9 Frozen-Cocktail Recipes Worth the Brain Freeze

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

By
Rabi Abonour
Rabi Abonour is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
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.
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Updated July 21, 2020
Vicky Wasik

Loyal Serious Eats readers know that we're staunch defenders of the frozen cocktail. 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 cocktail 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 cocktails the blender treatment. Keep reading for 9 refreshing recipes that will teach you to love frozen cocktails.

  • The Best Frozen Daiquiri

    Vicky Wasik

    Forget your daiquiri preconceptions—at its purest the cocktail 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.

  • The Best Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

    Vicky Wasik

    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.

  • Frozen Fernet Daiquiri

    Vicky Wasik

    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.

  • Ultra-Tropical Piña Colada

    Vicky Wasik

    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.

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  • Frozen Gin and Tonic

    Vicky Wasik

    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 cocktail with concentrated tonic syrup.

  • Frozen Negroni

    Vicky Wasik

    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.

  • Frozen Mezcal Palomas

    Vicky Wasik

    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.

  • Frozen Jungle Bird

    Vicky Wasik

    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 cocktail 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.

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  • The Best Frozen Lime Margaritas

    Robyn Lee

    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.

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