The wave of the flag, the smell of barbecue, the pop of the fireworks…these All-American nostalgic ingredients make up an ideal Fourth of July holiday. With family and friends around to celebrate our country, you may want to red white and blue it up in some unique ways. We’ve scoured for the best cocktail, dessert, and treat recipes out there for the most festive and taste-worthy choices:
The Patriotic Margarita
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. HPNOTIQ
1 pkg frozen strawberries
2 tbsp. dark rum
2 tbsp. coconut milk
2 tbsp. pineapple juice
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 c. crushed ice
Directions:
- Puree package of frozen strawberries until it is a smooth consistency
- Blend all ingredients EXCEPT for HPNOTIQ in a blender until smooth
- First pour 2-4 tbsps. HYPNOTIQ into glass, then pour red puree over (2-4 tbsp.)
- Top with a little extra coconut milk, ice shavings, or rim the glass with salt for a white stripe
U.S. Flag Pops
Ingredients:
French Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 – 1 cup Passion-Orange-Guava juice
1 cup frozen blueberries
Popsicle molds or paper cups
Popsicle sticks
Directions:
Raspberry-Strawberry Puree
- Blend the ingredients until a smooth juice forms.
- Leave some chunks of fruit if desired.
- Working with one Popsicle mold at a time, pour the raspberry-strawberry puree in to half of the mold.
- Stir in a few frozen blueberries.
- Insert the Popsicle sticks and place the molds in the freezer for an hour or until the puree starts to harden.
- Remove the Popsicle sticks and pour softened vanilla ice cream into the rest of the Popsicle mold.
- Stir in a few frozen blueberries.
- Insert the Popsicle sticks and place the molds back in the freezer.
- Let the Popsicles freeze for several hours or until they are completely frozen.
Patriotic Popcorn
Ingredients:
Plain popcorn
White chocolate morsels
Red nonpareils
Edible star confetti
All red M&M’s
Directions:
- Pop popcorn like usual, while melting white chocolate pieces in a saucepan on the stove
- Lay out kernels on a cookie sheet evenly
- Pour melted white chocolate all over the popcorn and mix well
- Sprinkle on nonpareils and confetti while chocolate is still wet
- Let set and dry completely before adding in red M&M’s
- Serve in a red or blue bucket or patriotic looking dish for more flair
4th of July Rocket Dogs
Ingredients:
Hot dogs
Prepared breadstick dough
Cheese of choice, cubed
Ketchup
Mustard
Skewers
Directions:
- Wrap uncooked hotdogs in uncooked breadstick dough
- Skewer the dogs all the way through, leaving extra at the top for your cheese
- Bake dog according to the dough’s instructions
- Let cool slightly, add cheese and stripe the dog with ketchup and mustard
4th of July Creme Filled Strawberries
Ingredients:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Apricot preserve
Whipped cream
Vodka
Directions:
- Hollow out each strawberry and cut the bottom tips off so they can balance on a flat surface without falling
- Use this ratio for Vodka to Whipped Cream: every one cup of cream gets 2 tbsp of vodka – mix
- Fill each strawberry with the cream mixture
- Heat apricot preserve in the microwave or in a saucepan slightly
- Toss blueberries in apricot sauce
- Top each strawberry with one glazed blueberry
Happy 4th of July, everyone!
