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When it comes to holiday BBQs, cool and refreshing beverages are a must. Try any of the recipes from this collection of 4th of July drinks!

More Collections: 4th of July Recipes, 4th of July Appetizers, 4th of July Side Dishes

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A collage of 4th of July drinks.

Cool and Refreshing Beverages

We celebrate the Fourth of July with a backyard barbecue, fireworks, family, and of course food! What better way to wash down our 4th of July recipes than with some cool and refreshing drinks?

Enjoy the flavors of summer with Homemade Lemonade or any of our festive favorites!

Why we love festive drinks:

  • Everyone can enjoy! Whip up a kid-friendly alcohol-free Fourth of July cocktail to keep you cool as you enjoy the festivities!
  • Plenty of tips. From transporting to serving, there are tips to make your celebrations a success!
  • Refreshing. There are a variety of delicious and refreshing drinks, perfect for a hot summer day.
A glass mason jar filled with watermelon juice with a slice of fresh watermelon.

Tips for Serving Holiday Drinks

There are so many ways to serve your July 4th drinks. Here are a few fun ways to mix it up:

  • Decorations. Use festive 4th of July straws or paper umbrellas.
  • Set up a Beverage Station for an easy, fun way to store bottles and canned drinks when hosting your 4th of July celebration.
  • Ice. Make star-shaped ice cubes.
  • Add carbonation right before serving with club soda, tonic water, or Sprite, depending on your taste.
  • Use fresh-cut fruit in the beverage dispenser/punch bowl. Berries like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are classics. Sliced citrus is another pretty and flavorful fruit to add.
  • Garnish the side of your cups with a fresh mint leaf or a slice of fruit like pineapple, lemon, or strawberry.
  • Sugared rims. Fill a bowl of fruit juice and a bowl of sugar. Dip the rim of the glass in the juice, then into the sugar. Let dry. 
    • Use lemon juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, or cranberry juice, or use a blend. Juices with the highest sugar content seem to work the best.
  • Transporting drinks. Avoid filling punch bowls and pitchers with the beverage as many do not have secure lids.
    • Save empty water jugs or fill large insulated beverage coolers with the punch. To serve, pour it into serving pitchers and bowls.
Homemade lemonade served in a glass.

Keep Drinks Cool Outside

  • Juice cubes. Make extra juice and freeze it into ice cubes or ice blocks. That way you can have a cold drink without worrying that the melting ice will dilute the punch.
  • Chill. Keep extra punch in the fridge or a cooler. Fill the beverage dispenser as needed. 
  • Fruit. Instead of adding ice cubes, use frozen fruit.
Two glasses of Shirley Temple with straws and cherries and top.

Fun with Leftovers!

  • Popsicles. Leftover 4th of July drink recipes can easily be poured into popsicle molds and frozen for a cold treat.
  • Turn drinks into slushies. It’s similar to making ice cream. You’ll need the drink, 2 large plastic Ziploc bags, ice, and rock salt. 
    • Pour the drink into one bag. Add the ice and salt to the bottom of the second bag.
    • Insert the drink bag into the ice bag and fill it with more ice and salt. 
    • Shake the bags for several minutes until the drink becomes slush.
    • You may need to wear oven mitts or gloves as the ice bag gets pretty cold.

Best Fourth of July Drinks

Wash down your grilled Hamburgers and hot dogs with a classic root beer float filled with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, or try any of our festive favorites!

Our 4th of July Punch is a patriotic must. With magic layers of blue, red, and white, it’s a kid-friendly punch with a fabulous twist!

4.43 from 7 votes

4th of July Punch Recipe

This layered Patriotic drink is pure magic! It's not difficult to make, all it takes is Hawaiian Punch, blue Gatorade, and sprite zero.
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4.94 from 46 votes

Ocean Water Recipe

Fizzy coconut Ocean Water is easy and refreshing! This copycat Sonic drink is perfect for parties or a hot, summer day.
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4.99 from 310 votes

Pineapple Pink Lemonade Soda Recipe

All-time Favorite Party Drink – this Pink Drink recipe (aka Baby Shower Punch) takes a minute to make and is made with 3 ingredients including  –  pink lemonade dry mix, sprite, & pineapple juice!
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4.95 from 35 votes

Watermelon Juice Recipe

Delicious and refreshing watermelon juice is a favorite drink in the summertime! It takes minutes to make and is perfect for fruit lovers.
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5 from 77 votes

Sonic Cherry Limeade Recipe

Delicious recipe for Sonic’s Cherry Limeade – tastes just like it! Ingredients include 7-Up, cherries, a lime, and maraschino syrup!
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5 from 28 votes

Homemade Lemonade Recipe

Refreshing homemade lemonade is made with a simple syrup for the perfect sweet-to-tart ratio. It is perfect for warm summer days, or any day!
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5 from 12 votes

Shirley Temple Recipe

Our classic Shirley Temple recipe is a favorite non-alcoholic drink – sweet and vibrant red, perfect for any party and any age!
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5 from 3 votes

Homemade Root Beer

This do-it-yourself homemade root beer has the perfect touch of fizz and amazing flavor. It's party perfect!
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5 from 5 votes

Best Strawberry Lemonade

The BEST Strawberry Lemonade filled with chunks of your favorite fruit including strawberries, pineapple, mangos, cantaloupe and watermelon!
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5 from 86 votes

Butterbeer Recipe

This butterbeer recipe is a rich, delicious chilled drink with butterscotch flavoring. It's alcohol-free and perfect for sharing!
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4.63 from 8 votes

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Frozen strawberry lemonade takes minutes to make. With a pop of pineapple, it's a refreshingly tasty summertime drink!
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A FEstive Favorite!

This layered 4th of July Punch is pure magic! It’s not difficult to make, and all it takes is Hawaiian Punch, blue Gatorade, and Sprite zero.

It’s the perfect treat to make for your holiday and gets rave reviews not only for the look but for the taste.

Here is the recipe:

No ratings yet

10+ 4th of July Drinks

By: Lil’ Luna
When it comes to holiday BBQs, cool and refreshing beverages are a must. Try any of the recipes from this collection of 4th of July drinks!
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients 

  • Fruit Punch
  • Blue Gatorade G2
  • Sprite Zero
  • Ice

Instructions 

  • Collect clear cups or glasses. Mason jars can be a festive choice!
  • Start with a handful of ice at the bottom of the glass. Pour blue fruit punch first, until cup is ⅓ full.
  • Then add another small handful of ice, and pour the blue Gatorade until the glass fills to ⅔ full.
  • Top with one last small handful of ice, and slowly pour Sprite Zero until the drink reaches close to the top. Drinks stay layered due to the heaviest sugar content on the bottom, and lowest sugar content on top!
  • Enjoy while cold!

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.


Refreshing 4th of July Drinks

There’s no better way to cool off on the 4th of July than with one of our delicious drinks from the list above. They are sure to be a big hit with your friends and family this Independence Day and all summer long!

More Collections: Frozen Drink Recipes, Summer Drinks, Summer Desserts

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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2 Comments

  1. Olivia says:

    All the drinks on here are amazing and very refreshing. Perfect for summertime!

  2. Sue says:

    My kids absolutely love the cherries on a toothpick that goes along with the Shirley Temple. It makes it feel so fancy.