Fourth of July is on Thursday, July 4. If you're looking to serve up patriotic cocktails and BBQ to guests flocking into your bar or restaurant for happy hour, a break from the grill, or to watch fireworks displays, we've rounded up a collection of 4th of July recipes perfect for the holiday.
4th of July Cocktail Recipes
NOLET’S Silver Berry Independent Punch
*Makes 10-12 cocktails
Ingredients:
1.5 cups NOLET’S Silver Gin
0.5 cup Chambord Liqueur
0.5 cup Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
2.5 cups Lemonade
0.25-0.5 cup Simple Syrup
1 cup Blackberries or Blueberries
1 cup Strawberries
1 cup Raspberries
Directions:
- Puree fruit in blender and strain out solids or juice fresh berries in a juicer.
- Mix berry juice with NOLET’S Silver Gin, Chambord, and Maraschino Liqueur with lemonade in a large pitcher or punchbowl.
- Taste for sweetness and adjust with simple syrup as needed.
- Add ice to the mixture, and serve over ice with fruit or floral garnish in a rocks glass.
Americano
Ingredients:
1 oz Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Bitter Vermouth
1 oz Martini & Rossi Riserva Speciale Rubino Vermouth
3oz Soda Water
Directions:
- Pour all ingredients into a high ball glass over ice.
- Stir gently and garnish with an orange wedge.
4th of July Pop Rock Bushwacker
Ingredients:
3 oz of Bushwacker Rum Cream
2 oz Raspberry liquor
1 packet of Blue Razz Pop Rocks
1 packet of Strawberry Pop Rocks
1 Lime wedge
Directions:
- Fill a shaker with ice and add Bushwacker Rum Cream, and Raspberry Liquor; shake.
- Spread Pop Rocks out on a plate.
- Cut a slit across the lime wedge and slide it around the rim of your glass.
- Dip the rim of the glass into lime juice and then into Pop Rocks.
- Fill the glass half full with ice and strain the Bushwacker mixture into the glass.
Frozen Cosmo
Ingredients:
1 part Reyka Vodka
2 parts Cranberry juice
1 part fresh lime juice
1.75 parts simple syrup (1:1)
1.75 parts water
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients into ice cup and place in the freezer.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Ingredients:
1.5 parts Monkey Shoulder
3 parts Dr. Pepper
Small handful of honey roasted peanuts
Directions:
- Chill a bottle of Monkey Shoulder and a bottle of Dr. Pepper in your cooler.
- Add a handful of nuts in the bottom of a glass.
- Combine ingredients with ice.
Coconut Blood Orange Margarita
Ingredients:
2 oz Dulce Vida Organic Blanco Tequila
2 oz Blood Orange Juice
1 oz Cream of Coconut
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
Garnish: Blood Orange Wheel, Tahin rim
Directions:
- To create a Tahin rim, take a lime wedge and run the juicy part along the rim of the glass. Fill a small plate with Tahin and dip the rim of the glass into the spice until it is covered with your desired amount. Set aside.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, blood orange juice, cream of coconut, lime juice and ice.
- Shake until chilled.
- Strain into a final glass filled with ice and garnish with a blood orange wheel and a dash of Tahin.
Watermelon Jack-O-Lantern
Ingredients:
2 Parts The Kraken Gold Spiced Rum
6 Parts Fresh Watermelon Juice
1 Part Lime Juice
1 Part Orange Liqueur
Garnishes: Lime
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients inside watermelon.
- Add ice, stir and pour into glass.
- Garnish and enjoy.
Photo: Coconut Cartel
Miami Tai
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Coconut Cartel Blanco Rum
.5 oz Coconut Cartel Añejo Rum
.75 oz orange curaçao
.75 oz fresh lime juice
.5 oz orgeat syrup
Mint for Garnish
Lime for garnish
Directions:
- Shake all ingredients except Coconut Cartel Añejo Rum with ice.
- Strain over fresh ice in a double rocks glass.
- Float Coconut Cartel Añejo Rum over the top.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel or wedge.
Chocolate Cake Shot
Ingredients:
1 part Frangelico
1 part SKYY Citrus Vodka
Lemon Wedge
Sugar
Directions:
- Run the slice of lemon around the edge of a shot glass.
- Dip the edge of the glass and lemon in sugar.
- Combine Frangelico and vodka in shot glass.
- Serve with a sugar coated lemon wedge.
Summer Thyme-Out
Ingredients:
1 oz. Hendricks Gin
3 oz. The Perfect Purée White Peach Puree, thawed
2 oz. sparkling water or cucumber dry soda
1 oz. lemon juice
Sprig of thyme
Slice of peach (garnish)
Directions:
- In a shaker, muddle 1 sprig of thyme.
- Add ingredients except sparkling water.
- Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass over ice and add sparkling water.
- Garnish with a peach slice and a sprig of thyme.
Fragaria Martini
Ingredients:
1.5 oz Revivalist Garden Gin
0.5 oz Strawberry liqueur
0.75 oz Lemon juice
1 tsp (5g) Strawberry jam
Fresh strawberry slice
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to shaker with ice to the top.
- Shake hard for 10 seconds.
- Double strain into chilled coupe glass.
4th of July BBQ Recipes
Suya Spiced Chicken Kabobs w/ Duke & Dame Peach BBQ sauce
*5-6 servings
Ingredients:
2 - 3 lbs. Chicken thighs, cleaned and cut into 2” cubed
¼ cp Vegetable oil
3 Tb Duke & Dame Whiskey
3 Tb Suya spice mix
Suya Spice Mix:
1 Tb Onion powder
1 Tb Garlic powder
2 Tb Smoked paprika
2 Tb Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Ground Allspice
½ cp Ground roasted peanuts
1 Tb Ground ginger
3 ea. Maggi bouillon cubes, crushed finely
Long wooden skewers, soaked in water
Peach BBQ sauce:
2 Tb Butter
1 ea. Medium onion, large diced
2 ea. Cloves garlic, smashed
½ ea. Scotch Bonnet pepper
2 ea. 15 oz cans of ripe peaches or 6-8 medium ripe peaches, large diced
1 cp Orange juice
3 cps Duke & Dame whiskey
½ cp Ketchup
2 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cps Light brown sugar
2 ea. Cinnamon sticks
4-6 ea. Fresh thyme sprigs tied with twine
3 ea. Dried bay leaves or 2 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp Ground cumin
2 Tb Ground ginger
1 Tb Garlic powder
1 Tb Onion powder
1 Tb Chili powder
Salt & pepper
Directions:
For the Suya Spice Mix:
-
Place all ingredients for spice mix in a bowl and mix well. Store in airtight container.
For the peach BBQ sauce
-
Add butter to medium sauce pan on medium heat. Add onion, garlic and scotch bonnet pepper and Sautee for 3 - 4 minutes while stirring. Add the peaches. If canned, use the liquid as well.
-
Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Allow liquid to come to a boil then reduce heat to a high simmer. Allow liquid to cook for about 30 minutes.
-
Remove tied thyme sprig, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Using a hand blender or blender, puree ingredients until smooth. Allow mixture to cook on simmer for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
For the chicken:
-
Place chicken in large bowl. Mix the oil and duke and dame together then pour over the chicken. Rub all over to get all pieces coated. Season generously with Suya spice rub. Cover with plastic film. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
-
Remove the marinated chicken from fridge. For skewers, add at least 3 pieces of chicken skewers are long enough.
-
Using a pan grill on medium heat, add a little oil; to coat the pan then add the skewers a few at a time. Grill the skewers about 3-4 minutes on all sides until done.
-
Brush the skewers with the BBQ sauce after they are removed from the heat.
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