Break the Ice With These Frozen Cocktails | Yummly

Break the Ice With These Frozen Cocktails

Frozen or blended — whatever you call it, these chilled, slushy-style cocktails are incredibly refreshing, brightly colored, and oh-so-fun to drink with a friend

Frozen Aperol Spritz Cocktail from The College Housewife

Does the summer heat keep melting the ice in your cup too quickly? Try freezing your favorite cocktail. However, it's not as simple as throwing the ingredients into a blender with ice. Fortunately, I found the best cocktail recipes of frozen and blended summer drinks. Cool down poolside with a watermelon frosé, sip on a frozen Aperol Spritz for an al fresco brunch, or achieve peak summer vacation vibes with a boozy Dole Whip.


Jump ahead to:

Q&A: Freezing cocktails >>

Wine extra chilled >>

Frozen dessert drinks >>

Blended classics >>

Resort cocktails >>


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Q&A: Freezing cocktails

Before hitting the "pulse" button on your blender, check out these frequently asked questions about frozen summer cocktails.


How do you make frozen cocktails?

To make frozen cocktails, you most definitely need a blender. Frozen drink recipes then require crushed ice and/or frozen fruit in addition to your favorite bottle of liquor. Frozen ingredients such as fruit and even certain alcohol, such as wine or beer, is preferred so that the drink's flavor won't be diluted.

What are some good blended cocktails?

So many to choose from and it depends on your preference, but a frozen Piña Colada is a classic for instant vacation vibes. Or also make a Strawberry Daiquiri and layer the combo together for a Miami Vice. There are also several frozen margarita options featuring any flavor your heart desires, such as strawberry, limeade, and even avocado-cilantro.

Can you make a frozen cocktail ahead of time?

Yes! Even though hard liquor such as tequila or rum doesn't freeze, wine and beer can turn a bit slushy when stored in the freezer. Plus ingredients such as tonic water can be frozen solid for a Frozen Gin & Tonic. Blend up the cocktail and store it in a glass pitcher or mason jar till party time.



Wine extra chilled

Do more than drop a couple of ice cubes in your wine. Freeze the whole bottle for a frozen wine cocktail.


Watermelon Raspberry Frosé

Bored with plain ol' frosé (frozen rosé)? Toss some frozen raspberries and watermelon chunks in a blender with frozen rosé wine cubes and give it a pulse until it's a smooth slushy consistency. If it's too thick, add a squeeze of lime juice, which will also brighten up the drink.


Frozen Aperol Spritz

This recipe can be prepped ahead of any backyard brunch party. Simply freeze the Aperol, which won't freeze solid but enough, and orange juice in ice cube trays for 4 hours or up to 2 days. While everyone is noshing on deviled eggs appetizers, you can either blend the ingredients, including frozen strawberries and prosecco, or blend a couple of batches ahead of the party and keep it in the freezer till guests arrive.


Portonico: A Blended Green Cocktail

For a refreshing summer sipper, blend up this verdant hybrid of a white port and tonic cocktail and a Mojito. Its diced green apples complement the white port and rum while the mint and tonic freshen it up.


Blackberry Friesling

For this wine slushy, feel free to swap out the pricey Chambord liqueur for any crème de mûre or frozen blackberries with some simple syrup. Freeze a bottle's worth of your favorite Riesling wine overnight in a large jug, add the liqueur and lemon juice, stir, and serve with a fresh blackberry garnish!



Frozen dessert drinks

Indulge and chill out with these rich blended cocktails


Frozen Brandy Alexander

End a warm summer evening with this frozen decadent cocktail. You can either prepare it ahead of time and stick it in the freezer or blend it after the last dish is served. All you need is vanilla ice cream, brandy, white creme de cacao, and ice.


Frozen Mudslide

The original Mudslide cocktail recipe was basically created as a White Russian but with Bailey’s and popularized at TGIFriday’s. But this one leans into its desserty intentions with the addition of vanilla ice cream and a chocolate syrup-lined glass.


Frozen Grasshopper

Nothing like a boozy minty milkshake to cool you down during those hot summer days. If you want a lighter version, swap out the vanilla ice cream for vanilla yogurt. For a kid-friendly Grasshopper, leave out the creme de menthe and creme de cacao and add a half teaspoon of mint extract and some green food coloring.


Cherry Bourbon Slush

For a frozen cocktail alternative to cherry pie a la mode, mix up this cherry bourbon slush. Instead of topping it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, try coconut sorbet for a tropical touch that'll melt nicely into the drink.



Blended classics

Turn beloved classic cocktails into summer drinks via the blender


Summer Irish Coffee

The frozen Irish coffee is the favorite way for New Orleans locals and tourists to cool down during those legendary sultry days and nights. Blending together the Irish whiskey, coffee liqueur, vanilla ice cream, chilled coffee, and ice cubes will give you a thin milkshake consistency.


Grilled Tangerine Frozen Negroni

Is the classic Negroni too bitter for you? Try it as frozen slush when the ice smoothes out the bite of Campari. The addition of the grilled tangerine makes it the perfect cocktail complement for backyard barbecue parties.


Frozen Gin and Tonic

No need to splurge on premium tonic for this particular G&T recipe, as a basic kind will do. But the type of gin and its botanicals will affect how the drink ends up tasting. The recipe of 1 liter of frozen tonic water, 8 ounces of gin, and the zest of one lime will work well with Bombay Sapphire, Hendricks, or Beefeater Gin. Otherwise, you may have to add some cucumber juice or simple syrup to get the taste just right.


Frozen Mojito

This recipe takes the traditional Mojito cocktail recipe and trades out the soda water for ice cubes. For an extra frosty Mojito, make it at least a couple hours ahead of when you want to serve it, storing the batch in an airtight container in the freezer.



Resort cocktails

Can't get away this summer? Bring island vibes home with these frozen tropical drinks.


Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

Celebrate strawberry season by turning that bounty of berries into an icy strawberry daiquiri. This recipe isn’t the sugar bomb you find in chain restaurants, as it relies on the ripe berries to provide the sweet. But if you still want a tad more sweetness, add some simple syrup to taste.


Blended Mango Margarita

For a tropical take on a frozen margarita, simply add frozen mango chunks to that usual mix of fresh lime juice, tequila, and triple sec. To sweeten it up a little, drizzle in some agave nectar or simple syrup.


Creamy Pineapple Coconut Cocktail (Boozy Dole Whip)

Even though the Dole Whip is a simple soft serve of frozen pineapple, banana, and coconut milk, no Magic Kingdom visit is complete without one. For a boozy, strictly adult version, pour in some coconut rum.


Piña Colada

This classic tiki drink, which is traditionally made with rum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut, is only improved as a blended drink, especially when it’s served in a hulled-out pineapple and enjoyed poolside.



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