Summer means frozen cocktail season If you’re anything like me, as a kid, you strolled to your local convenience store for a slushie or Slurpee and a copy of Mad Magazine during the heat of the summer months.
And while my love for comic satire magazines has run its course, I still crave a frosty, frozen, refreshing treat during the hot, humid summer days. But instead of simply being made with artificial fruit flavors, my go-to frozen drink is also boozy. Specifically, a frozen cocktail.
What is a frozen cocktail?
A frozen cocktail is exactly as it seems. At its essence, it’s a drink consisting of alcohol and other cocktail ingredients. But instead of simply mixing up your Daiquiri or Margarita, ice is added, and it’s blended together to make the equivalent of a boozy slushie. It’s refreshing, frozen, and loaded with alcohol. It’s definitely more exciting for an adult than a bomb pop is to a five-year-old.
The best frozen cocktails to drink this summer
Now that you’ve learned a little about what makes up a frozen cocktail, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the mixed drink style. Specifically, the Piña Colada, Frozen Negroni, Frozen Mojito, and Frozen Margarita.
The latter might be the most famous frozen cocktail, and you can thank Dallas-area restaurateur Mariano Martinez for its creation. In May of 1971, Martinez used a soft-serve ice cream machine to make the first Frozen Margarita.
It’s finally time to get into this and the rest of the drinks you’ll be making all summer long. Below, you’ll find some of our favorites with ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
Piña Colada
Ingredients:
- 2 oz white rum
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 1 ½ oz cream of coconut
- 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
- Pineapple wedge
- Ice
Method: Add ice, white rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and lime juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a Hurricane glass. Garnish with a wedge of pineapple.
Frozen Negroni
Ingredients:
- 2 oz London dry gin
- 2 oz Camari
- 2 oz sweet red vermouth
- Ice
- Orange wheel
Method: Add the London dry gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth to an ice-filled blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a Highball glass and add an orange wheel garnish.
Frozen Margarita
Ingredients:
- 4 oz blanco tequila
- 2 oz triple sec
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- Ice
- Salt
- Lime wheel
Method: rum lime juice on the rim of a Margarita glass and dip it in salt. Add the blanco tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and ice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into the Margarita glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Frozen Mojito
Ingredients:
- 4 oz white rum
- 2 oz simple syrup
- 2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 10 mint leaves
- Ice
Method: Blend simple syrup, lime juice, and mint leaves. After combined, add ice and rum. Blend to combine. Pour into Old Fashioned glass and garnish with mint leaves.
