Cocktails inspired by the Fourth of July

Fruity Summer Cocktails with a July 4th Twist

With so many alcoholic beverages to choose from, how do you choose? Here are some fruity choices using various alcohols and then additional ideas for dressing up your drinks for July 4th. For reference and more drink recipes, please see http://www.drinksmixer.com.

For a simple and light treat, try a Berry Spritzer.

4 oz dry white wine

A splash of seltzer or soda water

Top with fresh raspberries and blueberries.

Berry Buster +

1 shots Absolut Kurant vodka

shot raspberry liqueur

2 shots cranberry juice

Blueberries

Ice

First, combine all ingredients except the blueberries and shake in a shaker. Then, pour into a martini glass and add blueberries. The blueberries can be stuck with a toothpick if you wish to garnish.

Red and Blue Marlin – A patriotic spin on the Blue Marlin

1 oz Seagram’s gin

1 oz Blue Curacao liqueur

1 oz Peach Schnapps

oz lemon juice

3 oz pineapple juice

oz grenadine

Lychee and cherry to garnish

Measure ingredients exactly, shake all except grenadine and garnishes. Pour over ice. Add oz of grenadine, pouring it over the back of a spoon that is slightly dipped into the drink so that the color stayed separated and sinks to the bottom. Use a cherry and lychee on a toothpick to garnish.

Marianne

10-12 oz frozen strawberries

10-12 oz frozen raspberries

11 oz apple juice

Champagne

Optional whipped cream

Optional blueberries

1. Blend strawberries, raspberries and apple juice until slushy.

2. Fill champagne flutes halfway with the mixture and then add champagne to fill the remainder. Stir until mixed.

3. As an option, add whipped cream and fresh or frozen blueberries to the top.

Frozen Margarita

2 tsp course salt or sugar

1 lime wedge

3 oz white tequila

1 oz triple sec

2 oz lime juice

1 cup crushed ice

In keeping with the July 4th there, you can enhance your margarita. You can find colored sugar at the supermarket in the bakery section. As for the salt, you can dye it red and blue with food coloring and allow it to lie out to dry in advance. Use 2 saucers, one for the sugar and one for the salt. You can use red for sugar and blue for salt or mix both colors and white for each. First, coat the rim of the glass using the lime wedge, then dip the glass into the sugar or salt and you will have a colorful edge. Blend the other ingredients in a blender and then pour into the glass and enjoy.

In general, you can come up with many fun garnish ideas for your drinks.

1. Fruits such as blueberries, lychees, strawberries and raspberries work well for added color.

2. Gummy bears in red and blue can be frozen into ice cubes.

3. Red or blue jello can be cut into cubes and floated in drinks.

4. You can add a star topper to toothpicks using star stickers or paper. Either adhere 2 star stickers back to back with the toothpick in between or cut out stars from paper and glue or tape them back to back around the toothpick.

The basics of frozen cocktails

Frozen cocktails and summer go hand in hand, whether it be with a Sunday barbeque, a pool party or a nice quiet book in the sun with a glass in your hand. All you need is the liquor, ice, glasses and a blender and you can be whipping up some delicious concoctions in no time.

A few basic tips for making frozen cocktails are to use small ice cubes, frozen fruit and to use glasses that have been kept in the fridge or freezer so that the cocktail does not melt too quickly.

When making the cocktail you should always add the liquid ingredients first, followed by the frozen fruit and then the ice. The blender should start on the lowest speed first, gradually increasing the speed as you blend the ingredients.

The most common frozen cocktails have to be the daiquiri and the margarita.

Basic Daiquiri

2 oz white rum

2-3 dashes dark rum

2-3 dashes syrup

tsp powdered sugar

fruit pieces

oz lime juice

Add the rum, syrup and lime juice follow this with the fruit of your choice, powdered sugar and then some ice cubes to your blender and blend until it reaches your desired consistency then pour into cocktail glasses to serve.

If the mixture appears too thick then you need to add more ice, if however the mixture appears too thin then you need to add more fruit.

A creamy version of a daiquiri is made by adding ice cream to the mix, this recipe makes enough for two people.

Strawberry Daiquiri

cup light rum

2 tsp lime juice

2 cups frozen strawberries

2 cups vanilla ice cream

Place the rum and juice into the blender and begin to mix. Next add the strawberries and ice cream and continue to blend. Serve in cocktail glasses with a strawberry garnish.

Margaritas are made with tequila, the robust flavor of which works really well in a frozen cocktail.

Frozen Margarita

3 parts tequila blanco

1 part fresh lime juice

1 part cointreau

Place all of the ingredients into a blender with half a cup of ice and blend. Serve in a salt rimmed margarita glass.

Frozen Kiwi Margarita

2 oz tequila

2 oz pineapple juice

1 oz triple sec

oz lime juice

oz simple syrup

1 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered

Garnish: half kiwi slice

Optional garnish: coarse sugar

Combine the ingredients in a blender with cup ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and garnish with a half kiwi slice. If desired, coat the rim of the glass with sugar.

If you do not like the flavor of rum or tequila, there are plenty of other recipes to try, a popular one that I like is the Banana Strawberry Smoothie.

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

2 oz banana liqueur

1 large banana sliced

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 cups frozen vanilla yogurt

Blend these ingredients together as above and serve in a highball glass.

If you do not feel like the fruity cocktails that are usually on offer over summer you could try the coffee flavor of the Iced Coffee Cocktail.

Iced Coffee Cocktail

1 oz coffee liqueur

2 oz coffee

1 oz pouring cream

2 tsp sugar

1 cup ice cubes

Combine all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a highball glass, but beware this cocktail is seriously addictive!

Let your imagination run wild this summer and try your favorite cocktail recipes with added ice and convert them to frozen. If the usual recipe calls for all spirits or mixers such as juices and soft drinks then add ice and blend them together. If the usual recipe calls for milk, cream or half n’ half then turn it into a frozen recipe by adding ice cream and blend.

Cocktails are fun and creating frozen ones can become addictive, as well as refreshing.