Entertaining

Red, White and Blue Drinks That Taste as Good as They Look

Now that we can all pronounce cachaça and Caipirinha, it’s time to take the classic Brazilian cocktail to new, frozen, fruity levels. This easy blended variation adds fresh raspberries and elderflower-flavored St-Germain to the mix.

Somewhere between a classic Frozen Margarita and a Piña Colada lies this frosty, tropical cocktail. Creamy and white, it’s delicious, especially on a hot summer day. Make a giant batch and be the hero at your cookout.

This retro blue curacao cocktail is especially good made our way, with fresh lemon and lime juices instead of syrupy sour mix. Vibrant blue, garnished with a cherry, a pineapple wedge and a paper umbrella, it’s seriously tropicool.

The Strawberry Daiquiri doesn’t haven’t to be sticky sweet. Made with fresh strawberries, plenty of ice and good quality white rum, it can be almost like a boozy smoothie. We’re not saying it’s good for you, but it definitely tastes good.

This is one sweet beach drink. Dark rum, Bacardi, Baileys, crème de cacao and coconut cream all come together in this decadent cocktail. It’s like a milkshake, only much, much better.

Like a Long Island Iced Tea, but without the Coke and a heck of a lot cooler looking, this blue drink is not playing around. It looks fruity but it packs a wallop thanks to a mix of white rum, gin, tequila and vodka.

This tricolor Frozen Daiquiri is layer upon layer upon layer of flavor. Garnished with a Bomb Pop, it is the most refreshing, most colorful, most patriotic cocktail you can possibly have at your Independence Day blowout. 

Embrace summer’s bounty of fruit by shaking up a Clover Club. Vibrantly red thanks to raspberry liqueur (use a good one), it’s topped with plump and fresh raspberries. The creamy foam from the egg whites makes this cocktail taste like a dessert—but it’s light enough that you’ll still be able to float in the pool. Patriotic bonus: The Clover Club was invented in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Revolution.

This refreshing, sweet-tart classic is as lip-puckering as a frozen lemonade ice pop, sans the sticky mess. The simple mix of fresh lemon juice and club soda lets the gin shine through, while an uber-frothy egg white topping still allows for foamy mustaches à la whipped cream.

Let’s be real—we’re pretty limited when it comes to making blue drinks since naturally blue ingredients are fairly scarce (not everyone has ready access to butterfly pea flowers). Thankfully, there’s always handy blue curaçao. An unconventional combination of blue curaçao, smoky mezcal, sweet peach brandy and bitter cinnamon syrup blend harmoniously in the Gun Metal Blue cocktail from bartender Nick Bennett of NYC’s Porchlight. Not only is it insanely tasty (and definitely not saccharine sweet like you might assume from the blue hue), it’s also as dazzlingly colored as Fourth of July fireworks.

Red drinks don’t have to be overly sweet and fruity. For the imbiber who prefers a stiffer libation, this tropical twist on the Negroni is sure to satisfy. Inspired by the classic Jungle Bird tiki cocktail—which swaps out gin for rum and adds pineapple juice—this variation from Austin Hartman of Montana’s Trail House in NYC uses a blend of gold, overproof and pineapple rums for a complex depth of flavor. Nutty Velvet Falernum ties the drink together with notes of vanilla and ginger for the perfect poolside cocktail.

Step aside Frosé: This summer we’re all about Frosecco, otherwise known as frozen Prosecco. This snow white frosty beverage simply combines Prosecco with St-Germain elderflower liqueur and fresh lemon juice. The result is floral, sweet, tart and oh-so easy to down by the pitcherful.

Summer demands Margaritas, and this blue-hued variation by Brynn Smith of Los Angeles’ Sotto is one of the best ways to enjoy one. The base of a classic Margarita is there—blanco tequila, fresh lime juice and agave nectar—but things get kicked up a notch with blue curaçao and Amaro Meletti. The curaçao gives it a citrusy kick (and a fun color, of course), while the amaro balances the drink with a subtle bittersweetness.