Fourth of July Picnic Drinks, Sides and Salads
Refreshing Drinks, Comfort Food Side Dishes, Leafy and Fruity Salads
Jun 30, 2009
The Fourth of July is synonymous with holiday picnics. Creating a large spread for your group of family or friends in a park or backyard with the grill smoking, music playing and kids swimming is a large chunk of the fun. Explore simple recipes with creative ingredients to cover all your drink and side dish needs! This is the first article focused on July 4th picnic ideas. Check out the second portion of this article here for the Ultimate BBQ Picnic With Chilly Desserts.
The key is making sure the cold food stays cold, and the hot food stays hot. If you are throwing the picnic at your home, this makes this task much more simple.
Cold Picnic Beverages
Classic Margaritas (serves 12)
In a large pitcher combine a bottle of tequila, the juice from 15 limes, and 2 cups Triple Sec or Corona beer for an added kick. Fill up the rest of the pitcher with ice and 1 1/2 cups water. Stir, line glasses with Kosher salt and lime slices.
The Triple Sec and Corona add more depth of flavor and balance out the lime flavor.
Pineapple Sparkler (serves 12)
In a pitcher, combine three 12-ounce cans of Ginger Ale and 4 1/2 cups of pineapple juice. Fill the rest of the pitcher with ice. Top each glass with sliced pineapple. To make it a cocktail, add 2 cups of rum before serving.
Plum Iced Tea (serves 12)
Boil nine cups of water on the stove top, turn down the heat, then add six black or herbal tea bags to steep in the water for about ten minutes. After this, throw out the tea bags and let the tea cool down to room temperature.
Add about six spoonfuls of honey (more or less to your taste), and six sliced up plums. Transfer the tea to a pitcher and when you pour the glasses over ice, add a couple sprigs of thyme to each glass. To make it a cocktail, add two cups of bourbon to the pitcher before serving.
Picnic Dips and Side Dishes
Serve up an array of comfort food dips with chips, and warm and cool side dishes for guests to snack on and eat with their main meal: the barbecue course.
- Serve the usual creamy guacamole and pico de gallo, with blue corn chips for the July 4th traditional color. Add some finely diced white onion to the guacamole and pico de gallo for an added tang.
- Bust out creative side dishes like Deviled Eggs Seven Ways and Saucy Shrimps with different dips.
- Make a warm baked bean casserole. Layer different types of canned cooked beans in a casserole dish, such as Pinto beans, Black beans, or White beans. Sprinkle in cooked bacon, brown sugar and onions. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until bubbling.
- Lay out crusty baguette pieces with a simple Ricotta Cheese and Herb Spread, that uses only a couple ingredients to create a flavorful easy to eat dip.
- Don't forget to serve the traditional potato salad! This is a picnic must-have and never gets old. Buy some from a store, or check out different potato salad recipes on your own.
- Grill up corn on the cob as you usually do, but this time do a spicy twist on the butter you lather on the cobs. Sprinkle in pinches of cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, salt, pepper and a dash of cinnamon. Stir thoroughly then pour over ears of grilled corn.
Picnic Leafy and Fruity Salads
- Layer a large platter with ice cubes, than cover with plastic. On top, create a tomato basil salad by layering cuts of thick beefsteak or Heirloom tomatoes in different colors, large fresh basil leaves, and thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. The ice underneath will keep the salad cool.
- Toss together a large Greek salad that is refreshing for a hot day by combining chopped romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, black olives, feta cheese, and Greek salad dressing.
- Lay out platters of freshly sliced fruit, with combinations such as cantoloupe, honey dew and watermelon; or plums, mangos and kiwis. You can also create a refreshing berry salad in festive colors, with strawberries, blueberries and cool whipped cream.
Picnic Food Care Basics
Spread out these dishes throughout tables at your picnic, and make sure to provide plenty of plates, napkins and eating utensils for your guests. Keep your cold items in coolers with blue ice packs or Ziploc bags full of ice, or you can try padding the underneath of the platters with ice if you have the right supplies. Try to keep your food that stays in the coolers in airtight containers so nothing gets wet or soggy.
Happy Fourth of July!
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