The Fourth of July is one of America’s beloved holidays. Combine the abundance of food, great company and the celebration of the United States as a new nation, and you have the perfect makings for a memorable party.

And there is one more element in the July 4th merriment not to forget: drinks.

Elaine Spugnardi of Livermore loves entertaining, and believes that drinks are almost as important as the food.

“While you can wait a bit to serve the food, drinks should be ready when guests arrive,” she said. “It is their first impression of the party. . . . It gives them something to do and gets the guests mingling as well.”

When entertaining during the warm months, it’s crucial to literally “keep your cool” by being well-prepared with a stocked bar and the things needed to serve drinks and keep them cold, she said.

“If anyone is like me or my husband, Jere, they love the idea of throwing a party, one with lots of great family and friends,” said Spugnardi. “But let’s face it, it can be pretty stressful if you are not prepared. Planning ahead for any get-together, as well as making it mostly self-serve, prevents running around restocking, mixing and serving. More importantly, it allows you to enjoy the day, while keeping in mind what matters most: the company.”

Spugnardi explains that there are three main approaches to serving drinks.

“A full bar, which includes a wide variety of beer, wine, liquors, mixes and garnishes. A themed bar (or station) that focuses on many variations of one drink, such as mojitos or margaritas. And a signature bar featuring a ‘special’ drink for the occasion, giving everyone something to try and it also works as a conversation starter.”

The full bar

“You know your guests better than anyone else — what they like, how much they will drink and how long they will stay. The rule of thumb is to plan one drink for every 45 minutes,” said Spugnardi.

The best stocked bar includes assorted beer, white wine, red wine, vodka, rum, whiskey and gin, she said. For mixers, make sure to have at least orange and cranberry juice, club soda, Coke, tonic water and ginger ale. And for garnishes have plenty of lemons and limes.

The themed bar or station

“These are the most fun because it’s one drink, but guests can build it themselves to suit their own tastes,” said Spugnardi. “Sangria is my favorite and I make two bases: one with vodka and assorted fruits and the other with rum, pineapple and oranges.”

She said that as you decide on your favorite recipe, make the base with only the liquor(s) and fruit the night before. Before the gathering, place the wine, juices and mixers at the bar for guests to add, offering countless combinations. “Write a note telling your guests proportions, which is usually half a glass of wine and a heavy splash of either base, juice and mixer,” she said.

Signature bar

“It’s always fun to have a signature drink. It can even be a fancy drink that you rename honoring the day. Floating drinks are festive, like limoncello with any red wine poured on top. It’s delicious and because the wine has less sugar, it will float on top,” said Spugnardi.

“The Patriot is a perfect floating drink for the Fourth,” she added. “It’s a cherry berry lemonade made with blueberry vodka and strawberry rum: blue on the bottom, red on the top. Wine slushes are also fun.”

Keep it cool

One of the biggest party fails is to run out of ice. Spugnardi offers some clever ways to not only to make ice, but make the serving area more festive.

“For filling coolers or decorative buckets of beer, add red, white and blue balloons filled with water that have been frozen — there’s no digging through slush for the last can and they last all day,” she said.

Use festive ice cube trays to make ice for drinks; to add color, insert a cranberry or blueberry in each cube before freezing.

Freezing water in Jell-O molds or bundt cake pans works well for punch. Spugnardi suggests adding appropriate-flavored Kool-Aid or Crystal Lite to prevent flavor loss and add color.

And why not keep wine cool in its own ice bucket?

“Take a 2-liter soda container and cut it down to about 7-8 inches,” Spugnardi said. “Place an empty bottle of wine in the middle and fill the space with water to freeze overnight. To be festive, add edible flowers or fruit (to the water).”

Then, before serving, cut the soda bottle off and pour warm water into the wine bottle to slightly melt the ice. Remove the empty bottle and replace it with the full one you’ll be serving to guests. This can also be done with liquor, using any type of freezable container. Because alcohol doesn’t freeze, there’s no need to use an empty bottle.

Spugnardi lists a few refreshing, non-alcoholic ideas as well:

Water: Infused water is popular and can be made in a pitcher or individual mason jar with a lid, covered in ice. Flavored, fizzy water is made with flavored simple syrup and seltzer.

Punch: Combine equal cranberry, pineapple, orange juice and lemonade. Another great one, she said, is one can of (non-alcoholic) frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate, a pack of strawberry Kool-Aid and 6 liters of strawberry sparkling water.

Lemonade: Always the perfect go-to that can be fizzy by adding a splash of sparkling water.

Mocktails: Virgin mojitos can be made by muddling lime and mint leaves in a glass, add a large splash of simple syrup. Fill with ice and top with sparkling water. Virgin sangrias are made with assorted fruits and equal white grape juice, cranberry juice and 7-Up.

If children have been invited, it is important to distinguish their drinks.

“Set up their own drinking station in an area far from alcohol. Fill a kiddie pool with ballooned ice and assorted sodas, juice pouches and water,” said Spugnardi.

She reminds everyone to have a safe Fourth.

“I feel it’s the host’s responsibility to not only make sure everyone has a good time, but to make it home safely as well. Be sure everyone stays hydrated and has plenty of snacks around, reminding them to eat. If you see a guest not fit to drive home, offer to get them a cab or give them a ride yourself.”

The Patriot

Ingredients:

Blue layer:

1 ounce blueberry vodka

3 ounces blue raspberry Kool-Aid

1 ounce simple syrup

Red layer:

2 ounces strawberry rum

1/2  ounce maraschino cherry juice

2 ounces pink lemonade

(Note: 1 ounce equals 2 tablespoons)

Instructions:

Mix red layer ingredients, set aside. Mix the ingredients for the blue layer in a 12-ounce glass and add ice. Place a spoon against the inside of the glass and slowly pour the red layer onto the spoon and let flow over the blue.

(Purchase simple syrup or mix equal parts water and sugar, bring to a boil and simmer until dissolved. Let cool completely)

Celebration punch

Ingredients:

3/4 cup vodka

3/4 cup peach schnapps

6-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate

6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate

2 liters of 7-Up

Orange, lemon and lime slices

Instructions:

Stir together all ingredients except soda. When blended add soda and gently stir.

Top with fruit slices.

Strawberry wine slush

Ingredients:

6 ounces frozen lemonade

1 1/3 cups sweet, white wine like Riesling

16 ice cubes

1 pint frozen strawberries

Instructions:

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes about 5 servings.

Non-alcoholic ginger fizz

Ingredients:

1 ounce ginger syrup

1/2 ounce lime juice

4-5 ounces seltzer or sparkling water

Slice of lime or crystallized ginger for garnish

Instructions:

Fill glass with ice, add ingredients and garnish.

For ginger syrup, place a medium-sized piece of ginger in a wax paper and smash to release juices. Add the ginger to a saucepan with 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil, simmer until the sugar is dissolved, cool and strain out the ginger.

Cupcake: Limoncello and wine make a floating drink. Using cupcake wrappers on a straw keep the bugs away.

Elaine: Elaine Spugnardi prepares for a July 4th party, which is key to enjoying company.

Ice Bucket: Making an ice bucket with edible flowers not only keeps the wine cold, but makes a pretty centerpiece.

Patriot: The Patriot is a cherry, berry lemonade drink made with strawberry rum and blueberry vodka.

Slush: Slushes made with wine, frozen berries and ice are the perfect refreshment for a hot summer’s day.