Red, White and Blue Drink (4th of July Mocktail)
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This red, white, and blue layered mocktail takes strawberry lemonade, deconstructs it and gives it an added blue hue for the 4th of July. With layers of homemade strawberry syrup, lemonade concentrate, and blue water, this drink is simple to layer making it easy to impress your guests this 4th of July or any time you’re feeling patriotic!
So many of the layered, non-alcoholic 4th of July drinks are made with grenadine, lemonade, and blue Gatorade. We are NOT fans of that combination, so upon request I set out to make a layered red, white, and blue drink that would be something my family enjoyed.
Strawberry lemonade is a favorite in our house. I also wanted to create a 4th of July drink that was naturally colored so we could have as many as we wanted and feel good about it. Strawberry syrup is naturally a gorgeous red color from the berries themselves. Blue spirulina powder is a natural blue food coloring that I love to use when creating bright blue liquids.
This drink is perfect for celebrating the 4th of July, cheering on the USA in the Olympics or on the World Cup stage, or even staying up for the results on election night!
Ingredients
- Water – Use filtered water for the best flavor.
- Blue Spirulina Powder (or Blue Food Coloring) – I love blue spirulina powder for a natural blue food coloring. It does a great job of creating a royal blue color for drinks. Start with a small amount and slowly add more as needed. Too much will turn the water navy blue.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed lemon juice will make this mocktail amazing. It really does make a difference over bottled lemon juice.
- Simple Syrup – This 2 ingredient syrup is easily made in the microwave, so there’s no need to buy it. Get the instruction over on my simple syrup recipe page.
- Strawberry Syrup – Made with only 3 ingredients, including fresh or frozen strawberries, strawberry syrup takes less than 10 minutes to make and tastes better than anything you can buy at the store. Get my recipe and tips on my Strawberry Syrup recipe page.
- Fresh Strawberry and/or Lemon Slices – These are for garnish and completely optional. I like to top this mocktail with a fresh strawberry just for the color. But lemon slices work too, if you used up all of your berries in the syrup.
How to Make a Red, White, and Blue Drink (Step by Step)
Combine the 2 ounces of water with the blue spirulina powder or food coloring. Set aside.
Combine lemon juice, 0.75 ounces of water, and plain simple syrup. Set aside.
Pour the strawberry syrup into the bottom of a highball or other tall glass.
Fill the glass to the top with ice.
Slowly pour the lemon mixture on top of the ice, using an ice cube to help it run slowly into the glass.
Repeat with the blue water, again using an ice cube to help slow the pour of the liquid.
Red, White and Blue Drink Recipe (4th of July Mocktail)
Ingredients
- 2 oz water
- ⅛ tsp blue spirulina powder , OR 3-4 drops blue food coloring
- 1 oz lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 0.75 oz water, or vodka if desired
- 0.50 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz strawberry syrup
- 1 Fresh strawberry , or lemon slice, garnish
Instructions
Step 1:
- Combine the 2 ounces of water with the blue spirulina powder or food coloring. Set aside.2 oz water, ⅛ tsp blue spirulina powder
Step 2:
- Combine lemon juice, 0.75 ounces of water, and plain simple syrup. Set aside.1 oz lemon juice, 0.75 oz water, 0.50 oz simple syrup
Step 3:
- Pour the strawberry syrup into the bottom of a highball or other tall glass.2 oz strawberry syrup
- Fill the glass to the top with ice.
- Slowly pour the lemon mixture on top of the ice, using an ice cube to help it run slowly into the glass.
- Repeat with the blue water, again using an ice cube to help slow the pour of the liquid.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon or strawberry floated on the top of your drink.1 Fresh strawberry
- Serve layered, but stir before drinking!
Equipment
Recipe Tips
Layer drinks work because of density. In this case, the density of the 2 bottom liquids is due to the amount of sugar in them. The strawberry syrup has the most sugar in it, so that stays at the bottom. The lemon mixture has much less sugar in it so it will float on top of the strawberry syrup when poured in slowly, and the blue water has no sugar, so it’s easy to float on the top of everything.
It’s SUPER important to the layering that the ice goes in AFTER the strawberry syrup. The syrup is sugary and will cling to the ice cubes if you put them in first. That will make all of your other layers have a red hue to them and mess up the layered effect.
You MUST stir this drink before enjoying it. The layers are designed to be blended together in order to give you a glass of strawberry lemonade. When everything is mixed together, the drink will be purple.
Try These Red, White and Blue Mocktails
My non-alcoholic strawberry mojitos are the perfect red mocktail. Stir together a glass (or pitcher!) of classic lemonade for a white mocktail, and shake up a blue lagoon mocktail with homemade blue curaçao syrup for your blue drink!
Make it a 4th of July Vodka Cocktail
Want to make it a cocktail instead of a mocktail? Swap out the water for vodka when mixing up the lemon layer.
Looking for Red, White and Blue Cocktails?
A bright and refreshing strawberry lemon drop is the perfect shade of red. Shake up a tropical coconut margarita for a white cocktail and for a blue cocktail, try this blue mojito with fresh mint and rum.
What to Serve with Your Red, White and Blue Mocktail
Looking for some red, white and blue appetizers to pair with your 4th of July drink? Make a plate of these Strawberry Bites for red, this easy White Bean and Roasted Garlic Dip for white, and try my Blueberry Goat Cheese dip for blue.
