15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (2024)

  • co*cktails
  • Frozen Drinks
  • Summer

Fifteen delicious and refreshing ways to enjoy frozen booze throughout the hotter months (and maybe the colder ones, too).

By

Rabi Abonour

15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (1)

Rabi Abonour

Rabi Abonour is a planner specializing in transportation, but has also been a photojournalist, writer, and editor for several online and print publications.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated July 21, 2020

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15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (2)

Loyal Serious Eats readers know that we're staunch defenders of the frozen co*cktail. Most blender drinks might be crimes against good taste, made with bottom-shelf booze and artificially flavored mixers, but that doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with the concept. On a hot day, who could really complain about what is essentially an alcoholic slushie?

Our mission to reclaim the frozen co*cktail begins with rescuing the classics—daiquiris, piña coladas, and margaritas made with real fruit and good liquor. But that's just the start. You can give all sorts of co*cktails the blender treatment, from the Negroni to the Blood and Sand. Keep reading for 15 refreshing recipes that will teach you to love frozen co*cktails.

  • The Best Frozen Daiquiri

    Forget your daiquiri preconceptions—at its purest the co*cktail is a delicious mix of rum, lime juice, and sugar. We'd recommend going with an assertive dark rum since chilling a spirit mutes its flavors somewhat. When it comes to sweetening the drink we like turbinado sugar, which is more flavorful than white sugar.

    Get the recipe for The Best Frozen Daiquiri

  • The Best Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (4)

    Our recipe for a frozen strawberry daiquiri uses the same ratio of rum, lime juice, and simple syrup, then adds two strawberries and just a pinch of salt. Be sure to taste and adjust as you go, though—different rums and different strawberries can taste wildly different.

    Get the recipe for The Best Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

  • Frozen Fernet Daiquiri

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (5)

    A daiquiri shouldn't be overly sweet if you make it properly, but if you're still looking for a sharper edge, then consider replacing half an ounce of the rum with Fernet Branca, which will give the drink a bitter, minty bite. Fernet can be an intimidating spirit, and this is as easy an introduction as you will find.

    Get the recipe for Frozen Fernet Daiquiri

  • Sweet Peach Frozen Daiquiri With White Pepper and Green Tea

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (6)

    We're starting to stray further from daiquiri orthodoxy, and here we make the drink with ripe fresh peaches and a simple syrup flavored with white pepper and green tea. It might sound like a lot for one co*cktail, but the grassy tea and spicy pepper are wonderful complements to the sweet fruit.

    Get the recipe for Sweet Peach Frozen Daiquiri With White Pepper and Green Tea

    Continue to 5 of 15 below.

  • Savory Cucumber and Green Chartreuse Frozen Daiquiri

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (7)

    White pepper and tea not unusual enough for you? Then try making a frozen daiquiri with cucumber. As far as vegetable-based* co*cktails go, this one is quite approachable, with just a mild savoriness backed up by herbal Green Chartreuse.

    *I know cucumber's technically a fruit, but who thinks of it as one when it comes to cooking?

    Get the recipe for Savory Cucumber and Green Chartreuse Frozen Daiquiri

  • Ultra-Tropical Piña Colada

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (8)

    There are no artificial flavorings here—our piña colada gets its tropical taste from coconut cream and ripe pineapple. To let those natural flavors shine, we freeze all the ingredients before blending, which means less ice and less dilution. It might sound silly, but don't skip out on the paper umbrella.

    Get the recipe for Ultra-Tropical Piña Colada

  • Frozen Gin and Tonic

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (9)

    There's no reason blender drinks have to be sweet. If you want something a little more bracing, try this frozen take on the classic G&T. Rather than using tonic water (believe us, you don't want to pour that into the blender), we flavor the co*cktail with concentrated tonic syrup.

    Get the recipe for Frozen Gin and Tonic

  • Frozen Negroni

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (10)

    If our frozen gin and tonic is up your alley, you have to try this frozen Negroni. We use the traditional mixture of gin, Campari, and vermouth, but instead of a 1:1:1 ratio, we cut back on the Campari and vermouth. You can use whatever gin you'd like, but something floral will taste especially summery.

    Get the recipe for Frozen Negroni

    Continue to 9 of 15 below.

  • Watermelon White Negroni Slushie

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (11)

    Here we move to the White Negroni, which uses Cocchi Americano and dry vermouth in place of Campari and sweet vermouth. Watermelon gives the drink some summer flair—instead of blending in watermelon juice and diluting the co*cktail, we infuse the melon right into the gin.

    Get the recipe for Watermelon White Negroni Slushie

  • Frozen Mezcal Palomas

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (12)

    This recipe is inspired by the Paloma—a simple highball of grapefruit soda spiked with tequila—but replaces the soda with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, lime juice, and honey. Instead of tequila we use mezcal, which adds a savory complexity. Just a pinch of salt helps bring out the character of the smoky spirit.

    Get the recipe for Frozen Mezcal Palomas

  • Frozen Blood and Sand

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (13)

    You probably associate blended drinks most closely with liquor like tequila or rum, but that's not the only option. Here we go with Scotch, making a refreshing variation on the Blood and Sand. Since blended drinks are always slightly diluted we replace the Cherry Heering and orange juice with more intense Luxardo syrup and Grand Marnier.

    Get the recipe for Frozen Blood and Sand

  • Frozen Jungle Bird

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (14)

    We have to tip our hat to Chicago's Three Dots and a Dash for inspiring this version of the Jungle Bird. The rich, bittersweet co*cktail is made with the classic combination of pineapple, lime, Campari, and rum (we go with both blackstrap and Navy-strength). Maple syrup sweetens the drink while also adding some depth.

    Get the recipe for Frozen Jungle Bird

    Continue to 13 of 15 below.

  • Peach and Tequila Frozen Blended co*cktail

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (15)

    Overripe fruit is perfect for co*cktails—it's extra sweet, and once you've blended it up you'll have no idea how mushy it was. We put overripe peaches to use in this co*cktail, blending them with fresh pineapple, pineapple juice, mint leaves, blanco tequila, and a citrusy French apertif called Suze.

    Get the recipe for Peach and Tequila Frozen Blended co*cktail

  • Peachy Rum and Coconut Frozen Blended co*cktail

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (16)

    Coconut and rum can already veer toward sickly sweet territory, so you might be worried that adding in peaches, too, would be a bad idea. This drink ends up remarkably balanced, though, thanks to a healthy dose of astringent Angostura bitters and a dash of cinnamon. We like to finish the drink with a float of dark rum, but you can leave it off if you'd prefer something less heavy.

    Get the recipe for Peachy Rum and Coconut Frozen Blended co*cktail

  • The Best Frozen Lime Margaritas

    15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (17)

    You didn't think we'd make it all the way through this list without mentioning the margarita, did you? The most iconic blended drink is also one of the easiest to make—when all the recipe calls for is tequila, triple sec or Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup, there's no good reason to even consider using sour mix.

    Get the recipe for The Best Frozen Lime Margaritas

15 Frozen-co*cktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to frozen co*cktails? ›

Arguably the most straightforward way to transform a traditional co*cktail into a frozen one is to simply combine your ingredients in a blender with crushed (not cubed) ice, and then pulse.

Can a frozen co*cktail get you drunk? ›

Yes, the alcohol is already in it.

Do freezer door co*cktails work? ›

Almost any co*cktail can easily become a freezer-door drink. You just need to make sure you use a high-proof alcohol as the base and don't add too many mixers or watery ingredients. This is because you run the risk of your co*cktail freezing before serving.

How to keep frozen drinks frozen longer? ›

The best way to battle the problem of melt is to batch up your drinks in advance and chill the mix in your freezer. I use mason jars for this, but any freezer-safe container will work as long as it really seals.

What is the best ice for frozen drinks? ›

Speaking of ice…

You'll want to use crushed ice as opposed to cubes, and you can crush it in the blender before you make your drink. How much you'll need depends on the recipe, but it's probably not as much as you think — you can always add more if you need to.

What alcohol freezes best? ›

All alcohol will freeze at a cold enough temperature, but any proof higher than 50 will not freeze in a conventional freezer. This covers the majority of harder spirits you may buy, but beer, wine, and liqueurs will certainly freeze with enough time.

What liquors do not freeze? ›

Since wine and beer have lower alcohol content, they can freeze more easily. But vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila, brandy, gin, and the like have a much higher alcohol content making it much more difficult for them to freeze. The freezing point for pure ethanol is actually -175°F or -115°C.

What alcohol is best kept in the freezer? ›

80-proof is really pretty common, and that's less than 50%. If you buy cheap vodka, store it in the freezer because that low temperature will mask the poor flavor. If you buy good vodka, don't freeze it; in this case, you want the flavor.

What is zero proof frozen co*cktails? ›

Zero Proof = Alcohol-free, sophisticated, deeply flavorful and enjoyable drinks. These are mocktails, not sodas, and are legitimate craft co*cktails but without alcohol. Simple Syrup = Homemade sugar water, used to add a bit of sweetness.

Can you make frozen co*cktails ahead of time? ›

The brilliance of the pre-batched co*cktail lies in both its efficiency and consistency. Prepared and frozen ahead of time, the next day's ready-to-pour co*cktail yields a richer mouthfeel than one stirred à la minute, all while effortlessly achieving that coveted ice-cold temperature—without any ice.

Why do you put ice in a co*cktail shaker? ›

There are many drinks, including Cosmopolitans and Martinis, that aren't served with ice cubes but are instead shaken with ice or stirred with ice in a mixing glass before being strained into a glass. This cools the liquid without diluting it and leaves you to sip at your leisure.

How do you drink a frozen margarita without brain freeze? ›

Curl Your Tongue

The goal is to warm the roof of your tongue as quickly as possible, and your tongue can help. Since the top of your tongue is probably cold from your slushy drink, curl your tongue and touch the bottom to the roof of your mouth.

How do you make frozen drinks not separate? ›

WHY IS MY FROZEN DRINK SEPARATING? As the ice melts, the heavier, denser ingredients in frozen drinks will follow the laws of gravity and sink to the bottom of the glass—or separate. You can help slow this process by thoroughly blending ingredients into a uniform mixture with small ice crystals.

Why does my frozen margarita separate? ›

If given enough time, the pieces of more dense items will sink toward the bottom, while less dense items will float to the top, creating an unpleasant separation. There is no way to prevent separation entirely; ice crystals in the drink act as a buffer to keep everything in place, but once they melt, all bets are off.

What happens when you freeze a co*cktail? ›

Good freezer drinks can go in two directions: higher-proof co*cktails, which stay liquid in the freezer, taking on a thicker syrupy quality (martinis, Manhattans, Negronis, etc.), and lower-proof, higher-water-content drinks that are designed to partially freeze and roll into your glass in slushy form (daiquiris and ...

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