If you just got back from Reading Week in Cuba, Punta Cana, or anywhere else where there wasn’t snow up to your belly button, you’re probably going through some serious vacation withdrawal.
Claim (or reclaim) a piece of that tropical paradise with a throwback to spring break by indulging in a cocktail slushie. If you spent your Reading Week wishing to be somewhere warmer, you have even more of a reason to kick back and chill your taste buds.
Slushies aren’t limited to daiquiris or margaritas. In fact, any of your favourite cocktails and mixed drinks can be made into a slushie when you know the right tricks.
You will need to choose a thickening agent appropriate to the ingredients in your drink of choice. Simply blending crushed ice into your regular recipe will cause your drink to separate, forming a layer of ice floating on top of a watered down version of your chosen drink.
If your drink has fruit-flavoured booze, don’t be afraid. Go ahead and pair the solid fruit to the flavouring. Since my Swedish berry cocktail contains crème de banane and sour puss raspberry, I added a banana and raspberries. Simple, right?
But what if your drink doesn’t have a good fruit pairing? In that case, you can opt for a neutral thickening agent like cream, honey, plain yogurt, or ice cream to sweeten up your day. You can also try different bar syrups like grenadine and lime cordial, or Torani syrups, which can be used in much more than just your morning coffee.
Photo by Courtney Lailey
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
1.5-oz. Sour Puss Raspberry
1.5-oz. McGuinness Crème de Banane
3-oz. Sprite
1 ½ cups crushed ice
½ banana
¼ cup raspberries
¼ cup blueberries for garnish
Directions:
1. Start by adding the regular ingredients of your cocktail to the blender in their usual proportions, leaving aside any pop. Only stir pop into your drink at the end to avoid a big fizzy mess all over your kitchen counter.
Photo by Courtney Lailey
2. Add your thickener(s) with a ratio of 4:3 (cocktail ingredients to thickening ingredient). The amount of thickening ingredient you need will depend on the density of the ingredient you’re using and how thick you like your drinks.
Photo by Courtney Lailey
3. Give it a quick blend to break the fruit down into small chunks before moving on.
Photo by Courtney Lailey
4. Now blend in your crushed ice. On average, you want to add enough ice to double the quantity that is currently in the blender. Blend for about 1 minute or until the cocktail is fully mixed and the ice has been broken down into slush.
Photo by Megan Prendergast
5. Accessorize your drink. You can go classic with a bright drink umbrella or drink sword, or you can be creative with crazy straws and whipped cream.
Photo by Courtney Lailey
Challenge yourself by layering complimentary slushies together. Take the “lava flow” for example: pina colada layered with a stripped-down strawberry daiquiri for an exhilarating, brain-freezing tropical experience. For bonus points, add raspberries, banana, and blueberries for a tricolour garnish.
Check out these articles for more frozen fun with alcohol: