20 Fourth of July-friendly cocktails worth preparing at home

With Fourth of July is right around the corner, here are some summer-ready cocktails

The first half of 2020 has not been easy for any of us, to say the least, with social distancing and self-quarantining still being the norm for many people. But when you’re keeping a home-based existence, there ought to be plenty of time and opportunities to utilize that home bar of yours for some top-tier cocktail recipes, especially for the Fourth of July.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner — as is the official kick-off of summer 2020 — and plenty of celebrating ought to be ahead. In turn, on behalf of Guilty Eats, I have gathered 20 cocktail recipes from a mix of top spirit brands and well-respected American mixologists.

Below are 20 summer-friendly cocktail recipes worth preparing at home on the Fourth of July:

Fiery Fieri

Emmy Award-winning chef and restaurateur Guy Fieri and legendary rocker and entrepreneur Sammy Hagar are the brains behind Santo Tequila. Fieri’s Fiery Fieri cocktail incorporates Santo Spirits’ Santo Tequila Blanco, while Hagar — who was referenced in my recent interview with Tommy Lee — also remains synonymous with the Cabo Wabo brand.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Santo Tequila Blanco
• 1 oz. Agave Nectar
• 1.5 oz. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 0.5 oz Guy Fieri Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce
• 2 Dashes  Angostura bitter
• Garnish:Full Rim Chipotle Chili Sugar Rim

Method:

• Rim 10oz glass with chipotle chili sugar blend, fill with ice and set aside.
• Fill mixing glass 2/3 with ice and add Santo Mezquila, agave nectar, lime juice, BBQ sauce, and Australian bitters.
• Cap mixing glass with shakertin and shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds.
• Strain contents from shaker tin into rimmed 10oz glass and serve.

Buchanan’s Citrus Solstice

This special cocktail was created by mixologist Eric Ribeiro, using Buchanan’s 18-Year-Old Special Reserve as a base.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Buchanan’s 18-Year-Old Special Reserve Blended Scotch Whisky
• 3/4 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
• 1/2 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz. Grenadine
• Fresh Mint Sprig for garnish

Method:

• Combine Buchanan’s 18-Year-Old Special Reserve, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice and grenadine into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well.
• Strain contents into a Coupe glass.
• Garnish with fresh mint sprig.

Summer Watermelon Sparkle

Few foods are more synonymous with summer dining than watermelon, making this CÎROC-based beverage especially 4th Of July-ready.

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. CÎROC Summer Watermelon
• 1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice
• 1 oz. Champagne to top
• 1/4 oz. Elderflower Liqueur if desired
• Watermelon Skin Twist for garnish

Method:

• Pour the CÎROC Watermelon and cranberry juice into a flute glass.
• Top with champagne.
• Garnish with a Watermelon skin twist.

Texas Mint Julep

Hand-crafted from corn-to-cork, one barrel at a time in Hye, Texas, Garrison Brothers makes award-winning bourbon.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 oz. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon
• 1 oz. mint infused simple syrup
• Garnish: Sprig of fresh mint

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in mixing tin with ice.
• Shake and strain over crushed ice into a julep glass.
• Garnish with that sprig of fresh mint.
• Serve and enjoy

Stonewall Cobbler

Also of note about the Garrison Brothers is its recent Operation Crush COVID-19 benefit campaign, in which customers had an opportunity to purchase the brand’s oldest and most prized bourbon, which had never been released before, Laguna Madre and the rare and beloved Honeydew. The fundraising goal for this campaign was $2 million dollars.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. Laird’s Applejack Brandy
• 3/4 oz. Peche Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Abricot Liqueur
• 1.5 oz. Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon

Method:

• Dry shake and pour over 1 large format ice cube in a rocks glass.
• Enjoy. Simple as that.

More summer-friendly cocktail recipes worth preparing at home for the Fourth of July:

Two To Mango

Crook & Marker’s new Spiked Teas, Spiked Lemonades and Spiked Coconut varieties can be enjoyed on their own but are also cocktail-ready.

Ingredients:

• Crook & Marker Coconut Mango Spiked & Sparkling – 11.5 oz. can
• Light rum – 1.5 oz.
• Grenadine – 1 tsp.

Method:

• Mix ingredients.
• Enjoy the drink.

Picnic Paloma

The earlier-mentioned Spiked Teas, Spiked Lemonades and Spiked Coconuts are USDA Organic and can be found sold in retail stores nationwide, including Target, Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, ABC Wine & Spirits, Total Wine & More, Publix and Giant Eagle.

Ingredients:

• Crook & Marker Watermelon Spiked Lemonade – 11.5 oz. can
• Tequila -1.5 oz.
• Crushed watermelon
• Ice

Method:

• Blend ice.
• Combine other ingredients with blended ice.
• Drink up.

North Coast Margarita

Humboldt’s Finest is California-made, hemp-infused vodka. Humboldt’s Finest uses locally-grown hemp to create a unique herbal flavor that is THC-free and legal in all 50 states.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Humboldt’s Finest Vodka
• 1.25 oz. Lime Juice
• 0.75 oz Agave Syrup
• 2 Slices Serrano Chili
• 2 Slices Cucumber
• Pinch of Salt

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin.
• Add ice and shake thoroughly.
• Double strain in a bucket or old fashioned glass half rimmed with salt.
• Add ice to top.
• Garnish with cucumber slice.

Green Gardens

The Humboldt Distillery also has a certified organic Spiced Rum on the market. Tastings and tours are offered on-site by appointment at the distillery’s Fortuna, California location.

Ingredients:

• 1.75 oz. Humboldt’s Finest Vodka
• .25 oz Green Chartreuse
• .75 oz Lime Juice
• .5 oz Simple Syrup
• 1/4 of a small yellow bell pepper
• Fresh oregano (3 leaves plus 1 stem for garnish)

Method:

• Add 1 heaping tbsp of chopped pepper to shaker and muddle well.
• Add 3 slightly smashed (use fingers, to release oils) oregano leaves, Humboldt’s Finest, Green Chartreuse, lime and simple syrup.
• Add ice and shake vigorously.
• Strain into a cocktail coupe.
• Garnish with oregano sprig and cut pepper wedge.

Mr. Pepper

Having scored 93 points at both the 2017 Utimate Spirits Challenge and a 2012 Wine Enthusiast Magazine rating, Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey is aged 6 to 7 years in oak barrels and finished with a hint of apple.

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Clyde May’s 85 Proof Alabama Style Whiskey
• 1 part simple syrup
• 1 part lemon juice
• 2-3 shakes of hot sauce
• 2-3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Method:

• Mix, whiskey as the base, and enjoy.

Clyde’s Alabama Slammer

Another great recipe using Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey, this one puts a fun spin on a famous party cocktail.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz. Clyde May’s 85 Proof Alabama Style Whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Disaronno
• Orange juice
• Grenadine

Method:

• Mix the spirits.
• Fill the rest of the glass with OJ.
• Add a splash of grenadine.

The Bogart’s Adult Whiskey Sour Apple

The Bogart brand not only produces highly-regarded spirits, but also has the coolness of being sanctioned by the estate of legendary actor Humphrey Bogart.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. of Bogart’s Whiskey
• 1/4 cup of Apple Cider or Apple Juice
• 1 oz. of Ginger Ale or Ginger Beer
• 1 Squirt of Lemon Juice

Method:

• Pour all ingredients over ice.
• Stir those ingredients.
• Enjoy that fine drink.

More summer-friendly cocktail recipes worth preparing at home for the Fourth of July:

A Clove Affair

A pun-oriented cocktail from Bogart, which makes fantastic vodka, gin, rum and whiskey offers. That vodka notably uses the highest-quality American grains it can find and is column-distilled seven times in small batches.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Bogart’s Irish Whiskey
• 1 oz. Lemon Juice
• 0.75 oz. grenadine syrup
• Garnish: 1⁄2 lemon wheel studded with clove
• Glassware: Collins glass

Method:

• Combine all ingredients in shaker tin with ice and shake.
• Strain into a Collins glass over ice.
• Garnish with clove-studded lemon wheel.
• Torch clove until smoking, then serve.

Orange: Lady Marmalade

Crystal Head Vodka — as notably backed by legendary actor Dan Aykroyd — has a limited-edition Pride-themed bottle on the market. Below is one of the colors of the random which Crystal Head is representing with a shared recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
• 1/2 oz. Aperol
• 1 1/2 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
• 1 tsp. Orange Marmalade
• Prosecco
• Garnish: Crusto-style sugar rim or orange zest

Method:

• Add, mix and stir vodka, Aperol, juice and marmalade.
• Top with fine Prosecco.
• Feel free to add a Crusto-style sugar rim or orange zest for garnish.

Blue: Born This Way

From the very same rainbow, this is the blue-representing, Pride Month cocktail from Crystal Head Vodka.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Crystal Head Vodka
• 1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• Pinch of salt
• 1 bar spoon (tsp.) Caster Sugar
• 1/4 oz. Blue Curacao
• 1/2 oz. Tio Pepe Fino Sherry
• 1 Egg White
• Garnish: Lemon Peel

Method

• Add all ingredients into cocktail shake and dry shake.
• Add ice to shaker and shake again.
• Fine strain into a chilled glass and zest with lemon peel.

Disaronno Fizz

These days, my favorite spirit to sip after dinner is Disaronno. It’s sweet enough to be a dessert option, it’s free of carbonation, and it can be enjoyed neat, mixed or on the rocks.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Disaronno
• Fresh Lemon Juoce
• Fever Tree Club Soda
• Garnish: Lemon Zest

Method:

• Pour Disaronno over ice.
• Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
• Top up with club soda.
• Stir and garnish with lemon zest.

The Jalapeño Avocado Margarita

Tequila Bribón Blanco’s fully-matured agaves are harvested by hand and cooked for 18 hours at 100° Celcius. It is crystal clear with floral and intense aromas.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. Tequila Bribón Blanco
• 2 oz. Agave nectar (cut 50/50 with water)
• 2 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 avocado, peeled and mashed
• 2 slices jalapeño
• Garnish: Lime wheels
• 1 cup ice, plus extra for serving

Method:

• Fill two rocks glasses with ice. Set those glasses aside.
• Place ripe avocado, and jalapeno slices in a cocktail shaker.
• Muddle ingredients until they’re thoroughly mashed.
• Add remaining ingredients to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
• Strain into the two rocks glasses.
• Garnish with the remaining lime wheels

More summer-friendly cocktail recipes worth preparing at home for the Fourth of July:

The Penicillin

Created by New York bartender Sam Ross in 2005, the Penicillin has become a true modern classic. Created as a riff on The Gold Rush, it is a sweet and smoky cure-all including. BenRiach
10-Year-Old.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. Honey-Ginger Syrup
• 1/4 oz. BenRiach 10-Year Curiositas
• Garnish: Candied Ginger

Method:

• Add BenRiach 10, lemon juice and honey-ginger syrup into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously.
• Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
• Top with BenRiach 10-Year Curiositas.
• Garnish with a piece of candied ginger.

For the Honey-Ginger Syrup itself:

• Combine 1 cup honey, 1 (6-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly-sliced, 1 cup water, to a saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes.
• Chill overnight, then strain, and discard the solids.

Santa Teresa 1796 Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned was recently announced as the top searched cocktail by Google in seven states and the District of Columbia. Santa Teresa 1796 is acclaimed, aged rum which gives cocktails a rounded and complex flavor profile. Here’s a cocktail that gives you the best of both worlds.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. Santa Teresa 1796 Rum
• 0.25 oz. Demerara Syrup
• 4 dashes angostura bitters
• Garnish: Orange or a lemon twist

Method:

• Build all ingredients in a mixing glass.
• Stir 30-40 seconds.
• Pour over ice in a double old-fashioned glass.
• Garnish with an orange or a lemon twist.

Lost in Paradise

The drink was helmed at The Ritz-Carlton in Boston, Massachusetts and also features some Santa Teresa 1796 in there.

Ingredients:

• 1.25 oz. Santa Teresa 1796 Rum
• 1 oz. Fresh Carrot Juice
• 0.75 oz. Fresh Carrot Spiced Syrup
• 0.50 oz. Triple Sec
• 0.50 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Egg White
• Garnish: Star Anise, Carrot Powder

Method:

• Combine all ingredients and dry shake for 10 seconds.
• Add ice, shake until chilled.
• Double strain into a coupe glass.
• Garnish with a star anise and carrot powder.

Grey Goose Old Fashioned

If a vodka-based Old Fashioned is more your thing than the recipe with Santa Teresa 1796 shown above, this one ought to do the trick.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Grey Goose Vodka
• 2 bar spoons Demerara Sugar
• 1 dash of Hot Water
• 1 dash of Angostura Bitters
• Garnish: 1 orange zest

Method:

• Add the sugar and water to a rocks glass, stir to dissolve.
• Add orange zest.
• Slowly trickle in Grey Goose and cubed ice, piece by piece, stirring throughout.
• Top with cubed ice to serve.

The Cosmonaut

This recipe was adapted from the classic Sasha Petraske cocktail by Liquor Lab NY. JAJA Tequila itself is associated with award-winning music duo The Chainsmokers.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz. JAJA Blanco
• .75 oz Lemon Juice
• 1 bar spoonful Raspberry Jam

Method:

• Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until chilled, about 15 seconds.
• Strain into a coupe glass.
• Garnish with an orange.

Billionaire’s Sidecar

D’USSÉ VSOP and XO are year-round delights, and cognac has definitely been on the rise as of late. A bottle of D’USSÉ itself can make a great Father’s Day, in case you are still haven’t picked out a gift, by the way.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. D’USSE Cognac
• 1.5 oz. Cent Cinquantenaire
• 3/4 oz: Fresh Lemon Juice
• Garnish: Lemon Peel
• Glassware: Coup Glass

Method:

• Build in glass with ice.
• Shake and strain into a chilled coup glass.
• Garnish  with a lemon peel.

Love Thy Neighbor

Last but definitely not least, Love Thy Neighbor is one of the cocktails that is part of the currently-running SeriesFest. It is rooted in Ilegal Mezcal, which currently has $10 off coupon code for delivery orders through Minibar; just enter “SeriesFest” (no quotes) for that code within the next two weeks.and will be available for the next 2 weeks.

Ingredients:

• Ilegal Mezcal (Joven)
• Fresh Lime
• Fresh Grapefruit
• Tonic Water
• Salt for rim

Method:

• Dip rim of glass in salt.
• Combine ingredients, starting with the Ilegal Mezcal (your call on the pour).
• Enjoy.

Which of these cocktails will you be preparing at home on the Fourth of July?