4th of July Layered Red White & Blue Mocktail

 

This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She says the layering effect works by using three different drinks with varying sugar contents.  The drink with the highest sugar content stays at the bottom and the drink with the least sugar stays at the top.  You must be very careful pouring each juice or the colors will mix together.  It still tastes good, but you'll have a purple drink instead of the cool layered effect.  Here's what you'll need to make these fun drinks.

Ingredients:

Cranberry Juice, chilled
Blue Gatorade (not sugar-free), chilled
Sprite Zero, chilled
Ice

Here's what I found out when making this drink:

It really works best when all the drinks are chilled.  I tried making it before I chilled everything and the colors mixed together really easily.  Make sure to chill the cranberry juice, Gatorade, and soda before you start.

Use a lot of ice for each drink.  You don't have to be careful pouring the cranberry juice, but you do have to be very careful pouring the blue Gatorade.  If you use a lot of ice, it makes it easier to pour without mixing.  Pour the Gatorade in slowly and carefully over the ice.  As the Gatorade trickles over the ice, it won't mix with the cranberry juice.

No matter how slowly or carefully I poured, I absolutely could not get the soda to lay on top.  Every time I poured it, it mixed everything together.  I couldn't find Sprite Zero at the store so I used diet Seirra Mist.  I figured it would be ok since they're both diet sodas with no sugar and should stay on top.   

The science geeks at my house wondered if the red and blue layers stayed separate because of the electrolytes and salt content in the Gatorade.  They wondered if it was the salt instead of the sugar that kept the layers separate much like a halocline.  That might explain why the soda wouldn't stay on top.  

What do you think?  If you've tried this drink and got the soda to work, let me know your secret!

Find more great drinks in the recipe index!