Fourth of July Party Drinks!
The 4th of July is the ultimate all ages, all-day outdoor party featuring a smorgasbord of all things red, white, and blue. Here are some fun drinks for kids and grown-ups to enjoy throughout the day.
Red Velvet Cupshakes
I love me some red velvet cake, and of course it's the perfect color for a 4th of July treat. Since we're right in the middle of summer, I came up with a twist on the traditional red velvet routine that will cool off any crowd and satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.
This recipe makes twelve mini-shakes.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 ½ Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 oz red food coloring
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp baking soda
For the shakes:
- 12 cupcakes (see above)
- 1 gallon vanilla ice cream
- 1 quart cream cheese
- ½ gallon milk
- 2 oz vanilla extract
- Red food coloring (optional)
- Light rum (optional)
For garnish:
- Whipped cream
- Red velvet cupcake crumbs
- Blueberries
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Grease twelve cupcake cups or line with paper liners
- Cream softened butter and sugar together until fluffy
- Add eggs and blend well
- In a separate small bowl, combine cocoa powder and food coloring and stir - once you have a thick paste, add to mixture
- Sift flour and salt together into mixture
- Add buttermilk to mixture
- In a separate small bowl combine vinegar and baking soda - fold into cake mixture
- Pour batter into cupcake cups
- Bake fifteen to twenty minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean
- Let cool for ten minutes, then turn out onto wrack and cool completely
Timesaver: buy your fave red velvet mix and knock these out in a few minutes!
For each shake:
- Reserve a few cupcake crumbs for garnish
- Blend one cupcake in a blender with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, three tablespoons of cream cheese, half a cup of milk, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, and one to two drops of food coloring (if desired)
- To adulterize these babies (new word!), add a shot or two of light rum to your mixture in the blender
- Blend more or less, depending on whether you want to see cake pieces in your shake or prefer the cake totally blended in
- Pour the blended mixture into small glasses or shot glasses, and top with a dollop of whipped cream, a few crumbles of red velvet cupcake, and a bluberry
- If you have cute, striped paper straws in red and white or blue and white stripes, cut them in half, and place in your mini-milkshakes.
Rose Berry Sangria
Sangria is my favorite summer adult beverage. It's so refreshing. And, my favorite summer wine is a chilled rosé. So why not combine the two to make a 4th of July, summer fresh Rosé Berry Sangria?
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup cre¨me de cassis
- 1 1/2 cups mixed berries such as raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries
- 1 (750-ml) bottle chilled rose wine
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 bottle club soda
- Mint leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients (except mint leaves and club soda) and let soak in the fridge for a couple of hours
- Right before you serve, add 1/2 cup club soda
- Pour over ice, garnish with a mint leaf, and enjoy!
Berry Ice Cubes
This is an easy way to fancy up any drink from club soda to sprite!
Ingredients
- Berries
- Water
- Sprite, club soda, or sparkling water
Instructions
- Fill up an ice cube tray with water
- Drop a berry into each compartment in the tray
- Freeze and add berry cubes to water or sprite
Kool-Aid Cubes
These are a simple and sweet treat for the kiddies. Just fill an ice tray with different flavors of Kool-Aid, like cherry or tropical punch, freeze overnight, and add the Kool-Aid cubes to sprite or sparkling water. Your kids will love these even more if you use novelty ice trays with fun shapes like stars or circus animals.
Voila ....red, white, and blue beverages for all!
Tomorrow I'll share some ideas for 4th of July food, so stay tuned! What kind of drinks do you plan to serve this weekend?
12 comments
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LOVE the berry ice cube ideas. With summer right around the corner too.
Thanks for the idea!
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I am going to be frezzing the berries for cubes. I often make Sangria for parties. That way when the ice melts you have some extra friut. Love the idea!
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Wait, wait wait!!!! JUST saw these berry ice cubes on the Vanessa and Nick Lache Wedding special!! They had them at her bridal shower! L.O.V.E.
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I'm at a extremely small Air Force station in the middle of no-where Northern North Dakota and we have a couple potlucks a month. I love getting new ideas for our parties. I'm going to make a pitcher of your Sangia for the next one. Keep up the good work! It's much appreciated.
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What great ideas! I also recently saw a recipe for jello shots that you actually make in the middle of a strawberry! You just make a regular batch of jello shots with what ever spirits you choose, use a pairing knife to hollow out the middle of the strawberry and then place them in a muffin tin or ice cube tray in the "up right" position. Then spoon in the jello shot mixture and chill till firm! It was such a clever idea!!!!
The ice cubes that you show are wonderful! They might be cute any time of year!
Great ideas Tori!
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Red Velvet cup shakes! sound amazing! I can not wait to try them! going home to bake them up now!
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