Cooking Lesson #316: July 4th Firecracker Cocktail

…from the Happy Hour Bar

How you doin’? It’s time to put out the Red, White and Blue and the American flag, too. Here is one heck of a festive cocktail that is perfect for the 4th of July. Just a few ingredients, a cocktail shaker and some Pop Rocks are all you need to make this cocktail sizzle.

My patriotic drink is a delicious blend of the Red White and Berry Vodka, curaçao, grenadine and homemade lemonade to keep it balanced.
 
There is a limited edition Smirnoff Vodka that comes out just for the summer months. It’s released in June, just in time for the 4th of July Holidays. Red White and Berry vodka is sweet with cherry, citrus and blue raspberry flavors all blended into a dynamite flavor combination. If you enjoy sweet drinks, you will love this one.
 
I am including a homemade lemonade recipe in the thread of this recipe in case you are out. You only need 3 ounces of lemonade. No need to buy it for one cocktail. The lemonade is very easy to make with lemon juice, sugar and water. You can adjust the proportions if you like it sweeter or less sweet. The Red White and Berry Vodka needs to tart to offset the sweet mix and keep this cocktail from getting over the top cloying and yucky.
 
The grenadine naturally falls through the curaçao to the bottom of the glass creating the beautiful gradation of colors.
 
A Pop Rocks Candy Rim… you remember Pop Rocks—They are back again. The pop rocks react with the liquids around the edge of the glass and bang and pop continually while you sip… very much in the spirit of the 4th of July. Cool thing! Pop rocks make firecracker sounds so you can sizzle while you sip!
 
You can make a kid-friendly version with a 7-up, a little grenadine and some grape juice (or blue food coloring). Just rim the glass with honey as noted below and dip into the Pop Rocks… if you use soda or juice on the rim, either will immediately activate the rocks. Honey is thick enough to hold them until sipping begins.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 Cocktail
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 ounces Smirnoff Red White and Berry Vodka
3/4 ounce blue Curaçao
1/2 ounce Grenadine
3 ounces lemonade
 
Directions
To rim a glass with Pop Rocks

1. Put a dollop of honey on a flat plate. Roll the lip of your glass through the honey until the entire rim is coated.
2. On a separate flat plate mix the blue and red pop rocks.
3. Set your coated glass rim into the pop rocks. Using your fingers, push the pop rocks around the rim until the rim is completely coated with pop rock candy. Set aside.

To make the cocktail

1. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Pour the Curaçao, vodka and lemonade into your shaker—Shake until very cold.
3. Fill your rimmed cocktail glass with ice.
4. Pour your cocktail into the rimmed cocktail glass.
   
5. Pour the Grenadine over the back of a spoon to float it atop the cocktail.
   
6. Garnish with a cherry or berries of your choice on a bamboo pick.

ChefSecrets:  You will need red and blue pop rocks and either honey or light corn syrup to rim your cocktail glass. Listen to the pop rocks 'rockets' explode as you sip this tasty and beautiful July 4th Firecracker Cocktail. It's a fun patriotic refreshment.
 
                                         Homemade Lemonade Recipe
                             If you do not have lemonade on hand, you can make your own:
 
Ingredients
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
 
Directions
Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to use. You will need 3 ounces of lemonade for one cocktail.

A Little History:  What are Pop Rocks, you ask?  Where have you been hiding?  Pop Rocks differ from typical hard candy in that pressurized carbon dioxide gas bubbles are embedded inside of the candy, creating a small popping reaction when it dissolves.

The concept was patented by a General Foods research chemists on December 12, 1961, but the candy was not offered for sale to the public until 1976. General Foods withdrew it from the marketplace in 1983, citing its lack of success in the marketplace and its relatively short shelf life.

Rumors persisted that eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda would cause a person's stomach to boil and explode. This was, in part, caused by the false assumption that Pop Rocks contain an acid/base mixture (such as baking soda and vinegar) which produces large volumes of gas when mixed through chewing and saliva.

Though the confection had been extensively tested and found safe, the carbonated candy still alarmed residents in Seattle. The Food and Drug Administration set up a hotline there to assure anxious parents that the fizzing candy would not cause their children to choke. General Foods was battling the "exploding kid" rumors as early as 1979. General Foods sent letters to school principals, created an open letter to parents, took out advertisements in major publications and sent the confection's inventor on the road to explain that a Pop Rocks package contains less gas (namely, carbon dioxide, the same gas used in all carbonated beverages) than half a can of soda.

Because of the unique flavor of the legend, and the duration of its perpetuation, the story has appeared in many other forms of media and fiction even before the internet.

Quip of the Day: “Keep the American spirit alive by honoring this special occasion. Happy Independence Day!”
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