Whether you’re throwing a party or just keeping things low-key with your family, these patriotic cocktails will definitely impress (especially the red, white and blue ones). Best of all, most of them call for just a few ingredients, so they’re easy to whip up while keeping your eye on the barbecue. So, without further ado, here are 40 easy 4th of July cocktail recipes to celebrate the holiday.
food
40 Easy 4th of July Cocktails That’ll Steal the (Fireworks) Show
Published Jun 8, 2022
1. Sparkling Red, White And Blue Sangria
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, ready in <15 minutes
Brandy and sparkling white wine make this flag-inspired sipper possible. Tip: Use a cookie cutter to punch apple slices into stars for a patriotic finishing touch.
2. Red, White And Blue(berry) Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser
The proper way to spend the 4th? Red, white and a little buzzed. This blended beauty should do the trick with layers of strawberry, blueberry and coconut margarita.
3. Firecracker Berry Margarita Floats
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, less than 500 calories
When it comes to floats, our philosophy is go big or go home. So, vanilla ice cream in our marg fits the bill, not to mention the decorative, over-the-top fruit skewers.
4. Raspberry-lime Champagne Punch
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Champagne is très chic, but any sparkling white wine (like prosecco or cava) will work fine. Drop a few blueberries into each glass to make it even more festive.
5. Frozen Sangria
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, special occasion–worthy
The blender is your BFF when it comes to frosty cocktails. Give three types of berries and fresh orange juice a whirl.
6. Grilled Strawberry Lemonade
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Bust out your barbecue skills for happy hour. The fruit gets charred on the grill before reaching the pitcher, bringing out more of its flavor. It’s virgin, but we give you permission to add vodka for the adults.
7. Blackberry Grapefruit Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly
Citrus and tequila team up with sweet muddled blackberries for a vibrant drink. Bonus points for coating the glass rims with red, white and blue sprinkles.
8. Blackberry Pineapple Smash
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, ready in <15 minutes
Two of summer’s favorite fruits in one glass. The best part? It works with basically any silver liquor you have (while vodka, gin or rum would work well here, we’re partial to using tequila). We’ll take ours with salted rims, please.
9. Spiked Pink Lemonade
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, low sugar
This spiked lemonade is guaranteed to be a picnic favorite. How does the vodka-laced bev get its blush color, you ask? Fresh strawberry-watermelon purée.
10. Blueberry, Gin And Sage Punch
- Time Commitment: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Serving a crowd? Break out your biggest punch bowl or drink dispenser for your fanciest party cocktail yet. P.S.: The blackberries are strained, so you get all of their sweet flavor without a single seed.
11. Blackberry And Meyer Lemon Gin And Tonic
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Fresh mint and simple syrup make for a drink that’s equal parts herbaceous and sweet. To make your own simple syrup, bring a cup of water to a boil on the stove and stir in a cup of sugar until dissolved.
12. Peach Prosecco Punch
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes
If you have four ingredients and five minutes, your new go-to bubbly drink is within reach. The secret is bottled peach nectar.
13. Red, White And Blue Vanilla Bean Spritzers
- Time Commitment: 6 hours
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly
Strawberry and blueberry ice cubes will be a fun surprise for the kids. You’ll love the homemade vanilla-bean simple syrup. Create an adults-only version with a dash of rum or vodka.
14. Red, White And Blueberry Jello Shots
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, less than 500 calories
These are so much cuter than what you concocted in your dorm room years ago. You’ll get three layers of flavor (hello, tart cherry, coconut and lemon) in every bite.
15. Blueberry Mojitos For A Crowd
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes
Okay, these are less red, white and blue and more pretty in pink. But garnish with a few blueberries and it’ll totally complement the drink’s reddish hue.
16. Blueberry Lemonade
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, kid-friendly
The season’s signature drink just leveled up. Think fresh-squeezed lemons and the easiest blueberry simple syrup ever. Pass the vodka (or keep it virgin for the kids).
17. Pomegranate Blueberry Floats
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes, kid-friendly
U.S.A.’s colors shine bright in this combo of pomegranate soda, blueberries and ice cream. Add a dash of vodka and you’re in business.
18. Blue Lagoon Cocktail
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
Despite its Bahamas-blue color, blue curaçao actually tastes like citrus. Add extra cherries for a festive finish.
19. Smashed Berry Rosé Spritz
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, ready in <10 minutes, special occasion–worthy
We’re suckers for thematic garnishes, especially when they’re made of juicy nectarines. This cocktail is loaded with tequila, fresh basil and St. Germain (that’s elderflower liqueur).
20. Hibiscus Cherry Vodka Spritz
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, special occasion–worthy, less than 500 calories
Honey, pineapple juice and dried hibiscus flowers make one fancy drink you’ll keep in your recipe collection for good. Garnish with blueberries and cherries, or coat the glass rim with blue sugar sprinkles.
21. Easy Berry Sangria
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, less than 500 calories
Fresh fruit. Sugar. Lemon-lime soda. A bottle of rosé. Well, that was easy. Nightcap on the patio, anyone?
22. Bourbon Cherry Old Fashioned
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: less than 500 calories, ready in <15 minutes, special occasion–worthy
Do you have whiskey lovers coming to the barbecue? Consider them covered. Swap out honey for sugar to get a grit-free sip every time.
23. Blackberry Champagne Mule
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, ready in <15 minutes
A classic cocktail with a fruity, sophisticated twist. We’re toasting America's birthday right before dessert.
24. Blackberry Bramble
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients
A bramble is an old-school British cocktail made with dry gin, lemon, simple syrup and blackberry liqueur. This one gets spiked with ginger soda, too.
25. Cherry Floats
- Time Commitment: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, <10 ingredients
The homemade, three-ingredient cherry syrup is a real game-changer. Add a splash of coconut rum or vanilla vodka for a grown-up spin.
26. Beer Margarita
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, <10 ingredients, less than 500 calories
If there are any beer nerds at the barbecue, spirits alone aren’t gonna cut it. Enter the beer margarita, a surprisingly refreshing combo of tequila, lime juice and your favorite pilsner.
27. Peach Moonshine
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Bet you never thought you’d be up for drinking Everclear again, huh? This summery sipper is a far cry from the jungle juice you had in college. Think fresh peaches, two fruit juices, peach schnapps and cinnamon.
28. Salted Watermelon Paloma
- Time Commitment: 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients, ready in <15 minutes
Believe it or not, this seasonal gem only takes ten minutes to whip up. You can pull it off even faster if you blend and strain the watermelon juice ahead of the big day. (And in case you need help cutting the watermelon…)
29. Portable Summer Sippers
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
You shouldn’t have to miss out on your own cookout because you’re busy playing bartender. Instead, mix up a big batch of vodka coolers, pour them into plastic bags and freeze until slushy or solid. Now, choose your fighter: raspberry-lime or lemonade iced tea?
30. Strawberry Champagne Mojito
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, make ahead
Bubbly is *always* invited to the barbecue. Once you make the three-ingredient strawberry simple syrup, most of your work is done. (Oh, and this is the easiest way to open a Champagne bottle, BTW.)
31. Tropical Wine Slushies
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Who knew moscato got along so well with mango, pineapple and strawberries? Use frozen fruit instead of fresh to get the perfect frosty consistency without diluting the cocktails.
32. Boozy Lemonade Granita
- Time Commitment: 6 hours
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Does it get more American than sipping from-scratch lemonade on the 4th of July? We think not. Even better, this take calls for spiking it with vodka or gin and serving it in hulled-out lemons. Genius.
33. Cherry Pie Iced Tea
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, kid-friendly
This seasonal star, made with fresh cherry syrup, is technically alcohol-free, but we’re betting it’d pair beautifully with everything from bourbon to vodka to spiced rum.
34. Summertime Rosé Tequila Sangria
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, ready in <30 minutes, less than 500 calories
Refreshing rosé wine + earthy tequila + bright lime + bubbly kombucha = an easy home run. Go ham with the pitted cherries and fresh blueberries to up the red-white-and-blue ante.
35. Raspberry Prosecco Ice Pops
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients
Everything is better on a stick, even wine. That’s why we fell in love with this three-ingredient ice pop that gets its vibrant color from fresh summer raspberries.
36. Blackberry And Meyer Lemon Gin And Tonics
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
What’s muddled and herbaceous and magenta all over? These refreshing and elegant sippers are what. (If you can’t get ahold of Meyer lemons, use the regular kind.)
37. Watermelon Grapefruit Palomas
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients
Whatever you do, don’t drink it with a straw—it’s so tasty, you’ll gulp it down in just one sip.
38. Frozen Blueberry Margaritas
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, special occasion–worthy
Go ahead, make a few drinks at once if your blender is big enough. (If it’s not, then it’s every partygoer for themself.)
39. Dirty Shirley Temple
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Sure, there’s the electric pink grenadine and sweet citrus soda, but kiddie beverage this is not. The secret? Vodka, of course (and cheers to that).
40. 4th Of July Jigglers
- Time Commitment: 8 hours
- Why We Love It: special occasion–worthy, <10 ingredients, make ahead
Make them a few days in advance and pat yourself on the back. You’re one step closer to a fun and fancy Fourth of July party.
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