Fourth of July cocktails celebrating the red, white, and blue

Michelle Leon

It's your patriotic duty to drink this

If ever a holiday was worthy of its own cocktails, Fourth of July is the clear winner. On a day spent sitting on blankets in the grass with friends and family with a cooler full of snacks and brewskis--not to mention the fireworks overhead--Fourth of July rocks. And so we wanted to share a couple of libations to celebrate the occasion, and, of course, they had to be red, white, and blue.

Red, White, & Blue Cocktail

2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce Cointreau
1 pint strawberries, chopped
balsamic vinegar
sugar
splash of fresh squeezed lemon juice
splash of simple syrup

In a bowl muddle strawberries with balsamic vinegar and sugar to taste. Put 3 Tbsp. of the mixture in the bottom of a chilled martini glass with a sugared rim. Shake remaining ingredients with ice. Strain into your glass and add a few drops of blue curacao.

Based on a recipe from Molyvos in NYC

Blue Basil Fizz

Red, White & Blue

Blue Basil Fizz
6 blueberries
4 blackberries
3 leaves basil
*splash Homemade Sour Mix (see below)
1 ounce Chambord
3 to 4 ounces prosecco, well chilled
sprig basil for garnish

In a heavy glass, add the blueberries, blackberries, basil and Homemade Sour Mix. Muddle until the mixture is very pulpy and fragrant. Pour it into a tall Collins-style glass. Add the Chambord and fill three-quarters with ice. Top off with prosecco and garnish with the sprig of basil.

*Homemade sour mix
1 cup sugar
1 cup combination of fresh lime juice and lemon juice

Add 1 cup water and the sugar to a non-reactive 2-quart pot and bring to a boil. Let cool slightly, then add the lemon-lime juice and stir. Let cool. then pour through a funnel into a sterilized bottle. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe by Maria Hunt, a.k.a. the Bubbly Girl

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry Cobbler
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
1 small lime wedge
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 ounces gin
2 ounces chilled club soda

In a cocktail shaker, muddle 15 of the blueberries with the lime wedge and sugar. Add the gin and ice and shake well. Strain into a highball glass half-filled with ice, top with the club soda and garnish with the remaining blueberries.
Recipe from No. 9 Park, Boston
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