Bomb Pop Cocktail
This Bomb Pop Cocktail is a fun, nostalgic layered drink that's perfect for summer celebrations. Inspired by the classic red, white, and blue popsicle, this cocktail features sweet grenadine, tangy lemonade, and a splash of blue-hued vodka, giving it bold colors and refreshing flavors. It's quick to assemble, eye-catching, and the perfect drink for holidays like the Memorial Day, Labor Day or Fourth of July parties! Made with simple ingredients and no fancy tools, it's a playful party drink that looks as good as it tastes.
Add a real Bomb Pop popsicle on top and you've got a drink that's just as festive as it is flavorful. Whether you're hosting a backyard BBQ or hanging by the pool, this cocktail is an easy win for warm-weather entertaining.
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This was inspired by our patriotic dessert line up: Red, White and Blue Dump Cake, Red, White and Blue Fruit Cups, and Red, White and Blue Trifle.
Ingredients
Nothing complicated here-just a short and sweet shopping list and you're on your way to a delicious cocktail.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Grenadine: Adding the red color and a sweet flavor. The heavy syrup consistency keeps this layered at the bottom of the glass.
- Small Ice Cubes: Whether you use pebbles or small square ice cubes as long as a lot of the area is covered the layers will stay separated easiest.
- Lemonade: Regular lemonade offers a neutral-colored liquid for the clear and blue layers and offers a sweet and citrus profile.
- Vodka: Makes this cocktail a cocktail and helps make the blue layer.
- Blue Food-Safe Coloring: Used to create the blue layer along with some lemonade.
For this fun cocktail recipe, you'll want to have on hand a spouted measuring cup, shot glass and spoon.
Variations
- Clear Liquor: Use rum, gin, or even tequila blanco instead of vodka.
- Non-Alcoholic Version: Skip the vodka and use lemon-lime soda or coconut water for the layers.
- Homemade Lemonade: If you don't have bottled, use fresh lemon juice, water, and simple syrup.
- Flavored Vodka: Try berry, coconut or citron vodka for a little twist.
- Natural Coloring: Skip artificial dye and use a splash of blue curaçao in place of coloring and vodka.
How to Make Bomb Pop Cocktail
You won't believe how easy this is-watch how it all comes together.
Make your red layer by slowly pour grenadine into your glass to prevent much splashing. Use enough to fill, leaving at least 1 centimeter from the top.
Carefully add ice on top of the grenadine, filling the glass, but leaving at least 1 inch of space from the top.
Mix lemonade and 1 ½-ounce vodka into a spouted measuring cup and pour slowly on the back of a spoon into the glass to make the white layer.
In the same spouted measuring cup add remaining 1 ½-ounce vodka and 1-2 drops of blue coloring. Repeat to make your blue layer by pouring the mixture on the back of the spoon on top of the white layer.
Garnish with a bomb pop popsicle if desired.
Hint: Use the back of a spoon to help layer the liquids without mixing colors, by hovering just over the last layer poured. Slowly raise the spoon as the liquid rises with your pour.
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Recipe Tips
- Shaken/Stirred: The layered effect of this cocktail is simply created by slowly pouring the liquids in on the back of a spoon in a specific order to get the desired effect.
- Glass: A tall glass is preferred to be able to show off the layers in this cocktail. While it can be made in a shorter glass, the quantities would need to be adjusted.
- Use Crushed or Small Ice: Small ice that takes up more space helps suspend the layers better than larger cubes.
- Chill Ingredients First: Cold liquids pour more slowly and help preserve layers.
- Don't Overfill: Leave room at the top of the glass for the popsicle garnish.
- Serve Immediately: This drink is best enjoyed fresh before the colors start to blend.
Serving Suggestions
- Festive Desserts: Try our patriotic red, white and blue dump cake, our red, white and blue fruit cups, or our red, white and blue trifle.
- Sliders: A fun party pairing for summer cookouts; try our meatball sliders, made from our slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs. Alternatively, you can make a batch of our Root Beer pulled pork and whip up some Hawaiian roll sliders or BBQ pulled pork sliders.
- Watermelon Feta Salad: Fresh and vibrant, it balances the cocktail's sweetness.
- Mac and Cheese: A classic backyard side dish. Our slow cooker Velveeta mac and cheese or a baked white cheddar mac and cheese are both great options.
- Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans: Another quintessential backyard meal paring.
- Grilled Chicken: Our easy chicken thigh marinade is perfect for grilling.
Bomb Pop Cocktail Drink FAQs
Do you have questions about making a Bomb Pop cocktail drink.
A clear highball or Collins glass works great to show off the layers.
Not entirely, this drink is best made just before serving to keep the layers intact.
No, it's optional but adds a fun visual and flavor boost!
Yes, blue curaçao or natural blue-hued drinks can be used in its place.
Layering works best when liquids have different densities-pouring slowly over a spoon helps a lot.
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Bomb Pop Cocktail
Equipment
- Spouted Measuring Cups
- Shot Glass
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 1-1 ½ ounce grenadine see notes
- 1-1 ½ cups small ice cubes see notes
- ⅓ cup lemonade
- 3 ounces vodka or any clear liquor divided
- 1-2 drops blue food-safe coloring liquid
Instructions
- Make your red layer by slowly pour grenadine into your glass to prevent much splashing. Use enough to fill, leaving at least 1 centimeter from the top.
- Carefully add ice on top of the grenadine, filling the glass, but leaving at least 1 inch of space from the top.
- Mix lemonade and 1 ½-ounce vodka into a spouted measuring cup and pour slowly on the back of a spoon into the glass to make the white layer.
- In the same spouted measuring cup add remaining 1 ½-ounce vodka and 1-2 drops of blue coloring. Repeat to make your blue layer by pouring the mixture on the back of the spoon on top of the white layer.
- Garnish with a bomb pop popsicle if desired.
Notes
- Depending on the circumference of your glass you may need to use a little more. You want to fully cover the bottom and have about a cm of red in the bottom.
- Ensure you leave about 1 inch of space at the top when filling your glass with ice. It will rise as you pour in the clear/"white" layer, and you still need room for the blue.
- The slower you pour the better the layers will sit on top of one another and not mix.
- Use the back of a spoon to help layer the liquids without mixing colors, by hovering just over the last layer poured. Slowly raise the spoon as the liquid rises with your pour.
- Small ice that takes up more space helps suspend the layers better than larger cubes.
- Cold liquids pour more slowly and help preserve layers.
- Leave room at the top of the glass for the popsicle garnish.
- This drink is best enjoyed fresh before the colors start to blend.
Nutrition
We would be so grateful for you to leave us a rating and review on any drinks you try. If you make any alterations, let us know how they turned out.
Love how nostalgic these are!! Definitely a keeper for summer 🙂
Thanks so much. It is a fun one!
This sounds like such a fun throwback in a glass! Do the layers stay separated easily? I’d love to try this for our next BBQ!
Yes, they do! They are strategically placed- the more sugar the heavier they are 😉 😉
Damn!! The cocktail looks sooo good!
It is SO fun and refreshing- and obviously festive. Hehe. Enjoy it!
This is such fun cocktail to make!