The Fourth of July is almost here, friends! Here are four, fun and festive drinks you can craft for your celebrations:
#1: Star Spangled Sangria
What’s better than sangria? Star spangled sangria! Our Fourth of July spin on this crowd-pleaser mixes Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka with dry riesling, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and red, white, and blue fruits for a fun, seasonal sangria. This one’s great for a party — you can make it ahead of time and each batch offers 4-6 servings.
INGREDIENTS:
1½ c. Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka
1 bottle (750 mL) Dry riesling
Juice of one orange
10 Strawberries, topped and separated
½ c. Blueberries, separated
1 Apple, slices (or, if you’re feeling thematic, cut into stars with a tiny star cookie-cutter)
CRAFT:
1. Muddle four strawberries and 2 Tbs. blueberries in bottom of a large glass pitcher.
2. Slice remaining strawberries, then add to pitcher with apple slices and remaining blueberries.
3. Squeeze or pour fresh orange juice into pitcher, then add Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka and wine, and stir gently.
4. Cover, and let rest in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving over ice in mason jar glasses.
#2: Blueberry Coconut Margarita
Summer heat, meet Fourth of July sweet. There’s nothing quite like a cool margarita on a sweltering summer day, and this one stars Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum with a touch of tequila, plus blueberry, lime, and a hint of sugar.
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum
½ oz. Tequila
1 oz. Blueberry lime simple syrup*
Juice of two limes, about 2 oz.
1 Lime wedge
5 Blueberries, picked together, to garnish
Coarse salt, to garnish
CRAFT:
1. Run lime wedge around rim of coupe glass, then rim with salt.
2. Fill remainder of glass with ice, then top with rum, tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup.
3. Stir gently to mix, then place picked blueberry pick in drink to garnish, and serve.
*BLUEBERRY LIME SIMPLE SYRUP
Add ½ c. water, ¼ c. sugar, ¼ c. agave syrup, zest of one lime, and 1 c. blueberries to a sauce pan, and gently muddle blueberries. Cook on medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain until free of debris. Transfer to a sealable serving vessel. Syrup can be stored in a refrigerator for up to one week.
#3: Rocket Pop
What’s a holiday without a little bit of a nostalgia? This fun, frozen cocktail pays homage to the Fourth of July picnic staple red, white, and blue popsicle of the same name. This one requires some preparation ahead of time, but is worth the wait!
INGREDIENTS:
10 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum, divided
4 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream
16 oz. Blue raspberry lemonade, frozen in ice cube trays
16 oz. Red Gatorade, frozen in ice cube trays
¼ c. Lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 oz. Simple syrup
1 c. Ice
CRAFT:
1. Add frozen Gatorade cubes and 3 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum to blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Divide evenly among four hurricane glasses, filling each one about ⅓ of the way. Set glasses aside*.
3. Add 4 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum, 4 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream, lime juice, simple syrup, and ice to blender, and blend until smooth.
4. Divide evenly among the four glasses, creating a white layer over the red — at this point, glasses should be ⅔ of the way full. Set glasses aside.
5. Add frozen blue raspberry lemonade cubes and remaining 3 oz. Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum to blender, and blend until smooth.
6. Divide evenly among the four glasses, filling the remainder while creating a blue layer over the white.
7. Add a straw to each drink, and serve.
*To prevent melting, you can place glasses in freezer between steps.
#4: Sparkler Soda
Add some Fourth of July sparkle to the simple, one-two punch of spirits and soda with star-shaped ice cubes. Freeze your favorite red and blue drinks — we used Gatorade — into star-shaped cubes, and add them your favorite Hard Truth and flavored sparkling soda water.
INGREDIENTS:
2 oz. Your favorite Hard Truth spirit
6 oz. Your favorite flavored sparkling water
12 oz. Red Gatorade, frozen into star-shaped ice cubes
12 oz. Blue Gatorade, frozen into star-shaped ice cubes
CRAFT:
1. Freeze both colors of Gatorade in star ice cube trays ahead of time.
2. When ready to craft, add colorful star ice to a mason jar, and add two ounces of your favorite Hard Truth spirit.
3. Top with sparkling water of choice, and serve.
Popular combinations with the Hard Truth team:
Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka and lime sparkling water, Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum and pineapple sparkling water, Hard Truth Gin and citrus sparkling water.
Have a fantastic, fun, and safe Fourth of July, friends. And, as always, live truthfully and drink responsibly.
