patriotic cocktail recipe

Here's hoping most of you are already headed out to enjoy your long holiday weekend. You've packed your beach towels, you've gassed up the car, you've taken out a loan for the cost of said gas, and you're on your way! Sure Memorial Day celebrations often include a body of water, a grill, and an ice cold beer. But while you're getting your backyard BBQ on, let's stop and remember the reason we celebrate Memorial Day by imbibing patriotically.

That's right, drink for America with these three incredibly patriotic red, white, and blue cocktails.

All-American Jell-O Shot

Start your party off with a bang by passing around a red, white, and blue Jell-o shot. It's fun, easy, and your guests will thank you while they're nicely buzzed. Just do this:

Mix one package of clear gelatin with 6 ounces of water and stir until dissolved, then add 6 ounces of vodka. Allow to cool, but not set, in refrigerator. Do the same with one package of blueberry Jell-O and one package of strawberry Jell-O.

Before they set, bust out your shot glasses and fill 1/3 of glass with red Jell-O, followed by clear gelatin, followed by blue Jell-O. Allow to chill for at least two hours before serving.

Raspberry Pacific Breeze

Add a raspberry garnish to this blue curacao, lemonade, vodka recipe from Food & Wine and you've got all your bases covered. Plus, you've got a completely delicious and refreshing beverage that shows the world you're a proud American. Drink up!

Pop Rock Cosmo

And for the grand finale, I took a page from The Food Network and garnished a traditional beverage with blue pop rocks. Simply whip up a cosmo like so:

1 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz Rose's® lime juice
1/2 oz cranberry juice

Pour over ice in a shaker, shake until chilled. Take a lemon wedge to wet the rim of a martini glass, and dip in pop rocks. Pour chilled cosmo into martini glass and get ready for an explosion in your mouth.

What are you serving up this weekend?


Image via mccun934/Flickr