Knockout Punch: Best Frozen Drink Recipes

No Comments | Written on May 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm, by Amy Keyishian

Icy Cranberry Margaritas

Isn't this vitamin-packed punch the most delightfully magenta item you've ever seen?

Summer Fruit Daiquiris

The best thing about this recipe is that it can be adjusted for the fresh fruit you have on hand, and is equally good sans alcohol.

Tropical Banana Nog

Add a shot of hazelnut liqueur and call this a "Nutty Monkey," like they do in the Bahamas.

Ginger Ale Ice

Carbonation adds extra sparkle; use authentic ginger beer and a splash of dark rum if you're feeling Jamaican.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

This is a specialty at Serendipity, the famed treat emporium in NYC (and the most glamorous place on earth when I was a kid).

Frozen Horchata

This Mexican favorite gets the deep-freeze treatment, and ay yi yi! Obviously, you can substitute frozen yogurt to lighten things up.

Sanibel Wave

Fresh mint, limeade concentrate, and gin. All you need now is a Betty Draper dress.

Picture-Perfect Punch

Three layers, frozen separately, then piled atop each other make for a refreshing rainbow.

My first apartment had no air conditioner, which meant on sweltering summer days, I’d practically get heat-induced hallucinations of frozen drinks (not necessarily alcoholic, by the way). I would plod down to the nearby deli, where a self-serve slushie machine hummed out front. I could choose the amount of syrup (not so much), yank a lever that gave a satisfyingly old-school clunk, and out oozed the perfect mix of ice and liquid. I’d fill a 20-ounce container with pale-blue indeterminate berry flavor, and off I’d stride with a new bounce in my step. Because even on the surface of the sun, there’s nothing more refreshing than a frozen drink.

But tastes change. I can’t hang with the weird flavors. Nobody lets me control the sweetness anymore. And sometimes, a girl wants a shot of tequila to warm up her cool-down.

So I pored over the archives to come up with the tastiest frozen drinks for summer. You probably saw our roundup of margarita recipes galore. So this time we bring you a novel uses for a bounty of fresh berries, a multilayered treat that looks even better than it tastes, and even a frozen hot chocolate.

As Homer Simpson would say, “Icyyy … Hot!”