Red, White and Blue Cocktails for Holidays

Patriotic Celebrations for Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day

Jul 1, 2009

Summers in the United States start and end with patriotic holidays, with the big daddy of them all, Independence Day, sandwiched in between.

Americans love themed celebrations on their holidays, and so what could be more perfect than red, white and blue cocktails? That's really more easily translated to red, clear, and blue cocktails, since an actual white cocktail is a little more difficult to come by, but it's the same principle.

Recipes for Red Cocktails

Scarlet O'Hara

Pour the Southern Comfort into an ice-filled collins glass, and add a dash of lime juice. Top off with cranberry juice, and garnish with a lime wedge.

Sapphire Cranberry Lime

This cocktail is a signature drink from Bombay Sapphire Gin. It's cool and easy, a great combination for summer gatherings.

Stir the gin and lime juice with ice to chill, then strain into a glass of fresh ice. Top off with cranberry juice.

Recipes for Clear Cocktails

Tom Collins

The Tom Collins is one of the most classic gin cocktails known. And since the gin can be shared between the Collins and the Sapphire Cranberry Lime, it decreases the number of ingredients needed for the bar. The goal is easy entertaining!

Combine the gin, lemon juice and sugar in a shaker half-filled with ice, and shake to chill. Strain into a collins glass filled with fresh ice, and top off with club soda. Serve garnished with a maraschino cherry and an orange slice.

If the Tom Collins seems a little too fussy, why not substitute the Gin & Tonic instead? The most common ratio would be 1 part gin to about 5 parts tonic water, but adjust to taste. Serve garnished with a lime wedge.

Recipes for Blue Cocktails

The final piece of the themed puzzle is a blue cocktail. While blue cocktails may not leap immediately to mind, there are quite a few options. In fact, almost any clear drink can be turned blue with a dash of blue curacao, although it may or may not be a good flavor combination. These suggested recipes also use gin, again to make it easy to set up a minimally stocked bar.

Blue Moon Cocktail

Stir the gin and blue curacao with ice to chill, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serve garnished with a twist of lemon peel. Note: To turn this cocktail into a tall drink, combine the gin and blue curacao with ice in a tall glass, and top off with club soda.

Blue Lagoon Cocktail

Combine the blue curacao, gin, and lemon juice in a shaker with ice and shake until cold. Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice, and top off with lemonade. Serve garnished with a slice a lemon, a slice of lime, and a maraschino cherry.

The copyright of the article Red, White and Blue Cocktails for Holidays in Cocktails is owned by Angie Rayfield. Permission to republish Red, White and Blue Cocktails for Holidays in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.