Don’t Judge Me Mondays: The Uncle Sam

/ Uncategorized

Happy 4th of July everyone! Since it’s Monday and Independence Day, I wanted to share a drink with a little extra pizazz.  This cocktail is fairly simple, but the pizazz comes in with the rim!

We’re going to use a combo of colored sugar and Pop Rocks to make a festive rim that also adds some fun to drinking the cocktail. We’ll using bourbon in this drink.  It seemed only appropriate to use an American spirit on Independence Day 🙂  I also chose to use Cherry Kool-aid to add the cherry flavor to this drink because it adds a nice red hue.

It’s really important for this drink that you gather all of your ingredients and have everything ready to go.  Once that rim is covered, you want to get it to whoever is drinking it quickly, so they can enjoy the effect of the Pop Rocks.  Mix together your sugars and Pop Rocks in a plate large enough that you can dip your glass.  I wanted a rim inspired by the flag, which is why I used the blue and white sugars.  You can just use the Pop Rocks if you  don’t want to bother with the sugars.  I also recommend putting some ice in a pitcher or bowl so that it’s ready for you to plop some in the glass with your hands.

We’re going to use a watermelon to coat the glass in liquid.  This will be our “sticking agent” for the sugars and Pop Rocks.  I chose watermelon because I figured a lot of you would be having BBQs and would have watermelon on hand.  It also adds a nice flavor.  If you don’t have watermelon, you can use lemon to wet the rim.

I served this drink in a pint jar.  Any glass that holds about 16 ounces will do, just make sure it has a rim that will be good for coating (something with straight sides works best).

Ok, let’s assemble the drink!

Start by firmly pressing your glass into the watermelon slice.  You want a depth of at least half and inch to ensure that rim is getting a good covering.  The first 2 times I made this drink, I kept forgetting to coat the rim before adding ice to the glass- you can learn from my mistakes!

Now press the rim of your glass into the plate with the sugars and Pop Rocks.  You may have to tip it and roll it around a couple of times for everything to stick to the glass.  You’ll start to hear the Pop Rocks fizzing. 🙂

Place ice in the glass to fill it about halfway.  Do this gently, so that you don’t disturb the covered rim.

Fill the glass about halfway with the Coke (I used Coke Zero in mine for a little less sugar).  Add the Kool-Aid mix and stir.  The Coke will turn a deep shade of red.  (If you want a kid friendly version you can just top off with Coke at this point). Add the Bourbon and top off with more Coke.  Stir and serve.

This drink will make you feel like a kid again with the sugary rim and the cherry Kool-Aid that turns your mouth a little red. If you light up a sparkler though, make sure you keep it away from the bourbon!

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!