Red, White & Blue Layered Drinks
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been totally enamored with layered drinks… not only are they gorgeous to look at, but they also have an air of magic about them. How else could layers of liquid float on top of one another?! (Spoiler alert: it’s not magic, and I’m going to tell you how to do it!)Â On Sunday, my aunt was talking about a cocktail she got at a restaurant once that had 21 layers! That’s crazy! She said it came in a tall, skinny glass and each layer was literally a single sip. Her story and the upcoming holiday inspired me to take a crack at a pretty layered drink in festive red, white and blue.
The secret to making a layered drink? It’s all in the sugar! Drinks with a higher sugar content are naturally denser, so they sink to the bottom. So, you can use any type of drink you want to get the desired effect as long as you pour the drinks from most sugar content to least, and you’ll have your layers!
For this drink, I used cranberry juice (28 grams sugar) on the bottom, 7-UP (25 grams sugar) in the middle and blue Powerade (0 grams sugar) on top.
The combination of flavors actually tastes great and there’s a little bubbly action due to the 7-UP, which I love. Now that I know how to make layered drinks, they’ll definitely be a fun addition to different holidays and special occasions. I’m thinking candy cane for Christmas!
One year ago: Blueberry-Peach Coffee Cake
Two years ago: No-Bake S’mores Pie
Four years ago: Cherry Crisp
Six years ago: Roasted Shrimp and Orzo
Red, White & Blue Layered Drinks
Ingredients
- Ice
- Cranberry Juice
- 7-UP
- Blue Powerade
Instructions
- Fill glasses two-thirds full with ice.
- Pour the cranberry juice about one-third of the way up each glass. Slowly pour the 7-UP another third of the way up the glass. Finally, slowly pour the blue Powerade to the top of the glass. Insert a straw and serve!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Can I Â make this in a pitcher?
Wow! We had a dinner on July 6 and we still wanted the patriotic theme so we made this layered drink and it was a big hit! The drinks looked so nice in our Waterford iced beverage glasses (not that you have to have those) and tasted good, too. Everyone from the grandparents to the high school and college age kids enjoyed them. Thanks so much for this nice idea! (Oh yes, we also had your flag cake made from scratch and that was a big hit, too! Second time we have made it and the kids still take pics of it and we all enjoy eating it!)
I had no idea the secret to layered drinks is all in the sugar. Thanks for the tip, Michelle!
Layering is so much fun. Have you ever made an “AngelsTip?” Sooooo good!
Hi Skye, I haven’t! What’s in it?
It’s cream de cacao and heavy cream. Pour the liquor into a cordial glass about half way. With a spoon, actually, the back of the spoon, gently pour the cream on top. The cream should almost fill the glass. Pour it slowly, it will layer! Serve as is, but I like to spear a maraschino cherry and lay that on top. You could forget the cherry and top with a little cinnamon or grated chocolate.
Enjoy! :)
I’ve made this before! It’s so festive for the 4th of July, and making it with different color drinks is so much fun.
Oh wow! I definitely want to try these. Not to sound like a total lush (but it IS the 4th of July) but how would adding alcohol affect the layers?? I’m thinking I would want to add Vodka to this, but would that affect how the layers flow together?
Hi Angela, I don’t believe that vodka has any sugar in it, so in theory, it would float at the top, then you could always stir it in!
These are so cute! I wonder what the sugar content is of something like fruit punch kool-aid as a possible replacement for the cranberry juice?