Keep your shaken, your stirred, your “on ice.” When it’s this hot, we want our cocktails frozen, thank you very much, and that’s it! We break out our best high-powered blender, and we get cracking. Literally. Here’s what we’ll be happily sipping in order to keep cool through the last dog days of summer.
1. Piña Coladas
Even if you don’t like getting caught in the rain, you must like piña coladas, right? Nothing conjures a sandy, rollicking beach bar as fast as Sugar & Charm’s knockout recipe. The brilliant truth of frozen drinks is that you can make a batch at a time, serve four or more people, and it only takes two minutes. This recipe employs frozen pineapple chunks (so easy!), gorgeous Luxardo maraschino cherries on neat pineapple picks, white rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream and a splash of O.J. It’s a strong drink, so it’s a good thing it’s so cold! It’s easy to enjoy it slowly.
2. Frozen Espresso Martini
Talk about an eye-opener! Ideal for those of us who toggle between “espresso” and “nightcap” as the way to wind down an evening, this not-too-sweet frozen espresso martini is just the right compromise. We love it to cap off a magical summer day, and adore that it can employ tequila or vodka, so you can pick your poison!
3. Frozen Margaritas
A marg is a classic, but a frozen marg is next-level. Our mixers make them fabulously easy: Your only job is to add tequila and ice, and garnish as you wish. (We’ll admit we’re especially partial to the sunny organic mango mixer pictured above.) Since there are so few ingredients, make sure your ice is relatively fresh and relatively small in size, so it incorporates into the drink more readily.
4. Watermelon Frosé
You’re probably starting to see why it’s hard for us to pick our favorite frozen potable! This watermelon frosé recipe from Elizabeth Van Lierde of The College Housewife is so stunning, and you can make it 30 to 60 minutes before guests arrive, if you like. Balanced thanks to lemon juice and agave, it mingles frozen cubes of rosé and watermelon to dreamy effect. There’s vodka in there, too, so it’s one heck of an ice-breaker!
5. Pineapple-Basil Freeze
A frozen drink inspired by the classic gin gimlet? Sign us up! The pineapple-basil freeze comes together right quick in your blender and showcases basil, gin and lime juice along with fresh pineapple and simple syrup. It’s fruity, bright, unexpected, light on its feet, and just a gorgeous way to toast the season.
6. Strawberry Daiquiri
You had us at “Hello,” strawberry daiquiri. The classic beach bar drink can be as balanced as its classic daiquiri antecedent if you make it properly. Think: fresh strawberries, lime juice, simple syrup, rum, and ice. It’s a breeze to whip up, it can feature frozen strawberries if you want yours extra-cold and super-easy, and it’s pretty as a picture. Oh, summer, we’ll miss you when you’re gone!