About Red, White, and Blue Vodka Lemonade Slush
Up until yesterday, I thought we were going to have a pretty mellow Fourth of July. The friends we typically celebrate with were going to be out of town, and an old friend of mine and I have been so busy that there hasn’t been a lot of time for making backup plans.
The friends we typically celebrate with were going to be out of town, and an old friend of mine and I have been so busy that there hasn’t been a lot of time for making backup plans.
All signs were pointing to a stress-free three-day weekend, and you know what?
I was fine with that. Totally okay with it.
But then another friend of ours reached out to us and mentioned food (my weakness, because delicious) and fireworks (his weakness, because it means setting things on fire) and suddenly we were trading in our hermit-like weekend for good times, good food, and explosives.
And you know what?
I was fine with that. Totally okay with it.
And, spoiler alert: these vodka slushies played a big part in our day.
But I’m getting ahead of myself! In the beginning of these plans, I was left with a bit of a dilemma: my super-uber-planner alter ego started to lose it, because my next thought after the reasonably-minded “oh, this should be fun” was a frantic rhythmic chant of “omgthehouseisamessandIhavenoideawhattofeedthesepeopleomg.”
Thankfully we’ll be going out to eat (so dinner is handled – insert sigh of relief here) but it sounds like the plan is to retire at our house for dessert and fireworks.
The good news here is that dessert is my specialty, so it shouldn’t be too hard to whip something up, but I also wanted to make sure we had some cool, fun beverages on hand to help fight the Phoenix heat.
And to me, nothing says fun quite like drinking festive alcoholic beverages while we create scorch marks in the grass.
Amirite?!
Who’s with me?!
This is the part where I must leave you with the recipe, as I’ve still got a house to make presentable to the general public.
But hopefully by the time you’re reading this the floors will be mopped, the counters will be clear, and I’ll be in my backyard sipping on a vodka lemonade slush as the dogs bark at an old friend of mine setting off fireworks.
How to layer this slushie
This recipe has been around for a few years, and the most common bit of reader feedback I get is this:
That the colors in this drink are not “layered correctly,” because it’s layered red, blue, and white.
And I know this doesn’t match up to the way Americans typically say it (red, white, and blue). Some readers have even pointed out that the colors look more like the Russian flag than the American one.
But for the visual purists out there, I have some bad news:
The way you layer this drink isn’t a choice. To effectively create layers, you need to consider the thickness of each liquid.
In this case, grenadine is thicker than Blue Curacao, and lemonade is thinner than both grenadine and Blue Curacao. This is why the drink is layered red, blue, and white, because it goes from thickest consistency to thinnest. If you layered it any other way then the layers might not hold and the different colors would be more likely to bleed through.
However, that doesn’t mean this drink still can’t be fun for a holiday bash. You’ve still got all the correct colors present, even if they aren’t in the “most ideal” order.
And, besides, I promise this vodka slush will still be a hit at your patriotic party!
Notes & tips for red, white, and blue drink:
- You’ll also need a trusty food processor for this recipe. I bought the Ninja Blender System almost 10 years ago and it hasn’t failed me yet!
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How to make this vodka lemonade slush
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a food processor, blend grenadine and ice until slushy, then pour a layer (about 1/3 the size of the glass) into the bottom of your chosen glasses.
Step 2 – Blend blue curacao and ice until slushy, then gently add another 1/3 layer on top of the grenadine.
Step 3 – To finish off, blend the lemonade, vodka, and ice, then top off your drinks with a final layer.
Step 4 – Serve and enjoy!
More red, white, and blue recipes
This recipe was originally published on July 3rd, 2015. It received a TLC update with new photos on June 6, 2016.
Recipe Details
Red, White, and Blue Vodka Lemonade Slush
Ingredients
Instructions
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Using a food processor, crush mix 3 cups of ice and grenadine syrup together until slushy. Note: You need this layer to be extra thick, so if needed, add up to 1 cup more ice and blend. When finished, set aside.
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Repeat the step for the Blue Curacao, blending with 3 cups of ice until slushy. Like the last layer, you want this to be extra thick. If needed, add up to 1 more cup of ice and blend. Set aside.
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Add vodka, lemonade, and remaining 3 cups of ice to the blender and mix until slushy. It's not as important for this layer to be thick, but it should be comparable to the others. Add up to 1 more cup of ice if needed. When finished, set aside.
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Prepare drinks by layering the flavors in this order: grenadine, blue curacao, and finish with the vodka lemonade on top.
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Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from And They Cooked Happily Ever After.
You had me at Vodka…!
This drink makes me wish we were hosting a 4th of July party this year!!
Blue curacao is so so good! This slush is so pretty! Perfect for celebrating! Pinned!
Yum! What a delicious slush, such a pretty colors!
That’s great how you were able to layer the colors for a great fourth of July look! I look forward to seeing what they’ll look like with more finely ground ice!
Ooh that looks so pretty. I am not a vodka girl at all though, can you suggest another liquor that would work well in this drink?
I’d probably recommend substituting with Gin – I’ve read that it goes well with lime and tonic, which is a close fit to the lemonade in this recipe.
What a fun drink! And perfect for tomorrow! Pinning…if I can pull together the ingredients tomorrow before our party, I might try to make it too!
How perfect for the 4th! These lemonade slushes look so refreshing and very patriotic. Yum.
JUST IN TIME FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY! Love the colors and the look of this slush. Very very tempting indeed!
Such a cool drink, love it! Pinning!
These look lovely and refreshing. They would be perfect for the sunshine and bog weather we are currently experiencing in the UK Lucy
I know what you mean – the weather these days just cries for a chilly drink!
Is this curaco the syrup or the alcohol blue curaco?
Hey Cari! For this recipe, it’s meant to be blue curacao the liqueur (alcohol) but I think the syrup would work just as well.
Would it be possible to put these into a shot glass and freeze it like a popsicle?
I wish I could share a photo because ours turned out so good! We couldn’t buy blue curaçao on Sunday so my an old friend of mine had the brilliant idea of dying the triple sec we had at home blue with food coloring. Thanks for the awesome drink idea. I know they’ll be a hit at the 4th of July party we are going to today!
Mother’s Russia coctail! thanks for this!
Will be making this for the holiday! Thanks for the idea!
Vodka and lemonade tasted terrible!
Can you make in advance and freeze? Taking to campground.
Could each layer be made ahead of time and frozen in a contianer?
Then just use an ice cream scoop to serve when needed.
I couldn’t find grenadine syrup so I bought Grenadine liqueur. Do you think it’s the same consistency as the syrup? Or should I use less ice to make it thicker?