Explore these homemade cocktail mixers for drink recipes that are perfect for summer celebrating.

If you’re planning to spend July 4th with a celebratory cocktail in your hand, forget going to the store to buy some cheap, sugary cranberry juice. No, for a good party you’re going to need something a little classier. Homemade cocktail mixers, perhaps? These nine homemade cocktail mixers and drink recipes will all add a little pep to your Fourth of July celebrating–or any other summertime fun you have planned.

1. Make: Ginger Ale

Drink: Ginger Ale with Bourbon

What’s more American than a good bourbon? Bourbon with ginger ale. But you don’t need to buy ginger ale to get the fizzy drink with a kick. Invest in some fresh ginger and make your ginger ale yourself. Then get a good bottle of bourbon and mix away.

2. Make: Lemon verbena infused vodka

Drink: Lemon Verbena Drop

Have some lemon verbena on hand? Use it to infuse vodka and make a new spin on a lemon drop; you’ll feel like you’re drinking summer in a glass.

3. Make: Mint simple syrup

The Shortcut Mojito

This one’s called a “shortcut” mojito, because you make a mint infused syrup first, allowing you to skip the muddling part. Perfect if you’re hosting a party and many mojitos need to be made.

4. Make: Sour mix

Drink: Whiskey Sour

Using lemons and limes you can make your own sour mix, then just add whiskey and you’ve got yourself a super simple whiskey sour.

5. Make: Jalapeño infused tequila

Drink: Spicy margaritas

Of all the drink recipes, none of them say “summer” as much as the margarita, and to step things up a notch, make your own jalapeño infused tequila for a spicy version.

6. Make: Hibiscus-lime syrup

Drink: Hibiscus-Tequila Cooler

While we’re on the subject of tequila, let’s move on to a drink that’s just a little more exotic. The Hibiscus-Tequila Cooler is made with a simple syrup concocted with limes and dried hibiscus flours. The result is a red drink that’s sure to please a crowd.

7. Make: Rhubarb shrub

Drink: Spiced rhubarb gimlet

With coriander seeds and pink peppercorn, you get a punchy rhubarb shrub. Then all you need to do is add a little gin and bitters (you can make those yourself too!) and you have yourself a gimlet.

8. Make: Apricot puree

Drink: Apricot bellini

At some point during Fourth of July weekend you’re probably going to end up brunching, and when you do, you’ll want a festive drink. Grab some apricots, make a puree, add a little sparkling wine and you have yourself a tasty bellini.

9. Make: Blackberry syrup

Drink: Blackberry spritzer

Blackberries can easily be turned into a syrup, and once you have that, your options for drink recipes are endless. Make up a batch of blackberry spritzer perhaps?

Related on EcoSalon

10 DIY Cocktail Syrups for Delicious Summer Drinking

The Perfect Cocktail 101: What are Bitters and How do You Use Them?

4 Retro Cocktail Recipes Making a Comeback

Image: Louise Ireland

The post 9 Homemade Cocktail Mixers Worthy of all Your Summer Drink Recipes appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s that time of year again–time to go red, white, and blue. But saluting our nation’s independence doesn’t have to mean diving head deep into a holiday feast loaded with artificial colors. With a little creativity you can enjoy Fourth of July recipes sans food dyes.

1. Patriotic Fruit Pizza

Image: Liz West

It’s a fruit pizza with ample Fourth of July bling. I love Fourth of July recipes that use fruit for color. Make a sweet pizza pie crust from scratch and then load it up with blueberries, strawberries, and bananas to symbolize our nation’s stars and stripes. While the recipe does call for quite a bit of butter, remember the pizza is meant to feed a crowd (35 servings).

Patriotic Fruit Pizza
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks organic butter
2 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) packages organic cream cheese, softened
3 large organic bananas, sliced – or as needed
1 tbsp. lemon juice, or as needed
1 carton fresh strawberries, sliced
1 container fresh blueberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the butter and beat in 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract.

3. Add in flour and make the mixture into a workable dough. Spread the dough out evenly on a 12 x 17 inch baking sheet.

4. Bake until lightly browned for 8-10 minutes. At the same time, combine the cream cheese with 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

5. Place sliced bananas in lemon juice to prevent browning.

6. Once the pizza crust has cooled, begin to decorate the pizza. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across the cookie layer. Place blueberries in a neatly lined square in the upper left corner of the crust. Arrange alternating stripes of white bananas and strawberry slices. Serve your masterpiece.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.

2. Festive Ice Cubes

Image: Liz West

This recipe isn’t nearly as complicated as the fruit pizza, but it’s still gorgeous.

Festive Ice Cubes
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blueberries
Ice cube trays

Method

1. Place 2 blueberries and 2 raspberries each slot in an ice cube tray and add in water. Freeze until solid.

Tips: For added flavor and color, consider filling the ice trays with fresh mint leaves. You can also add lemonade to make your ice cubes a Fourth of July sweet treat.

3. Fourth of July Potato Chips

Image: urbanfoodie33

Nature’s rainbow makes these homemade potato chips festive–think beets and purple potatoes. I confine my intake of potato chips to those I make on my own and this is an awesome Fourth of July recipe.

Fourth of July Potato Chips
Serves 6

1/2 pound baking potatoes, such as russet or Idaho
1/2 pound purple potatoes
1/2 pound beets, peeled, and greens removed
6 cups vegetable or canola oil
Kosher or sea salt

Method

1. Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to slice the potatoes and beets 1/8-inch thick. Fill a large bowl with cold water and soak the potatoes for 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the potatoes to large towel and dry them off thoroughly.

3. Fill a deep, heavy bottomed pot with 4 inches of oil and heat oil to 350 degrees F.

4. Work in batches and be sure not to overcrowd the pot. Fry the potatoes first and then the beets. Use a slotted spoon to remove rounds when they’re golden brown. Salt immediately. Place on another large towel to remove excess grease.

Recipe: Epicurous

4. Vegetarian BLTs with American Flag Bling

This Fourth of July recipe takes a different tact entirely. Instead of adding food dyes to your food, decorate them with American flag toothpicks. It celebrates July 4th without impacting the flavor of your food.

Vegetarian BLTs with American Flag Bling
Serves 4

1 package tempeh bacon, skillet fried
4 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled (1 1/2 pounds)
Focaccia
1 head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
1/4 cup organic mayonnaise
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced

Method

1. Slice your focaccia into four even servings.

2. Slather focaccia with mayonnaise. Place 2-3 Bibb lettuce leaves on one side of each sandwich. Place a slice of tomato on the other side of the sandwich. Slice 1/2 of an avocado and add to the each sandwich. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Add 2 slices of tempeh bacon to each sandwich. Close the sandwich and garnish with an American flag toothpick.

Related on EcoSalon

Fourth of July Tailgating Kit

Outdoor Entertaining: 11 Essentials For a Backyard July 4th Bash

Fourteen Pieces for July 4th Trivia

Image: Rubbermaid

The post 4 Festive Fourth of July Recipes: All the Red, White, and Blue, No Food Dyes appeared first on EcoSalon.

14 facts to share at your 4th of July bbq.

As our nation celebrates its 236th birthday with fireworks, watermelon, jello and cool whip, EcoSalon gives you some Fourth-related factoids. Why? Because all barbecues need a know-it-all who can spout trivia while cooking one of our 4th of July recipes.

Best Gift Ever: On July 4th 1884, France presented the U.S. with Lady Liberty herself, after shipping the disassembled statue in crates across the Atlantic and re-building it in New York City.

Shacking Up: On July 4th, 1845, Henry David Thoreau decided to forgo all barbecues and fireworks by moving into his cabin at Walden Pond.

Rest in Peace: Three U.S. presidents have died on America’s birthday. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (the second and third presidents, respectively) died within hours of one another in 1826, while James Monroe (the fifth) passed away in 1831.

Hot Damn: Americans will consume roughly 155 million hot dogs on the fourth, which is perhaps the reason why the month of July is distinguished as National Hot Dog Month.

Lennon’s Independence: “Give Peace a Chance,” John Lennon’s first solo single, was released in the mother country on America’s birthday in 1969.

A Solemn Remembrance: The U.S. isn’t the only nation to celebrate its independence this week. Rwandans observe Liberation Day on July 4th, commemorating the end of the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

Hot Off the Press: The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence on July 6th, 1776.

Poet and the Patriot: On July 4th 1855, one of America’s finest and most controversial poets—Walt Whitman—published the first edition of his magnum opus, Leaves of Grass.

The Star Spangled Drinking Song: America’s national anthem has the same melody as “The Anacreontic Song,” which served as the title track of The Anacreontic Society, a gentlemen’s music club in London.

Birthday Buddies: Calvin Coolidge is the only U.S. president to share a birthday with the country he presided over; he was born in 1872.

Bottoms Up: The Fourth of July is America’s biggest beer-drinking occasion, with 63.5 million cases sold around the holiday, according to a 2009 Neilsen survey.

Independence From Whom?: A 2010 poll found that more than one quarter of Americans aren’t so sure just who our forefathers were fighting against.  

Parading Republicans: Apparently Fourth of July parades are a right wing thing. A 2011 Harvard study found that patriotic parades are more likely to turn kids into republicans rather than democrats and to boost republican voter turnout on election day.

America’s Finest: Nobel Laureate Marie Curie, the only scientist to ever win prizes in two different fields of study, passed away on July 4th, 1934.

Image: Marion Doss

The post Fourteen Pieces of July 4th Trivia appeared first on EcoSalon.

We know where you’ll be this Wednesday. Somewhere hot, grassy and sweaty, waiting for festivities. Here’s how to do it, with dignity.  

The fourth of July is all about humming John Doe’s classic and waiting, be it for a parade, a veggie burger (“No, Uncle Buck. Chicken doesn’t count.”), fireworks, or your mid-morning buzz to pass.

While waiting, you might find yourself sitting gracelessly on a patch of grass, feigning comfort as each blade congeals with the sweat on your fanny. Realizing that your tequila intake has rendered you dehydrated, you might resort to the nearest plastic water bottle with funny tasting water, probably the result of your toddler nephew’s backwashing.

Anything can happen, on the fourth, and it’s usually not for your (or the planet’s) greater well-being. Until now. Here’s a lifestyle friendly waiting kit to keep you contented and comfortable on the sweatiest day of the year.

Old Glory Tent

For gazing at stars…and stripes, or escaping the sun. From our new favorite conscious camping goods purveyor, FieldCandy.

Lounge Cushy

A portable chaise luxury lounger with a detachable waterproof cover and carrying strap. By Smooff, products designed for embracing living and breathing the outdoors.

Sigg Swigs

Swiss reusable bottle company, with an Americana twist. First two via CafePress, third one available from Gifts.com.

The Anti-Bored Game

We’ve covered BIS’ board games before, a no-brainer smart alternative to an afternoon of beer pong. The You Are What You Eat memory game is a surefire way to keep you from relapsing on Franken-footers.

Drinkwel Before Getting Drunk

Prior to over-imbibing, remember to take the drinker’s multivitamin, formulated by a naturopathic doctor. Its blend of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals is designed to help your body process alcohol without hindering your God-given liberty to get really, really pissed.

What Not-So-Fresh Feeling?

These personal body wipes/outdoor kit allows you to stay fresh outdoors. It comes with Action Wipes and an all-natural sports spray that rehydrates the skin and repels bugs. From Life Elements.

The Wine Tote

For the BYOB occasion, a handcrafted bent walnut bag with latigo leather strapping and wool picnic blanket. From Teal and Gold.

Image: Celebrations Home via Tiny Water Photography

The post A Fourth of July Tailgating Kit for This Year’s Fireworks Display appeared first on EcoSalon.