10 Easy, Festive Summer Cocktails for Your 4th of July Weekend
The fourth of July lands on a Thursday this year and if you’re lucky enough to get Thursday and Friday off from work, that means two extra days of patriotic partying. You’ve probably already planned your BBQ menu (if not, we’ve got some ideas for you) but what about the cocktails? It’s easy to pop a bottle of rosé or crack open a beer on a hot day. But look inside your fridge, and you’ll likely see peak-season cherries, peaches and blackberries staring back. Why not put those glorious summer fruits to use in more than a pie?
The fruity cocktails ahead are refreshing, festive and highlight the best flavors of summer. Plus, they’re easy to shake together — you’ll be back in the pool floating blissfully (and tipsily) in no time.
A version of this article was originally published July 2017.
Red, White & Berry Crush
Of course, we had to kick off this list with something red, white and blue. We love this cocktail from Smirnoff because it has fresh berries and sweet, summer lemonade. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
1.5 ounces Smirnoff Red, White & Berry
4 ounces raspberry lemonade
2 ounces lemon-lime soda
Fill a tall glass with crushed ice, add the vodka and raspberry lemonade, then top it off with lemon-lime soda. Stir gently to combine and arnish with lemon wedges and fresh raspberries.
UnionIC
What better to accompany your summer barbeque than a smokey, mezcal cocktail?
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 oz. of Mezcal Unión Joven
7 green grapes
0.5 oz. rosemary syrup
1 oz. of lemon juice
3 oz. of tonic water
Mix the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker, pour it into a glass and garnish with some rosemary and grapes.
Gin & cucumber basil smash
This refreshing cocktail is like drinking spa water with a kick!
Fresh basil leaves are muddled with cucumber and topped off with gin, simple syrup and a splash of tonic water. It’s the perfect drink for a sunny afternoon.
Pineapple Express
Is there anything more quintessentially summer than the pineapple? No, there is not. Here’s what you’ll need for this thirst-quenching beverage:
1½ oz. of Mezcal Unión Joven
3½ oz. of tonic water
1 oz. of pineapple juice
0.5 oz. of Blanco Vermouth
0.5 oz. of lemon juice
Mix these ingredients together in a shaker, pour over ice and garnish with a wedge of pineapple.
Pineapple punch
This crowd-pleasing cocktail is loaded with fresh pineapple and citrus fruits and has a spicy kick from the ginger beer.
Use a high-quality, lower-sugar ginger beer for a nice, strong gingery kick.
Skinny jalapeño-watermelon margaritas
Fresh watermelon juice acts as a natural sweetener in these easy and lighter summer margaritas.
Plus, it’s the perfect way to use up that leftover watermelon from last night’s BBQ.
Bourbon peach slush
All you need for these adult slushies is to throw the ingredients together in a blender and drink! Now that’s a summer cocktail I can get behind.
Spicy raspberry paloma
This cocktail has a lot going for it — heat from the Fresno chilis, tart grapefruit juice, fresh raspberries and of course tequila!
Bonus: It’s colorful, summery and super-easy to make.
Blackberry gin & tonic
Having friends over? Mix up a pitcher of these for a summery twist on a classic gin and tonic.
It’s the perfect drink to sip while you wait for the grill to heat up.
Cherry-ginger spritz
This cocktail is kind of like a cross between a Moscow mule and an Aperol spritz.
Muddled cherries add a bright tartness to this light and refreshing cocktail that’s perfect for day drinking.
Aperol spritz
The Aperol spritz is synonymous with summer, and if you haven’t tried one yet, get on it!
Do as the Italians do and sip this three-ingredient aperitif (pre-dinner cocktail) al fresco with a bowl of potato chips.
Summer shandy
Beer cocktails don’t always get the love they deserve, but they’re refreshing as hell on a hot day and oh-so simple to make.
Use a light wheat beer like a hefeweizen-style beer in this delicious summer shandy cocktail.
Spiked pear-lavender lemonade
What’s more summery than a glass of lemonade?
The unique flavors of pear and lavender spice up this vodka-spiked lemonade.
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