Frozen Cocktails - The Perfect Summer Drinks Recipe!

Lots of cocktail recipes are served with ice in them to make them great for the warmer weather. But if you want to take your drinks to a new summer drink level, then the answer is definitely frozen cocktails! These range from drinks that are heavier than normal on the ice to one that is more like alcoholic slushies. Let’s take a look.

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What are frozen cocktails?

Frozen cocktails are the perfect summer drinks recipe because they are instantly cooling when the weather is warm. Lots of bars and restaurants will offer them in summer as people are always looking to cool down. And you can still drink them at any other time of the year too – bet you eat ice cream in winter? Well, frozen cocktails can be the same!

But there’s nothing to stop you making them at home – you only usually need a good blender or a slushy machine to make them.

Tips for making frozen drinks

Here are a few simple tips that can be applied to most frozen drinks recipes and also can help you to adapt normal recipes to a frozen version.

Use quality ice – this might sound strange as ice is just frozen water but by using bagged ice you can ensure it is a consistent size and texture to make your drinks
Adjust sugar levels – if you are adapting a recipe to a frozen drink, you might find you need more sugar in it as somehow the coldness of the drink takes away from the sweetness
Pop glasses in the freezer – you also need the glasses to be the right temperature when you serve the drink, or they will warm the content
Have some reusable straws handy – drinking straight from the glass might give you one of those cold headaches so grab some reusable straws to serve with the drinks

How to make frozen cocktails

Before we dive into some frozen cocktail recipes to help you make your own tasty summer drinks, let’s take a look at the basic process of making a frozen drink. Then you might want to start designing your own!

Choose a base

There are three main options – slushy, thick or creamy:

Crushed ice comes from blending ice cubes and this makes the slushy type drinks. These work well with milk and sour flavours but don’t drink too quickly or you will get that horrible brain freeze
For thick texture drinks like a Pina colada, use a mixture of crushed ice then drinks that bring in sugar, fibre or even fat (like coconut) to make a consistency more like a smoothie. These are ideal for sweeter drinks
Creamy, milkshake-like drinks don’t use ice but rather ice cold milk to create the texture of the drink and avoid using blenders which can spoil the consistency of the milk products. They are perfect for drinks like Grasshoppers and Frozen Mudslides

Use frozen fruit or ice

Sometimes using a lot of ice can dilute the flavour of the drink, especially towards the end. So another idea is to use frozen fruit as well as crushed ice to create frozen cocktails. This helps to cool the drink but also means you are adding an equal amount of actual fruit.

You can also use a fruit concentrate to add flavour without increasing liquid content but watch as they tend to be sweeter than normal fruit so may change the balance of the drink.

Mix sugars well

If the drink calls for sugar, it can be a good idea to mix this with a little hot water to dissolve it and leave to cool before making the drink. That’s because sugar doesn’t dissolve well in cold drinks and could just sit at the bottom.

Add ice last

Whatever the recipe calls for, add the ice last, just before drinking. Or add it to the blender last so that it melts as little as possible.

Check your consistency before serving

Finally, check the consistency of the drink before serving. If it is too slushy, you might want to blend a bit more. Or if there isn’t enough ice, you can add extra.

5 Easy Frozen Cocktail Recipes

So that’s the basic how and why of making frozen cocktails. Now let’s get into some actual recipes to help you decide which drinks you want to make this summer’s evening.

Frozen Watermelon Slush

This can be a cocktail or a non-alcoholic drink depending on whether you add the vodka. You can make it with water but another great option is to use Tazo passion tea (I haven’t tried this myself but it sounds tasty!) to add something different to the drink.

Ingredients

6 c. seedless watermelon, cut into small chunks and frozen
2 c. chilled brewed Tazo Passion tea (or just water)*
¼ c. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp honey, preferably local
2 tbsp fresh mint
6-8 large ice cubes (optional)
4-6 oz. premium vodka (optional)

Add the watermelon, tea or water, lime juice, honey and mint to a blender and blend until combined. Add the ice cubes to get the desired consistency.

Put the mix into four chilled glasses then add an ounce of vodka to each drink if you want the cocktail option. Garnish with sprigs of mint and even a watermelon ice cube.

Frozen Caipirinha

The classic Brazilian Caipirinha is transformed into a summer drink with this recipe.

Ingredients

2 limes, halves
6 tbsp golden sugar
400g ice
200ml cachaca

Cut each lime wedge into four chunks then put them in a pestle and mortar to squash them. Remove the lime peel and put the juice in a plastic container then pop it in the freezer. Ideally, leave it for four hours at least but best overnight.

Put the ice in the blender and add the lime syrup and cachaca. Blend under smooth and serve in cocktail glasses.

Frozen Mango Margarita

This recipe can be a simple non-alcoholic slushy, or you can transform it into a type of margarita with the addition of tequila (that’s my option!)

Ingredients

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and cubed OR 2.5 cups of frozen mango
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¾ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup water
8-10 large ice cubes
4 ounces tequila

Add the mango, lime and orange juices with water to the blender and pulse to combine. Then add the tequila if you are making the cocktail version.

Add ice and pulse a few times until the ice is crushed but not too small.

Pour into glasses and garnish with rosemary sprigs or even make mango and rosemary spears with little pieces of mango to garnish.

Frozen strawberry daiquiri

This is a simple frozen cocktail recipe that is best done when strawberries are at their ripest during summer for the best taste.

Ingredients

500 g strawberries, hulled
200g ice
100ml rum
½ lime juice

Blend the strawberries then put the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.

Add it back to the blender (give it a quick rinse out between or there could be seed lurking) then add the ice, rum and lime juice.

Blend again and add to Martini glasses.

Garnish with lime slices and strawberry halves threaded onto a cocktail stick and balanced across the drink.

Prosecco Slushy

Prosecco is a perfect sparkling wine to use in cocktails and this summer frozen drink is a great way to enjoy it. This recipe makes four drinks.

Ingredients

2 cups Prosecco
1.5 cups chopped strawberries
¼ cup lime juice
½ cup vodka
Ice

Combine the prosecco, strawberries, lime and vodka in a blender then half fill it with ice and make a slushy mixture.

Serve into four glasses and garnish with fresh mint.

Perfect frozen cocktails

These are examples of some perfect summer frozen cocktails to enjoy when the sun is out, and the weather is warm. Grab those reusable straws to help avoid a brain freeze from the ice and they will be ideal when sitting in the garden, enjoying the summer weather!

What’s your favourite frozen drink? Or do you have a frozen cocktail you love? Tell us in the comments!

Frozen Cocktails - More Cocktail Recipes

Frozen Cocktails – The Perfect Summer Drinks Recipe!

What are frozen cocktails?

Tips for making frozen drinks