Indulging in frozen cocktails is the ultimate way to embrace the spirit of summer. Once limited to all-inclusive vacations and budget-friendly spirits, these refreshing cocktails have made a comeback with balanced blends and innovative ingredients. The best part? You don’t have to go to your favorite bar to enjoy them either. Get ready to elevate your summer gatherings with these eight frozen cocktail recipes that will bring the party to your house.
How To Make A Frozen Cocktail
The simplest way to make a boozy frozen drink is to take a traditional cocktail recipe, add crushed ice, and pulse in the blender. Serve immediately before the ice melts.
If you’re making frozen cocktails for many people or don’t want to risk diluting your drink, freeze your premixed cocktail ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Once partially frozen, break it apart and drink immediately.
If you’re serious about frozen cocktails, investing in a slushy machine is worth it. These home or professional-grade machines make it easy to make frozen drinks for a group and will create the right consistency every time.
Keep in mind that alcohol has a lower freezing point than water, so lowering the ABV will produce a better, more frozen cocktail. Shaken cocktails translate easier to being served frozen than more spirit-forward drinks like an Old Fashioned or a Negroni. If you want to make your favorite stirred drink into a more refreshing sipper, you’ll need to dilute the recipe with a mixer like orange juice or an amaro.
Cocktails taste different when frozen, so balancing and increasing flavor becomes important. It’s especially difficult to taste sweetness and bitterness, so adding an amaro can help bring the bitterness out. Sugar is also important since it helps your drink stay frozen for longer.
The best way to start making frozen cocktails is to use a tried-and-true recipe. Once you get more comfortable, start experimenting with flavor.
1. Frozen Negroni
Different yet reminiscent of the classic Negroni, the Frozen Negroni is sure to be your favorite summer sipper. Gin, Aperol, sweet vermouth, grapefruit bitters, and salt create a less bitter, well-rounded boozy frozen drink.
2. Bushwacker Cocktail
The sweet, creamy milkshake is something between a Piña Colada and a Mudslide. Made with dark rum, coffee liqueur, dark creme de cacao, milk, and cream of coconut, it’s not overly saccharine but still makes a delicious frozen dessert cocktail.
3. Lillet Frosé
This elevated Frosé with French apéritif is fruity and refreshing — the perfect poolside accompaniment. It’s a great adult slushy with Lillet Rosé, lemon juice, simple syrup, fresh watermelon, and ice.
4. Sgroppino
The three-ingredient recipe doesn’t require a blender or any special trips to the store. Sgroppino is made by whipping together prosecco, vodka, and lemon sorbet for a frozen cocktail reminiscent of Italy.
5. Miami Vice
Mixing the best parts of a Strawberry Daiquiri and Piña Colada, the Miami Vice is a tropical sensation. Skip the pre-made mixes and grab rum, strawberries, lime juice, simple syrup, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice for the boozy frozen cocktail of the summer.
6. Piña Verde
Creamy, citrus, and herbaceous, Piña Verde balances it all. The Piña Colada variation with Chartreuse, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and lime juice is sometimes called a “Green-yuh Colada.”
7. Campari Frozen Margarita
Traditionally, a Margarita is shaken and poured over ice, but blending the ingredients together is a summer favorite. This Frozen Margarita adds Campari to the mix for a delightfully refreshing, rose-hued, blended Margarita.
8. Show Me State
