Tips For Better Frozen Drinks: Daiquiris, Margaritas, Lemonade, And More

It's summertime, and that means we're ordering our coffees iced, we're stopping for a slurpee on the road trip to the lake, and we're serving up all manner of tasty frozen beverages at our pool parties and family barbecues. Starbucks has bumped their Frappuccinos and frozen Refreshers back up to their seasonal place of prominence on the menu. Pumpkin spice season 'tis not. Now is the time for all things icy and cool. 

But who among us hasn't experienced the disappointment of realizing our cocktail has lost its chill on a hot day? If you like to sip your beverage outdoors in the sunshine, and you don't want a mouthful of lukewarm syrupy liquor, this is where the blender comes in. You may have heard of hip bars that have an actual slushie machine churning out frozen negronis, but for the rest of us who don't have that kind of equipment on hand, it's time to turn to the blender and some easy hacks to make the best chilly drinks possible.

If you're looking to make the perfect smoothie for breakfast and frozen lemonade for the kids, or find the best blender setting for a frozen margarita and indulge in a simple three-ingredient whisky slushie, here are some tips to make and keep those drinks icy cold, smooth, and extra tasty.

To make the best frozen and blended drinks, all the ingredients you're working with should be cold. That makes sense, right? Warm ingredients will start to melt the colder ones and bring down the overall temperature in your blender. By that same token, pour an icy blend into a warm glass and watch things start to melt fast. 

Ideally, you'll want to choose the right type of glass for the drink you're about to make, and then before you whip up that batch of frozen margaritas or daiquiris, pop your glassware into the freezer. You'll know it's cold enough when you see a frosted tint come over the glass. Even when you're not making a blended drink, a cold glass can be that extra touch needed to keep things cool. An ice-cold beer or martini just tastes better than a lukewarm one!

In addition to the glass, your liquor should go in the freezer, too. Something to consider when aiming to make the best liquor slushies is the alcohol content of your ingredients. The higher the alcohol content of liquor, the less likely it is to freeze and it may even start to separate back out of your blended drink faster than lower-proof ones. Still, placing it in the freezer can make it nice and cold, even if not frozen.

You can use your ice cube tray to freeze a lot more than just water. Add juice, lemonade, coffee, or just about any liquid to a tray and you can use those cubes to make an icy drink later. Freezing liquids in these smaller portions makes for a much easier blending experience.

You can seriously minimize the amount of ice you need to use in a blended drink when you've already frozen the other ingredients. This method can yield a smoother, more consistent texture, and a much less watery drink overall. Juice up some oranges, lemons, and limes and keep citrus cubes on hand for that next batch of frozen cocktails or lemonade.

Even if it's not going in the blender, flavored ice is a great addition to any cold drink. You can pop lemonade ice cubes into a glass of lemonade, orange juice ice cubes into a glass of sangria or a mimosa, or coffee ice cubes into an iced coffee, and they will keep your drinks cold without watering them down. You can even make some pretty decorative ice cubes by arranging a few berries, edible flour petals, or slices of citrus in the ice cube tray before freezing them together with juice or water.

Who doesn't love a blended cocktail with real fresh fruit? But fruit alone won't yield the icy texture you crave in the heat of summer ... unless you freeze it first. Freezing the fruit itself means you won't have to add as much (or any) ice later. Chunks of frozen fruit are often easier on the blender blades than pure ice, too.

You can freeze chunks of any fruit for smoothies and cocktails. If you come across some ripe peaches this summer, slice up and freeze a couple of them before they have a chance to go bad; you'll thank yourself later. Frozen berries are always good to have on deck, and frozen mango makes for a delicious blended cocktail. Even frozen cucumber can be a perfect substitute for ice cubes when making a batch of refreshing cucumber margaritas. Just be sure to break the pieces of fruit up if they've frozen together into one big clump, otherwise, it will take forever to break them up in the blender and require the addition of much more liquid.

Watermelon is another option that is ideal for making frozen drinks because of its high water content. A watermelon slushie is a delicious summer treat with or without alcohol. Make a batch straight up or with lemonade for the kids, then pour in a splash of rum or vodka for the grown-ups.

Wine has lower alcohol content than liquor, but higher alcohol content than beer. That makes it perfect to freeze for a slushie. It won't freeze completely, but it will just enough to create a wonderful icy texture. Then you can scoop that slushie wine into the blender for the perfect frozen cocktail without adding much liquid or ice.

Don't just pop a wine bottle into the freezer though; the narrow neck will make it impossible to get the frozen wine back out. First, pour the wine into a Tupperware container or large Ziploc bag. This freezing method is also perfect for boxed wine. Most boxes of wine contain a large plastic sack of wine that can be easily removed from the box and placed into the freezer. Once its contents are frozen, cut the bag open with a pair of scissors, scoop out that wine, and get to blending. Boxed wines are typically way more bang for your buck, anyway, and no one will notice the cheaper wine in their slushie.

Frozen sangria, anyone? The fruity, wine-based drink typically incorporates fresh fruit and added sugar, and maybe a splash of liquor or liqueur. You can use the same basic ingredients to make a frozen red sangria or white sangria. Instead of fresh fruit, use frozen fruit or fruit juice. Frosé is another favorite boozy slushie made with frozen rosé and strawberries. There are many delicious icy options to try when you freeze the wine first.

If you're a fan of the Coca-Cola Slurpee at 7-Eleven, this tip is for you. Soda will freeze, and the carbonation creates a wonderfully light texture. Now, you won't want to freeze it directly in a can because it will start to expand and can explode in the freezer, plus you won't be able to get it out to drink. There are a couple of different ways to freeze soda, though, and they're all super easy.

You can put a plastic bottle in the freezer for a few hours. This TikTok trend promises super easy results by simply shaking up a bottle of coke, popping it in the freezer for 3.5 hours, then opening it and pouring out a slushie. Give it a shot and see what happens! You can also find slushie maker cups on the market now. Rather than freezing soda itself ahead of time, you can freeze one of these cups, and then whenever you feel like it, pour in some cold soda for a quick and easy frozen drink in just minutes.

And this isn't just a tip for Coca-Cola. You can make soda slushies with root beer, orange soda, or just about any soda you enjoy. Feel free to drink it just like that, or add a shot of liquor to the mix and see what happens. Frozen rum and coke? Sounds worth a try.

A lot of frozen drinks call for some added sweetness. But some sweeteners, like honey, are quite viscous and tend to freeze up when added straight into the blender or a cocktail shaker full of ice. On the other hand, granulated sugar takes much longer to dissolve in icy-cold liquids. Instead, try simple syrup, which is the option that integrates best into a frozen drink.

Making a simple syrup is super easy. All you need is water, sugar, and a saucepan. You can make a less viscous syrup by increasing the ratio of water to sugar when you boil them together. The more liquid it is, the more quickly it will integrate into a cold drink. 

You can also customize your simple syrup with flavors like citrus, herbs, vanilla, jalapeño, or strawberry. Just place a little piece of peel, a sprig of an herb, or a few spices into the pan with the sugar and water and strain them out after the sugar has dissolved. The flavors infused into the syrup can help boost the flavor of your drinks. Try using jalapeño simple syrup in a spicy blended margarita or strawberry simple syrup in frosé.

So, you've added all your ingredients into the blender, but it's a bit too thick to blend. You keep hitting pulse but nothing's moving. You don't want to add more water because it will dilute the flavor, and you don't want to bring the alcohol content up dramatically with more booze either ... so, what do you do? A splash of coconut water is the answer. It's a little bit sweet, but not too sweet. It has some flavor, but not an overpowering flavor. It has a clear color that won't alter the look of your drink, and it's super hydrating.

When you're making a refreshing fruit smoothie (rather than a milk- or yogurt-based one) or an ice-blended daiquiri or piña colada, coconut water can be the perfect liquid to add. It even tastes good with espresso. If you find Americanos to be a bit boring, but don't want a milky iced latte, try pouring coconut water and espresso over ice. It's refreshing with just a hint of sweetness.

If you love coffee and you love blended drinks, you'll probably love a frappé, which, in case you didn't know, is not the same thing as a frappuccino. This classic Greek coffee drink is lighter and easy to prepare. You just need some ice, sugar, and instant coffee. There's no dairy required, but the results are frothy and the drink even looks and tastes kind of creamy. Traditionally made with Nescafé, you can make one with a shot of espresso instead.

And if you don't have a powerful blender in your kitchen arsenal, there are other great ways to keep your coffee cold without watering it down. As mentioned previously, you can make coffee ice cubes in a tray to replace regular ice. They'll keep your brew cold, and as they melt, they add more coffee to the drink.

Making your own cold brew is easy too. It just takes a little bit of time to make a strong brew without turning up the heat. Place coffee grounds and water in a Mason jar in the fridge overnight, then strain out the grounds through a coffee filter the next afternoon, and voilá! Home-brewed cold brew. Now add a splash of bourbon, an orange peel, and some of those coffee ice cubes and you're headed back to summer cocktail town.

Ice cream makers take up a lot of room in our kitchen cupboards and pantries and don't typically see a lot of action, so try putting yours to work on some new tasks this summer. If you've ever used one to make homemade ice cream or sorbet, you may remember that extra step at the end when you scoop it out of the barrel into a Tupperware and pop it in the freezer to achieve its ultimate frozen texture. Well, what if you skipped that last step? The ice cream maker can make a fabulous frozen lemonade. Pop your homemade or store-bought lemonade into the frozen barrel of your ice cream maker, and let it churn until a perfect slushie texture is achieved. Then scoop some into your glass and call it a day! 

When it comes to making iced coffee at home, the worst part about it is how long the beverage can take to cool down after brewing. Instead of waiting, you can also use the barrel of your ice cream maker for the perfect iced coffee shortcut. Simply pour your coffee into the ice cream maker and it will cool down in seconds. Or, if you churn it in the ice cream maker (with or without some milk and simple syrup), you could have a fabulous frozen coffee on your hands. 

Whether you made yours from scratch or bought it at the store, consider adding ice cream to your glass this summer. For those after-dinner coffee lovers on a hot night, try an affogato, which is made by pouring a shot of espresso over gelato or vanilla ice cream. The hot espresso will start to melt the ice cream, and the result is a sweet and creamy coffee dream you can eat with a spoon or drink from the glass. You can upgrade it to a boozy affogato by adding a little coffee liqueur, orange liqueur, or Bailey's. If dairy isn't your thing or you're not a fan of coffee flavor, you can make a similar dish with a scoop of sorbet and a shot of limoncello. Serve it in a chilled cocktail glass at your next dinner party to make an unforgettable treat for your guests.

Ice cream is a classic pairing with soda, too. Bring back the root beer float this summer, or try something a little more unorthodox like sangria with vanilla ice cream or a bourbon ice cream slushie. Is it a drink? Is it dessert? Is it for day or night? All of the above!