The Fourth of July, aka America’s birthday, isn’t all just firecrackers, parades, and those oddly satisfying glow-worm, snake things.
Nope, I have questions! And no, I’m not wondering who actually discovered Plymouth Rock nor am I stuck on how those damn snakes work (I’m totally stumped).
The biggest thing I want to know about summer’s favorite holiday? The most popular drink on the 4th of July! Why? Because, and quite Benjamin Frankly—I want to see my tip jar light up like fireworks.
With the help of Local Bartending School, I’ve compiled a list of perfectly patriotic recipes to do just that—fill your tip jar so it’s exploding like a sparkler.
This list of the best Fourth of July cocktails is fit for all of anyone behind the bar whether you’re bartending an event (‘tis the season for backyard cookouts aplenty) or any July party you’re in charge of.
Let’s light these July cocktails up, already!
Red, White, and Bartender Boozy July 4th Cocktail Recipes
1. Watermelon Margarita
I know what you’re thinking…
Margaritas aren’t innately patriotic. But watermelons and adult slushies sure are.
Ditch the jalapeño in this recipe, plop a few blueberries for garnish, and, boom! Your guests can now enjoy the colors of the flag in one refreshing sip.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce tequila
- 1 slice jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 2 ounces cut watermelon
- .25 ounce lime juice
- Lime wedges, garnish
- Sea salt rims, optional
Instructions
- Make a jalapeño-infused tequila. This step can be skipped if you are not using the jalapeño. Infuse with blueberries instead!
- Blend the watermelon with lime juice and ice in a blender until smooth.
- Prep your serving glass with a salt rim and ice. Pour in watermelon juice and tequila. Stir to combine and serve!
2. Uncle Sam’s Sangria
Another drink not from the United States is sangria! But what makes this drink perfectly patriotic is its shareable qualities and star-spangled fruit bits.
Suggest a glass, maybe even a pitcher or two to your big groups. It’s quick to batch and serve if you’re running a high-volume bar operation.
Don’t forget your patriotic garnishes!
Ingredients (This recipe is designed for pitcher, or as a batched recipe.)
- 2-3 cups mixed berries
- 1 bottle Pinot Grigio, or white wine of choice
- .5 cup Pomegranate juice
- .5 cup citrus flavored vodka
- 16 oz bottle of lemon-lime soda
Instructions
- Strawberry slices and blueberries should be added to a large pitcher. Mix in vodka, juice, and wine. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or until it’s time to serve.
- Before serving, add chilled lemon-lime soda to the pitcher and mix well. Then pour into glasses over fresh rocks and garnish with fruit.
3. Red, White, and Blue Jello Shots
Blue cocktails are fun but red white and blue jello shots are even better.
Quick to make, and even quicker to serve, these will be a blast at your bar.
Ingredients
- 6-ounce package strawberry jello
- 2.5 cup blueberry vodka
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 6-ounce package berry blue jello
- Whipped cream
- Red, white, and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix strawberry jello and 2.5 cups hot water. Combine well. Whisk 1 cup of blueberry vodka into the mixture. Then, stir. Fill your shot glasses a third of the way full. Refrigerate for 60-90 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin with 1.5 cups hot water. Mix well until dissolved. Then, add sweetened condensed milk. Stir again. Fill your shot glasses tho-thirds. Chill for 60-90 minutes.
- Next, mix blue jello and 2.5 cups of hot water. Stir until gelatin dissolves. Pour in 1.5 cups blueberry vodka. Combine. With the blue mix, top your shot glasses. Set for another hour or so.
- As soon as they’re set, garnish with whipped cream and sprinkles for a bit of patriotic flair.
4. Firecracker Daiquiri
This fiery red daiquiri screams summer with strawberries and lemon. But don’t let the name fool you, there are no firecrackers anywhere near this drink. That’s just a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Ingredients
- 6-8 frozen strawberries
- 1 tsp agave
- 4-6 ice cubes
- 3 oz rum
- 7-8 ounces fresh strawberry lemonade
Instructions
- Blend everything in a blender. Pour into a hurricane glass, garnish, and serve.
5. Fourth of July Cocktail
It’s blue, and if it were green it would die. Because it’s not St. Patty’s day, it’s the Fourth of July and no drink on earth screams Fourth of July like this cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce blue curacao
- 1 ounce peach schnapps
- 1 ounce clear rum
- 3-4 ounces club soda
- 1 maraschino cherry
Instructions
- Add ice to a highball glass. Then combine blue curacao, peach schnapps, and clear rum. Stir in club soda until combined. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
6. Blueberry Coconut Sparkler
Sparklers are a crowd favorite for the Fourth of July. Not the fireworks—the drink! Duh, let’s stay focused here. This is all about the booze, baby!
Whip up a couple of these Blueberry Coconut Sparklers to cool off your hot bar top.
Ingredients
- 0.75 cups fresh blueberries
- .25 ounce lemon juice
- 1.75 ounce coconut rum
- Ginger ale
- Coconut flakes, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Muddle the blueberries. Stir in the lemon juice and coconut rum. Remove the blueberry skins from the mixture using a fine mesh strainer. Mix in the ginger ale gently. Garnish the rim of glasses with coconut flakes (optional). Serve over fresh rocks.
7. Raspberry and Lemon Rosé Sparkler
Get your bartop feeling bubbly about the country’s birthday. Carrying on with the sparkler theme, but this time with raspberry, lemon, and rosé.
Ingredients (This recipe is designed for pitcher, or as a batched recipe.)
- 1 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 bottle sparkling rosé, chilled
- Sliced lemons and raspberries, for serving
Instructions
- In a pitcher, muddle raspberries with sugar and lemon juice. Fill the pitcher with sparkling rose wine. Pour over ice and garnish with lemon slices and raspberries.
What is the most patriotic drink?
Though we may never know the truth behind the discovery of the United States, we can hunt down exactly what the most patriotic is.
Reports show that Americans spend almost 2 BILLION dollars on beer, just beer, on the Fourth of July. That, my friends, takes the mystery out of everything. Beer is the most patriotic drink. Homer Simpson would be proud.
Find Other Summer Cocktails for Independence Day at Your Local Bartending School!
The sippin’ doesn’t end just because this list is! Check out these other summer cocktails you can whip up for The Fourth and throughout the season.
Explode Your Bartending Career
We get it… July drinks can be all over the place. One regular may crave a simple, cold beer and the next group of 4th of July partiers may want jello shots. No matter what type of guest America’s birthday brings you, be ready with the help of nationally-recognized instructors at Local Bartending School. Introductory and flair courses are now open for enrollment!
