Want a celebratory drink for July 4th?

How about a red, white and blue layered shooter?

A drink with several layers of different colored liqueurs is called a pousse café (pronounced POOSE-caff-fay). A classic pousse café is a liqueur-based drink served with after-dinner coffee. In French, the name translates to “pushes coffee,” or coffee chaser. The term first appeared in France in 1880.

Because different liqueurs have different densities, they can be made to sit atop each other in discrete layers, when poured in order of densest to lightest. The result is a fun drink that delights the eye, rather than a strategic layering of flavors.

Three flavors can be combined in a shot glass, or more flavors in a tall cordial glass or a whiskey glass. We’ve had one with seven different layers—although that’s not necessarily a good thing. It may look stunning, but combining seven flavors in a pleasing manner is a tough job.

The minute you tip the glass to drink, you’ll be getting tastes of all or several liqueurs—which is why it’s a good idea to cap them at three. Some bartenders provide a straw to sip the pousse café one layer at a time.

The original recipe is believed to have been red, yellow and green layers: grenadine, yellow chartreuse and green chartreuse.

But you can make a red, white and blue July 4th pousse café. Just call it a shooter: an all-American drink for Independence Day.

American Flag Cocktail

When we make pancakes, we make twice as much as we need.

Who wants leftover pancakes? We do!

We reheat them by toasting them in the toaster oven. The outsides get nice and crispy. In our book, they’re even better than the original batch.

July 4th Recipes

 
TIP: If you’re going to make pancakes, get a delicious whole wheat pancake mix. The pancakes will count toward your daily recommended 48 grams of whole grain.

Add blueberries for a red, white and blue
July 4th treat. Photo by Simone van den Berg
| IST.

Canapés with star quality. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

For July 4th celebrations, these star crackers add surprise and delight.

Turn them into red, white and blue canapés with raspberry jam, brie and a blueberry garnish anchored with a dab of blueberry jam.

Or, present the crackers in a basket with different spreads and dips, and let guests create their own snacks.

For a sweet treat, mix 3 tablespoons black raspberry liqueur into 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (don’t over-mix—the mascarpone becomes too soft). Spread or pipe the mascarpone onto the star crackers; top with two raspberries, a blueberry and a small mint leaf.

The crackers are made by one of our favorite companies, Valley Lahvosh Baking Co.

Lahvosh, also spelled lavash and lahvash, is an Armenian flatbread made with wheat flour, water and salt. When fresh, lahvosh is soft and thin like a tortilla, and is used as a sandwich wrap for kebabs and other foods.

The fresh lahvosh hardens into a crunchy cracker consistency, which is how it is most often found in the U.S.—typically sold in boxes of long strips topped with toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic or other seasonings. It’s a very popular part of the bread basket in some restaurants.

Among other favorites in the Valley Lahvosh line are heart-shaped crackers (for engagement parties, Valentine’s Day, etc.) and Lucky Lahvosh, an assortment of crackers shaped like clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.

Updated retro: goat cheese-stuffed celery
with pomegranate arils. Blueberries not
shown. Photo and recipe courtesy Pom
Wonderful.

An update of the 1950s classic, this stuffed celery recipe replaces the old school cream cheese and pimento-stuffed olives with goat cheese and capers.

For July 4th, the white goat cheese is accented with red pomegranate arils and blueberries.

For Christmas, switch out the blueberries and put extra green capers on top of the goat cheese.

Stuffed Celery Ingredients

Stuffed Celery Preparation

1. If using a whole fresh pomegranate, score and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the arils. The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top.

2. Sieve the arils and place in a separate bowl. You only need half the arils (1/2 cup); refrigerate or freeze the rest. Or put them to work on the holiday menu: in a salad or cocktails, or as a tray garnish.

2. Clean six stalks of celery; cut into four pieces each and set aside.

3. Mix together goat cheese, green onion and optional capers, if desired.

4. Using a knife, fill each piece of celery with cheese mixture.

5. Divide the arils and blueberries evenly and press onto the cheese. Lightly press down the blueberries.

6. Serve chilled.

You can grill more than fruit for dessert. Have you ever grilled cake?

While the grill is hot, toss on slices of pound cake or angel food cake. Serve them with grilled fruit and whipped cream or ice cream.

Here’s an easy red, white & blue dessert for July 4th, courtesy of McCormick.com: Grilled Angel Food Cake with Peppered Berries & Vanilla Cream. With a luscious mascarpone topping instead of whipped cream and a touch of heat from black pepper, it’s memorable, festive and just right to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

GRILLED ANGEL FOOD CAKE RECIPE
Makes 6 servings. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Red, white, blue & delicious. Photo courtesy
McCormick.com.

Preparation
1. Beat cream, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gently stir in mascarpone cheese. Cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. Mix remaining 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan. Stir in water and vinegar until well blended. Stir in blueberries. Stirring constantly, bring to boil on medium heat and boil 1 minute. Pour into medium bowl to cool slightly. Add raspberries and pepper; toss gently to coat.

3. Grill angel food cake slices over medium heat 45 to 60 seconds per side or until golden brown grill marks appear. To serve, spoon berry mixture over each slice of cake. Top with a dollop of whipped cream mixture.

Grill on!

What happens the day after Father’s Day?

We start planning our Independence Day menu.

Tee up this Red, White & Blue Sorbet Float for July 4th or any hot summer day. The recipe is courtesy Van Gogh Vodka and uses Van Gogh Açai-Blueberry Vodka. But if you have another blueberry-flavored vodka at home (or a raspberry-flavored vodka), you can use it before buying more.

RED, WHITE & BLUE SORBET FLOAT

Ingredients

 
Preparation
1. Add ingredients to blender and blend.
2. Pour into a hurricane glass or other tall glass.
3. Garnish with coconut flakes and fresh blueberries or other seasonal berries.

More July 4th recipes are on their way!

Add a blueberry garnish to make a red, white
and blue July 4th treat. Photo courtesy
Van Gogh Vodka.

Serve a trio of red, white and blue drinks to celebrate Independence Day.

Have a sip of blanco (white) Tequila, followed by a red sangrita, followed by a blue Margarita.

Get the recipe and have fun!

Drink the American flag! Photo courtesy
Riazul Premium Tequila.

Millions of burgers will be grilled July 4th. But we eat burgers every day. How can you make them special for your July 4th celebration?

Use a large star cookie cutter to create an Independence Day cheeseburger.

 
Now we’ve got red and white, but where does the blue come from?
 
Tint pickle slices with blue food color! Add one drop of color at a time until you get the desired result. Place a pickle slice on the center of the cheese star or put a few slices between the tomato and the cheese.

Photo courtesy Idaho Potato Commission.

Everyone will be tickled red, white and blue with your presentation.

 
Now for the potato salad:

As fond as people may be of potato salad with mayonnaise, there are many great potato salad recipes waiting to be made. One we like from the Idaho Potato Commission—people who know how to cook with potatoes—includes a red wine Dijon vinaigrette that means no cholesterol, a heart-healthy fat and a potato salad that stands up better in the heat.

The recipe is enlivened with green beans, cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, black olives, celery and parsley. You can add optional chopped red onion. Get the recipe.

Make red velvet cupcakes like these from
Magnolia Bakery. Photo courtesy
MagnoliaBakery.com.

One special dessert for July 4th is red, white and blue cupcakes.

These cupcakes from New York City’s Magnolia Bakery combine red velvet cake, white frosting and a blueberry garnish.

TIP: Make mini cupcakes instead of full-size ones. With all the food that revelers will have consumed before dessert, smaller is better.
 
Take a look at our easy cupcake decorating ideas, good for 365 days a year.

See our Gourmet Cakes Section for more cupcake ideas and recipes.

Make star-shaped ice with an inexpensive
star-shaped ice cube tray.

Make your ice cubes special for July 4th. It’s easy!

Just freeze 2 blueberries and a raspberry in each compartment of your ice cube tray.

For an extra-special presentation, make “star” ice cubes.

You can order a star-shaped ice cube tray from Amazon.com.