29 Frozen Drinks That Are Worth the Brain Freeze
When you’re craving frozen drinks, there’s really no substitute. Other summer cocktails might be refreshing, but a blended slush that’s boozy and tart is the ultimate in hot weather. Below, you’ll find our favorite classic frozen margarita—but also a tangy and bracing frozen G&T, a crowd-pleasing piña colada, frozen negronis, and an icy amaretto sour with an optional (but highly recommended) bitter float. Skip the packaged limeade concentrate this summer and take your blender on a ride; you won’t want to miss any of the 29 frozen cocktail recipes below.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton1/29Frozen Moscow Mule
You might think of the Moscow Mule as a fizzy affair, but we’ve found a way to transform this simple gingery cocktail into one of our best frozen drinks. It’s a poolside sipper if there ever was one; ideal for a humid summer day.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne3/29Frozen Margarita
If there’s one frozen cocktail recipe that you want to know by heart, it’s this classic frozen marg, made with blanco tequila, fresh lime, orange liqueur, and a touch of sugar. This formula is pretty dry—if you like your margaritas fruitier, just increase the Cointreau to taste. Put your feet up and read a little margarita history while you enjoy.
Photo & Food Styling by Joseph De Leo5/29Frozen Gin and Tonic
We tasted a lot of G&Ts to zoom in on the best possible technique for the fizzy gin and tonic, but if you have tonic syrup on hand, keeping things extra-frosty with this summertime favorite is the way to go. The tonic and gin combo just hits different when it’s ice, ice cold.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton6/29Frozen Mango Margarita
When the mangoes are sweet and in season, we want to enjoy them every way we can. Add this frozen sipper to your mango recipe plans. (In the off-season, you can use frozen fruit and a touch of extra sugar.)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton9/29Amaretto Sour Slushy
This variation on the amaretto sour is fragrant, nutty, tart, and delicious. There’s fresh orange juice in here (and a touch of simple syrup), balanced out by loads of fresh lemon juice. We urge you to give the optional Fernet Branca on top a try; it’s bracing and bitter and offers a nice contrast to the fragrant, almondy drink.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton10/29Frozen Watermelon Margarita
This is one of those easy cocktails that just tastes like summer in a glass. All you need is four ingredients: ripe melon, tequila, lime, and sugar.
Photo by Kelly Puleio11/29Parson’s Negroni Slushy
This frozen variation of the classic negroni adds some citrus—fresh grapefruit and fresh orange—to the mix for extra refreshment.
Photo by Paul H. Christian, Food Styling by Michele Figliuolo13/29Mango Castaway
This twist on the piña colada uses frozen mango instead of pineapple for a delightfully smooth and fragrant cocktail. Instead of coconut milk or cream of coconut, there’s coconut rum in the mix along with aged rum and sweetened condensed milk.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova14/29The Sicilian Slush
If you love the citrusy bite of Campari, it’s time to meet your new summer drink. The bitter liqueur and fresh citrus go together like peanut butter and jelly.
