Summer Slush
Did everyone try to sneak some of their Mom’s vodka slush from the ice cream bucket in the freezer while they were growing up? This is another oldy, but a goody.
Let’s be honest, you could essentially make any cocktail in large quantities and freeze it, so just let this inspire you to create your own summer slush cocktail.
Original Recipe:
9 cups water
2 cups sugar
Boil until the sugar is completely dissolved and let cool.
Add 2 cans of frozen juice concentrate and mix until incorporated. This is where the fun comes in. The traditional flavor my Mom used to make was lemonade and orange juice. I like to branch out and mix up the flavors each time.
2 cups of alcohol – The alcohol is typically vodka or gin, but I’ve used limoncello before. Consider using a flavored vodka that compliments your juice choices.
Freeze. Allow about 24 hours to freeze before serving.
Flavor ideas:
Margarita: 1 limeade, 1 lemonade with tequila and a splash of Cointreau or orange juice
Mojito: 2 limeade, a large bunch of mint leaves, add the frozen juice, mint and a couple ladles of your sugar water to a blender and blend until the mint is pureed – pour back into your container of sugar water, add rum (or for a Bootlegger use 1 limeade, 1 lemonade, mint and vodka)
Cosmopolitan: 1 cranberry, 1 limeade with citron vodka and a splash of cointreau
Berry Lemonade: 1 berry blend, 1 lemonade, citron vodka or limoncello, fresh raspberries
Gin Blend: Increase your water to 12 cups, 1 limeade, 1 lemonade, 1 orange juice, 3 cups of gin
To Serve:
Scoop the slush into a glass and top with a little soda. We usually keep the soda a mild flavor like: Sprite, 7 Up, Fresca or Squirt. A flavored bubbly water works well, too.
Tips:
I don’t use 2 cups of sugar… there is already a lot of sugar in the frozen concentrate and I find it gets too sweet. Try using 1 cup of sugar or even a sugar substitute.
This will attract bees. If you’re drinking outside, consider a cup with a lid or use Ball mason jars with lids and reusable straws like I did.
I like to make my slush early in the morning so I can mix it during the day while it’s freezing. This will keep it from turning into a solid chunk that you have to scrape every time you want a drink.
If it’s been several hours and your slush isn’t starting to freeze around the edges, your ratio of alcohol to water is too high. Try adding a little juice or a can of soda to the mix.
When we used to rent a lake cabin for a week every August, making a bucket of slush was the first thing I did after we unloaded the car.
I like to throw in a handful of fresh berries. Raspberries are really good because they break up when you mix the slush.
The last time I made this slush, I was short on time so instead of making the sugar water I used a 2 liter bottle of 7 Up. It worked really well.
Cheers! Stay cool.
What juice flavor combinations would you try?
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