Celebrating Independence Day gives us all an excuse to day drink. From patriotic pours to refreshing lemonade, pineapple, and strawberry flavors, to batch drinks that let you play host instead of bartender, we’ve got your fourth figured out.
Jello Shots
If you don’t have red, white, and blue Jello shots for the fourth, you’re doing it wrong. Our recipe layers strawberry or cherry Jello, unflavored gelatin combined with creamy condensed milk, and blueberry Jello—all spiked with vodka, of course. Don’t feel like layering? Make individual red, white, and blue Jello shots with a surprise gummy bear in each one!
White Claw Slushies
White Claw hard seltzer stepped onto the scene last year and we are so down for another #WhiteClawSummer. This recipe for refreshing White Claw slushies comes from the great minds of TikTok. OOLA contributor Brittany Baxter calls it the “easiest, booziest, low-carb, low-calorie adult cocktail you can prepare at home.” All you need is three simple ingredients: White Claw, vodka, and frozen berries. For the fourth, we recommend pairing Lemon White Claw with strawberries and Tito’s vodka for a batch of red, then use blueberries to make another batch of blue.
Boozy Popsicles
Cool off and catch a buzz with frozen boozy popsicles! More of an oenophile? Try these DIY winesicle recipes!
Wine Slushies
Speaking of frosty vino, nothing says freedom like frosé, but we’ve rounded up seven other recipes for wine slushies here.
Red, White, and Blue Sangria
Our white sangria gets the star-spangled treatment when you sub out strawberries and blueberries for the sliced orange and peach wedges. If that’s too confusing, just use this recipe from Recipe Girl.
Shandies
Beer + lemonade = Shandy. For best results, use a light and fruity blonde or golden ale. Make it more sparkly by adding lemon Sanpellegrino or lemon-lime soda. A refreshing Radler or shandy is the epitome of summer sips. The lower alcohol content ensures you can drink all day and still be up for fireworks. Don’t feel like mixing all day? Just buy Leinenkugel’s Shandies—my favorite is the orange, but it can be hard to find since it is seasonal. Or if you’re going the Radler route, Stiegl Radler Grapefruit is the tatas.
Vodka Palmer
Make refreshingly delicious Arnold Palmers (half iced tea, half lemonade) for the teetotalers—or teatotalers if you will—then booze it up by adding vodka or go crazy and try bourbon instead.
Light n’ Sunny
You’ve heard of a Dark n’ Stormy—a close cousin of the Moscow Mule that combines dark rum with ginger beer, lime, and bitters—now get ready for the Light n’ Sunny. All it is is some ginger beer with a little lemonade on top, on the rocks or not. Contrary to the moniker, ginger beer is actually non-alcoholic, so to make this thirst-quenching beverage boozy, just add vodka.
Blue Hawaii
Aloha! Put the blue in red, white, and blue with this warm-weather sipper. This tropical cocktail was actually [invented](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlueHawaii(cocktail) specifically for blue Curaçao liqueur. Our recipe calls for coconut syrup, which you can skip by using Malibu coconut rum. Make a large batch with a liter of Malibu, a (750ml) bottle of blue curacao, one large (46oz) can of pineapple juice, and a bag of ice. Mix together in a punchbowl and serve in Hurricane glasses, garnished with a maraschino cherry on top.
Mermaid Lemonade
Blue Curacao is also the star of this siren sipper. Mermaid lemonade combines the orange-flavored, blue-tinted liqueur with white rum and lemonade, plus a maraschino cherry on top. This recipe is also good with vodka instead of white rum.
Red, White, and Blue Daiquiris
Swirl strawberry and banana daiquiris together and garnish with blueberries or mix half a cup of sugar with a few drops of blue food coloring for a blue sugar rim.
Cherry Bomb Mimosas
Take the juice from your maraschino cherries and combine it with pineapple juice and a bottle of bubbly for Cherry Bomb Mimosas.
Pineapple Rum Punch
Pineapple juice is popular in the summer months, and it pairs perfectly with ginger ale, of all things. Throw in some Malibu and you’ve got yourself a party! While it may not be the most patriotic, Pineapple Rum Punch is a perfect batch drink to whip up so all you have to do is pour, sip, and repeat. Just don’t repeat too many times or you’ll be cursing this sweet drink on the fifth of July.
Cherry Beergarita
This is another fun batch drink to make that tastes like a Coronarita and a cherry limeade procreated. Fake Ginger’s recipe for Cherry Beergaritas combines tequila and Corona beer with frozen limeade concentrate and cherry 7Up. Toss on a patriotic drink umbrella to make sure everyone knows that you’re ‘Merican.
Skinny Piña Colada
Real piña coladas are so delicious, yet so caloric. These skinny piña coladas sub coconut water for coconut cream, so you can have one for each hand. I like to add a little effervescence to mine with a squirt of Sprite.
Margaritas
Our frozen strawberry margaritas will get you star-spangled hammered, but our watermelon margarita on the rocks is the most refreshing cocktail you’ll ever try.
