4th of July Party Ideas

By Food & Wine
Updated December 20, 2016
Credit: TODD PORTER & DIANE CU
Get festive for Fourth of July with red sangria, a firecracker salsa, color-coded hors d'oeuvres and more.
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Red Sangria

Credit: LUCAS ALLEN
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This is the easiest red sangria you can make because it contains just five ingredients and comes together right in the pitcher. Sangria, especially red sangria, is one of our favorite pitcher drinks because it's colorful, festive and comes together incredibly fast. Although Spaniards and Portuguese have been drinking sangria for centuries, the brandy-spiked drink didn't make an official appearance in the United States until 1964, at the World's Fair in New York City.

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Fourth-of-July Firecracker Salsa

Credit: © Jonelle Weaver
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The Fourth-of-July tomato plant produces smallish fruit (about 3 inches) with a nice tartness--perfect for salsa. And, yes, they really do ripen early: in time for Independence Day. That holiday is also a good time to have incendiary firecracker chiles, which are ornamental as well as delicious and grow well in pots.

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Fourth of July Red, White and Blueberry Salad

Credit: TODD PORTER AND DIANE CU
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Celebrate the Fourth of July with this fun and festive creamy fruit salad.

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Blueberry Margarita

Credit: TODD PORTER & DIANE CU
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This quick and easy margarita recipe is made with muddled blueberries and bitters.

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Party Cake with Whipped Cream and Raspberries

Credit: © Kamran Siddiqi
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This simple, deliciously moist cake from baker and cookbook author Kamran Siddiqi is the perfect all-purpose cake that can be adorned in almost any way.

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Spicy Beer Mustard

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Chef Jeremy Nolen updates German classics at Brauhaus Schmitz in Philadelphia, including this intense mustard for sausages.

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Smoky Chipotle and Bacon Guacamole

Credit: TODD PORTER & DIANE CU
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This smoky, salty guacamole is a great game-day dip--but you might want to double it if you're having friends over. Anything with bacon tends to disappear quickly.

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