JULY 4TH INSPIRED COCKTAILS TO CELEBRATE OUR FREEDOM!

It's July 4th weekend people!  You know what that means!

Fireworks, live tunes and BBQs!  Americans don't need an excuse to party, but what better way to celebrate Independence Day, then with a festive cocktail!  THE WANNA has created the perfect list of fruity, bubbly, sweet and sour summer drinks that will help make any holiday celebration memorable!  Cheers!

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RED, WHITE AND BLUE CHAMPAGNE

Tina Haupert/Health Magazine

Ingredients:

7 ounces of extra dry or brut champagne

1/2 ounce Grand Marnier

1/2 ounce pomegranate juice

Fresh blueberries

Preparation:

Pour champagne into a glass. Add Grand Marnier and pomegranate juice. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

See full recipe here.

WATERMELON SPARKLER PUNCH

InStyle

Ingredients:

750 ml Nolet's Silver Dry Gin

750 ml bottles sparkling Sake (about 2½)

24 oz. Watermelon juice

375 ml Lemon juice

375 ml Agave nectar

Watermelon chunks

Preparation:

1. Add all ingredients, except Sake, to a punch bowl. Stir well to ensure agave liquefies with other contents (shake or blend agave and lemon juice together with ice if necessary).

2. Refrigerate to chill and top with sparkling sake prior to serving.

See full recipe at #7, here.

STAR-SPANGLED SANGRIA

Stephanie via Simply Swider

Ingredients:

pineapple

strawberries

blueberries

4 oz vodka

2 oz triple sec

1 bottle of white wine

2 oz of simply syrup

6 oz of sparkling wine

Preparation:

Mix the fruit with the vodka and triple sec and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. To get the star-shaped pineapple, trim the skin of the pineapple then slice it into large rounds. Then simply stick a metal star cookie cutter into the center of each round to cut out the shape.  You can put as little or as much fruit in as you want. For this particular recipe I loaded up on the fruit. When you are ready to serve the Sangria, mix the wine and simple syrup together then add in the fruit/liquor combo.  Top with the sparkling wine.  To serve, add ice to the bottom of a glass fill up the rest of the glass with fruit then pour the sangria on top and enjoy!

See full recipe here.

ALL-AMERICAN DAIQUIRI

Chilled Magazine

Ingredients:

2.25 oz Wild Shot Silver Mezcal

1 oz Coconut Rum

.25 oz Triple Sec

.25 oz Pineapple Juice

1 cup Piña Colada Mix

1 cup Strawberry Daiquiri Mix

1.25 cups Crushed Ice

Preparation:

In a blender with ice, add Wild Shot Silver, Malibu Rum, Triple Sec, pineapple juice and piña colada mix.  Blend until thick.  Pour half of blender in separate glass, then add Strawberry Daiquiri Mix to blender.  Blend until mixed and pour blended strawberry mix into mason jar.  Add the separate glass of blended product to the mason jar.

Garnish:

Blue Curacao, whipped cream, cherry.

See full recipe here.

FIRECRACKER PUNCH

Boulder Locavore

Ingredients:

3 cups Cherry Cider, naturally-flavored

1 cup Peach Nectar, naturally-flavored*

½ cup Lime Juice, freshly squeezed (approximately 4 limes)+

12 ounces Ginger Ale (1 can), chilled

50 Baking Cinnamon Imperials (about ¾ of a bottle; found with the baking supplies)

Lemon-infused Vodka

Preparation:

Combine the juice and cinnamon imperials.  Stir until the imperials have fully dissolved.  Add the Ginger Ale before serving.  Note: to speed up punch readiness, have juices chilled before combining with the rest of the ingredients.

 Add Lemon-flavored vodka (homemade or purchased).  One half ounce to one ounce per serving depending on serving size.

See full recipe here.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE STRAWBERRY JELLO SHOTS

Tablespoon

Ingredients:

50 extra-large strawberries (about 2 large cartons)

1 package (3 oz) Jell-O™ blue berry

1 cup water

2 envelopes (1.4 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin (about 2.5 teaspoons)

1/2 cup milk or cream or coconut milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup flavored (or plain) vodka, divided

Preparation:

Slice off the bottoms of the strawberries to allow them to stand upright. When you do so, make sure not to cut off so much that there is a hole—the slightest hole will make the gelatin leak out of the berries. Use a paring knife or small spoon to hollow out the strawberries as much as possible.

Place 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Add the blue gelatin and mix to combine the gelatin. Sprinkle 1 envelope of unflavored powdered gelatin on top, let sit for 60 seconds. Mix to combine and then turn on heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat.

Pour half of the berry blue gelatin (1/2 cup) into a 1/2 cup of the vodka. Set aside.

Place 1/2 cup milk, cream or coconut milk into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin on top and let sit for 60 seconds. Mix to combine and then turn on medium-high heat. Add 1/2-cup of sugar. Bring to a simmer and make sure that the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Pour the white gelatin mixture into the remaining 1/2 cup of the vodka. Set aside at room temperature. Do not place somewhere cold, stir it every 10 minutes or so while you are on the next step.

Using a spoon, carefully pour the blue gelatin into the strawberries. Fill only halfway. Refrigerate for about 45-60 minutes or until the gelatin is semi-set (firm but still sticky).

Fill the rest of the hollowed strawberry with the white gelatin mixture. Refrigerate for at 3-4 hours.

When fully set, slowly slice each strawberry in half from the top down. Place them on mini sticks or skewers. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Trademarks referred to herein are the properties of their respective owners.

See full recipe here.

PATRIOTIC PANNA COTTA SHOOTERS

SprinkleBakes

Ingredients:

6 oz. grenadine syrup

1/2 tsp. powdered gelatin

1 tbsp. cold water

1 cup lite coconut milk

1/2 cup half and half

3 tbsp.  sugar

1 tsp. coconut extract

3 oz. blue curaçao

Wilton gold star edible glitter, or other star-shaped sprinkles

Preparation:

Pour 1 oz. of grenadine into six 3 oz. clear glasses.  Freeze grenadine solid, and keep glasses stored in freezer until panna cotta portion is ready.

In a small condiment cup, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the cold water and let stand until absorbed. Set aside.

Combine the coconut milk, half and half and sugar in a saucepan.  Heat the mixture until just boiling. 

Microwave the gelatin mixture for 7-10 seconds, until melted and liquid.  Remove the milk mixture from heat source and whisk in melted gelatin. Add coconut extract. Allow mixture to cool significantly.

Remove glasses of frozen grenadine from freezer and very slowly pour in 2 oz. of cooled coconut panna cotta into each glass. A little red from the grenadine may bleed into the white panna cotta, but as it stands the red should settle back down to the bottom. Refrigerate glasses until panna cotta is set and grenadine layer has completely thawed. Just before serving pour over 1/2 oz. blue curaçao and sprinkle with edible star glitter.

See full recipe here.

Enjoy!

Ya Know You Wanna!

THE WANNA wants to hear from you!

What are your July 4th plans?