40 Easy 4th of July Cocktails That'll Steal the Show

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.

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Gimme Some Oven

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.

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Half Baked Harvest

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.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

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Whitney Bond

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.

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Whitney Bond

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.

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What's Gaby Cooking

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.

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What's Gaby Cooking

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.

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Emily Morgan

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.

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Feasting at Home

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.

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Spoon Fork Bacon

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.

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Damn Delicious

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.

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Shanna Schad/Pineapple and Coconut

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.

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Peanut Butter and Fitness

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.

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40 Aprons

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.

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Damn Delicious

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).

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Two Peas and Their Pod

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.

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Yellow Bliss Road

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.

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Half Baked Harvest

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).

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Half Baked Harvest

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.

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Damn Delicious

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?

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Half Baked Harvest

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.

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Half Baked Harvest

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.

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Feasting at Home

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.

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Floating Kitchen

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.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

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A Cookie Named Desire

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.

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Half Baked Harvest

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…)

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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?

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A Cookie Named Desire

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.)

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Grandbaby Cakes

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.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

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A Cookie Named Desire

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.

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Half Baked Harvest

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.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

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.

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Spoon Fork Bacon

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.)

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