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Warm weather is all about frozen cocktails! Here are our best frozen alcoholic drinks with something for everyone, from frozen margaritas to espresso martinis.
Once the weather gets warm, we absolutely love whipping up frozen alcoholic drinks. We’ll have friends over for dinner on the patio with frozen margaritas, or watch our kids run through the sprinkler as we sip frozen sangria. We’ve shared strawberry daiquiris with family, or frosty frozen mojitos with friends as the sun sets.
We hope these frozen alcoholic drinks recipes will inspire you to make memories of your own (and drink responsibly, of course!). They’d be perfect as 4th of July recipes or Memorial Day recipes, or for bachelorette parties, girls weekends, pool parties, and weekends at the cabin. Are you ready?
Tips for frozen alcoholic drinks
Before we start, here are a few tips for making these frozen alcoholic drinks:
- Think ahead! For some of these frozen alcoholic drinks, you’ll have to think ahead. Several of the recipes below require freezing things the night before: sometimes the entire drink mix, sometimes just a component of it. Below, we’ve noted with a “Tip” when you need freeze things in advance.
- Use best quality alcohol. It might go without saying, but the better the alcohol, the better the drink! Our frozen margaritas taste good with an average tequila, but they taste great with a high quality tequila. If you’re wondering whether to spend a few more dollars in the alcohol department, we’d recommend it.
And now, our top frozen alcoholic drinks and cocktails!
Try this refreshing twist on a classic cocktail: the frozen espresso martini! This easy recipe blends 4 ingredients into a creamy, frosty puree with rich coffee undertones. It’s a coffee cocktail that hits the spot in any season!
When the summer heat is is at sky high levels, here’s a drink that will cool you to your core: the Frozen Mojito! The Classic Mojito is one of our top greatest cocktails of all time. And this frozen spin…well, it made our heads turn! It’s icy and outrageously refreshing: like someone amped up the dial on the mint volume on the original.
Next up in our frozen alcoholic drinks, Frozen Margaritas! Ready for your new favorite drink? The margarita is our favorite; we're suckers for tangy drinks. Who can turn down a frozen margarita? This is our new summer entertaining trick: it's seriously tangy, a little bit sweet, and tastes just like a margarita.
Ever had frozen sangria? Frozen sangria is a variation on sangria that’s frozen, like a slushy. This frozen alcoholic drink is sure to be a favorite: it’s wine-forward and just sweet enough, with a hint of citrus. While the method for making it is not traditional Spanish at all, it ends up tasting like sangria and is incredibly festive, perfect for entertaining!
Tip: You'll have to freeze the oranges the night before serving, so make sure to think ahead. Scroll down to the recipe!
This sweet drink will blow your mind with its creamy, chocolaty flavor: the Bushwacker! It's equal parts refreshing and rich: a mashup of a chocolate milkshake and piña colada. It’s lusciously smooth with notes of chocolate, coffee and vanilla. It’s perfect for sipping poolside or as a dessert drink any time you’re dreaming of sun.
Frozen daiquiris have the perfect warm-weather vibe, and they make anything more fun! Dinner on the patio or girls night are all more enjoyable with one of these frozen alcoholic drinks in hand, right? The flavor of this daiquiri is so tangy and refreshing that it really might be our new favorite; the rum adds a subtle fruitiness that’s irresistible. And it takes just minutes to make.
Homemade piña coladas are the perfect frozen alcoholic drinks for entertaining! They take only a few minutes to blend up and only require 5 ingredients: frozen pineapple, lime juice, coconut milk, rum, and maple syrup. And the flavor? So refreshing. They’re not only for the 1990’s or beach resorts, we promise!
Also try: Frozen Piña Colada
There’s no need to buy store-bought daiquiri mix. A homemade strawberry daiquiri with real frozen strawberries tastes infinitely better than a mix from the store! The luscious, juicy berry flavor is irresistibly refreshing. All you need are a few ingredients, a blender, and 5 minutes to whip up this classic drink!
Need a frozen alcoholic drink that’s refreshing, frosty, and all about tropical flavor? We’ve got one with your name on it: the Bahama Mama! This beachy drink is all about carefree vibes, featuring not one but two types of rum with pineapple juice and lime. Drink it straight on the rocks, or our favorite way: blended into an icy slush. Our spin on it is perfectly balanced: not too sweet and silkily sippable.
Try the Mango Daiquiri! This spin on the classic daiquiri is frosty and refreshing, with an intoxicating sweet tart flavor. In fact, we took one sip and exclaimed in delight! It’s a bit like mango smoothie meets mango margarita, but the rum version.
Next in our frozen alcoholic drinks, a classic: frozen rose! Or frosé, if you're trendy. If you haven’t tried it yet, frosé is a mashup between a frozen cocktail and that quintessential summer wine. This one is just sweet enough AND tastes like rose wine! This recipe is now a fan favorite and is made and loved by people all over the country and world.
Tip: You'll need to freeze the slushie mix at least 6 hours or overnight.
Looking for a frozen alcoholic drink full of irresistible frosty flavor? Try this Banana Daiquiri ! This spin on the classic daiquiri is one of our favorite frozen drinks for impressing guests because: it’s just that irresistible! It’s got a pure banana flavor complimented by the zingy lime, vanilla and oak notes of aged rum, and a hint of orange liqueur on the finish.
A few more easy cocktail recipes
Of course, there are so many cocktails outside of frozen alcoholic drinks! Here are a few of our favorite cocktail recipes:
- Try a margarita recipe or a strawberry margarita.
- Make our fan-favorite whiskey sour.
- Mix up fun beach drinks or sweet alcoholic drinks.
- Try our top tequila cocktails, bourbon cocktails, gin cocktails, vodka cocktails, and rum cocktails.
Frequently asked questions
You can easily adjust the alcohol content of frozen drinks by changing the amount of liquor used in the recipe. For a weaker drink, use less alcohol or add more non-alcoholic mixers. For a stronger drink, use more alcohol or reduce the amount of mixers. It’s best to start with a smaller amount of alcohol and gradually add more until you reach your desired strength.
A blender is the most convenient tool for making frozen drinks, but you can still create delicious frozen cocktails without one. Try a food processor or immersion blender.
If you have leftover frozen alcoholic drinks, it’s best to store them in an airtight container in the freezer. However, keep in mind that the texture may change slightly upon refreezing, and the drink may become more icy or less smooth. To minimize this effect, try to consume the frozen drink within a few hours of making it.
Frozen Margaritas
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 drinks 1x
Description
One of the best frozen alcoholic drinks? Frozen margaritas! This recipe is refreshingly simple with just 4 simple ingredients, which blend into a party-sized pitcher in minutes.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (¾ cup) tequila blanco or reposado
- 4 ounces (½ cup) Cointreau or Triple Sec
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) fresh lime juice
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) simple syrup
- 4 ½ cups ice
- For the rim: kosher salt or pink sea salt
Instructions
- Place the salt on a plate and wet the rim of the glasses (it’s easiest to cut a notch into a lime and run it around the glass). Dip the outside edge of the rims into the margarita salt.
- Place the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and fluffy. Pour into the prepared glasses and serve*. If desired, garnish with lime wedges.
Notes
*Make ahead tip: To make this drink in advance, mix up the liquids prior to serving and refrigerate up to 2 days in advance. Blend up the drink right immediately serving. You can also freeze your glasses prior to serving to slow the drink from melting (freeze them 30 minutes to 2 hours in advance).
Fruity variations: Replace the ice in the recipe above with 4 cups frozen strawberries or diced frozen mango cubes.
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Cocktails
