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    This Fourth of July, celebrate your independence from the office with these five mixed drinks, from the Arnold Palmer to the Black and Tan to a beer-based Shirley Temple.

    The Arnold Palmer

    Tea may be a fundamentally British beverage, but it's the drink that got it all started here in the States. "No taxation without representation" and all that business. Celebrate your independence from TPS reports tomorrow with a round of golf, and beat the heat with a simple cocktail made famous by one of America's greatest golfers: Arnold Palmer. Fill a tall glass with ice and add equal parts Belvedere vodka, sweet lemonade and tea. 

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    The Old Fashioned

    The Old Fashioned became famous at the bar of New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel, but it originated at a gentleman's club in Kentucky. This recipe calls for Bulleitt bourbon or rye whiskey. In a rocks glass, shake a dash or two of Angosturra bitters on to a sugar cube (substitue simple syrup if there aren't any sugar cubes on hand). Add a few cubes of ice, an ounce of Bulleit rye and top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with an orange peel. For another bourbon-based American classic, the Bulleit Manhattan calls for an ounce of bourbon, a quarter-ounce of sweet vermouth and few dashes of bitters.

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    The Platinum Shirley

    We may not have invented beer, but America can certainly take credit for perfecting the lager. Anheuser-Busch, headquartered in St. Louis, is the maker of far and away the world's most popular beer: Budweiser. Their Bud Light Platinum is a step up the flavor ladder from your run-of-the-mill light beers, but is still a refreshingly light lager, making it the perfect match for many of the new breed of beer-based cocktails. The Platinum Shirley is an adaptation of a beer-based Shirley Temple recipe created by sports-and-booze writer Sarah Sprague. Pour a shot of grenadine into the bottom of a pint glass, pour in your 12-ounce bottle of Bud Light Platinum, garnish with two Maraschino cherries, and enjoy.

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    Black and Tan

    One of the first beer cocktails to gain popularity is a mix of a dark stout and an ale or lager. We give Guinness a nod on Independence Day, as the Irish had their own War of Independence against merry old England. (Though don't go ordering a "black and tan" in Ireland, where the term refers to the uniforms of a British paramilitary group known for committing atrocities during the Irish revolution.) A proper black and tan is made with Guinness and Bass, but in the spirit of revolution, we substitute the English Bass with an Irish Harp on Independence Day, to make a delicous beer cocktail that is also known as a half and half. In a pint glass, pour the Harp halfway up the glass, and then gently fill it the rest of the way with Guinness.

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    Next: 8 Crazy Cocktails You Need To Try

    The Landy Sidecar

    The Fourth of July usually ends with a bang, but we think that some refinement is in order when the fireworks get started. This classic cocktail's origins aren't entirely clear, but we'll go with the story that it was named for an American Army captain who regularly ordered it at a Paris bistro during World War I and was always driven to and from the restaurant in a motorcycle sidecar. To make a Landy Sidecar, combine two ounces of Landy cognac, a half-ounce of Cointreau and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass, and garnish with a lemon rind or orange slice.