Celebrate Independence Day with these festive red, white and blue cocktails for your sipping pleasure.
Red
We’re turning the traditional Italian Bellini on its ear, using a summer seasonal favorite, cherries. Cherry-Meyer Lemon Bellinis are a simple and refreshing addition to any summertime soiree, and the festive red makes it the perfect start to our Independence Day celebrations. Cheers!
Cherry-Meyer Lemon Bellini
- ½ pound of pitted cherries (2 cups)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 oz. fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
- 1 ½ bottle of brut Champagne (or Prosecco)
Puree cherries in a food processor. Pass the puree through a fine strainer, pushing on the solid mash—this should give you a ½ cup of cherry juice. Put cherry juice in a small saucepan and stir in sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate until chilled.
In a large pitcher, stir cherry and Meyer lemon juice together. Slowly pour in Champagne. Serve in a Champagne flute over ice.
An IBA Official Cocktail, the White Lady is a classic evening sip for the sophisticate. Known by many names (Delilah, Chelsea Side-car, Lillian Forever), the White Lady is essentially a Sidecar
made with gin instead of brandy and some avian extras, an egg white. The egg white gives the drink that frothy texture and white appearance, but also means a bit more elbow grease is needed on the shaker.
White Lady
- 2 oz. Plymouth Gin
- ½ oz. Cointreau
- ½ oz. lemon juice
- 1 egg white
Add all ingredients in a shaking tin over cracked ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
and Blue!
Wrapping the Red, White and Blue festivities is the Blue Lagoon, an adult version of lemonade with an aqua hue.
Blue Lagoon
- 1 ½ oz. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
- 1 ½ oz. Blue Curaçao
- Lemonade
Fill a highball glass with ice cubes. Add vodka and Curaçao and top with lemonade; stir well. Garnish with an orange slice or get fancy with a lemon twist.
Tools of the Trade
Become a master mixologist, or at least look like one, with the tools that make the trade.
- Muddler: This little tenderizing stick is a godsend and a must for any home bar. If fruity cocktails are in your future, the muddler is the only way to unlock fruits’ flavor.
- Handheld Citrus Juicer: Nothing beats freshly squeezed juice, but it can be a pain. Invest in a handheld citrus juicer; they are cheap and do the trick tout de suite.
- Cocktail Shaker: Don’t be a chump stirring your martini like a noob; purchase a nice shaker and become a master home barkeep.
- Jigger: This little apparati will make mixing the perfect drink as easy as pie. It’s equipped with 1½ oz. and 1 oz. cups for perfectly measured pours every time.
*Pictured available at Williams-Sonoma
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