally, some people like to use pineapple for the stars instead of coconut.

Patriotic Drink Stirrer [4th of July] ~ Be Different...Act Normal

Patriotic Drink Station

Regardless of what type of drinks you're serving for your Fourth of July event, a few patriotic touches for your drink station will add a special touch. The bunting and flag details in the picture are simple, inexpensive, and effective.

Independence Day Food & Drink Ideas | ABC News

More Fourth of July resources from the author.

Fourth 4th of July Desserts: Easy Patriotic Recipes
This article is about Fourth 4th of July desserts. It includes a wide variety of easy patriotic recipes including cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more. There are lots of photos and resources.
4th Fourth of July Patriotic Craft Project Ideas With Buttons
Are you looking for 4th of July arts and crafts ideas? There are lots of easy patriotic projects for both kids and adults.
Fourth of July Greeting Cards: Handmade Ideas
This article is about how to make Fourth of July greeting cards. It includes ideas for a wide variety of Fourth of July themes including flags, stars, freedom, and fireworks.

Comments

deloma lusk on July 05, 2017:

Big Hit at my party! I made the #1 Classic Patriotic Punch and used Cranberry juice ,Gatorade (blue cherry), and Diet Twist Mist. The key is to pour slowly over a full glass of ice. It was amazing how the colors stayed separated and the taste was really good! It started a huge conversation at our dinner party.I was so happy to see how festive it made my table look with all the red white and blue colored drinks. I will definitely make this again for a patriotic holiday!

Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on June 20, 2015:

Rose, great patriotic drinks for those who want alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for 4th of July, two weekends from here. Voted up!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 16, 2014:

Thanks, Vicki! I agree. :)

Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on May 16, 2014:

All the different colors and layers are wonderful! Pinning!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 16, 2014:

Thanks, Vellur!

That's great, truthfornow. :) I'm glad that you were able to learn something from this article.

Marie Hurt from New Orleans, LA on May 16, 2014:

I have always wondered how those layered drinks were made. Very interesting. You have a lot of great ideas here for the holidays. Something for everyone.

Nithya Venkat from Dubai on May 16, 2014:

Great delicious recipes!

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 29, 2012:

Thanks, Cyndi! My seasonal hubs do really well so I keep writing them. Thanks for the link and shares!

Thanks, myownlife! Enjoy. :)

myownlife from london on June 29, 2012:

Wow, it is really a great recipe, I probably try next weekend.

Cheers

Cynthia Calhoun from Western NC on June 29, 2012:

Wow! You are ALL OVER the 4th of July theme and rightfully so - these are fabulous, colorful hubs! Awesomeness! I have to share and pin. :) These drinks look absolutely yummy - so much so, in fact, that I have to link to this hub in my upcoming up on mixed drinks. Yum, yum! :)

Rose Clearfield (author) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 03, 2012:

ktrapp, yes for sure about the layered food and drinks. I hadn't known that you could layer drinks with different sugar levels like that either.

Kristin Trapp from Illinois on June 03, 2012:

The layered look certainly lends itself well for Fourth of July food and drinks. It's interesting to learn that you can actually layer liquids with varying sugar levels. How festive any of these drinks would be for this holiday.