Whether it’s a blended margarita, a slushie piña colada, or some more modern invention, the frozen cocktail is a fixture of summer in bars around the country. Maybe the allure goes back to the childhood brain freeze we experienced with 7-Eleven slushies, movie theatre Icees, or even those virgin drinks that made us feel so adult as kids. Whatever the reason – and it could be as simple as the fact that frozen treats are yummy – these drinks have a universal appeal and are a worthy addition to the bar for summer and beyond.
The term “frozen” can take on a broad definition when it comes to cocktails, and these icy drinks aren’t a new idea by any means. Back in 1912, the first-class passengers aboard the fated Titanic enjoyed the bright, palate-cleansing Punch á la Romaine as their sixth course in an opulent dinner. With its base of frozen, lemon-meringue ice (essentially a sorbet), this cocktail was one of the original slushies. The recipe can be found in multiple Golden Age cocktail books including Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Bar-tender’s Guide.
The slushie craze is still alive and well today. One of the seen-everywhere “modern” twists is the Frosé, which is, at its heart, frozen rosé wine. But this base allows for innumerable possibilities in terms of originality and personalization depending on the bartender’s whim. At Hello Stranger Bar in Oakland, partner Summer-Jane Bell still serves one (called the Frozay), and it’s her best seller. “The color of a rosé frozen drink is a big selling feature for us,” says Bell. “Other wine-based slushees aren’t pink! We bill ours as a ‘Frozen Rosé Sangria’. Red wine sangria feels dated, and white sangria doesn’t have a color that pops. When guests see the frozen pink drink go out, they want one too. Our cocktail program focuses on bright colors that match our moody and colorful club lighting. Also, “frozay” is just so fun to say!”
Bell’s recipe is a perfect example of how a riff on a basic recipe can elevate it. Her Frozay uses Pisco as the spirit base, then accents it with Lillet Rosé and still rosé wine. These notes make for more depth of flavor than just an ice-blended rosé would offer, and, interestingly, Bell says that customers also see extra perceived value because there are no big cubes of ice. The Frozay has remained on the Hello Stranger menu for six years since the opening summer menu in 2018.
Sake is also getting the frozen treatment as Jenifer Van Nortwick, Head of Trade at Sake ONO, wanted to find a new way to expose people to sake. “When people think of frozen drinks, seldom does sake come to mind,” Van Nortwick explains. “We wanted to create a unique and unexpected experience that would delight customers. When you utilize Sake ONO in a frozen drink, you get a clean expression that highlights the crisp and refreshing flavor profile.” The sake base not only contributes to the cocktail being low ABV, but the fruity, floral character is a backdrop where citrus and fresh fruit create a sort of frozen sake sour.
At the Lounge at Theory in Oakland, Beverage Director Cammie Carr-Wiley found inspiration for her Art Basil cocktail in the Italian Sgroppino, a combination of sorbet, vodka, and prosecco. “I thought sorbet was a great opportunity to play with texture and temperature. It seems like a natural choice for summer.” Carr-Wiley’s sorbet blends blanc vermouth, gin, basil, lemon, and lime. Once in the glass, the silky, frozen mixture is topped with a bit of Pisco, in place of vodka, and dry sparkling wine.
Like many bartenders playing with the frozen concept, Carr-Wiley wanted to offer guests something surprising. And, she says that the scoop of sorbet “immediately elicits a reaction of excitement. The addition of sorbet is a fun way of introducing flavor as well as texture,” she explains. “Besides the play on temperature, the sorbet allows the cocktail to evolve over time not just get over-diluted with water… the floral and herbaceous notes add some complexity while still being light, refreshing and easy to drink.”
While the aforementioned drinks do have a sweet component, they don’t enter the dessert realm, which is home to a plethora of frozen treats. When adults want to get a buzz from dessert, they have plenty of ways to do it, but cocktails are probably the most whimsical. Back in the early 1900s, the Brandy Alexander – brandy, crème de cacao, and cream, shaken – was in fashion, and by the 1970s forward, you often saw it blended like a frozen, chocolate shake.
In 1941, Bryant Sharp of Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge in Milwaukee capitalized on the allure of sweetness, inventing the Pink Squirrel. While today the recipe uses heavy cream, ice cream was the original base. Combined with two liqueurs – crème de noyau and crème de cacao – it was a boozy, grown-up milkshake, no kids allowed. The Squirrel surfaced again in the 80s, an era obsessed with sweet, dessert-style cocktails. It still elicits a reaction when it ends up on bar menus today.
Not surprisingly, coffee drinks – frequently after-dinner sippers – work beautifully as frozen cocktails. Erin Rose in New Orleans is famous for their Frozen Irish Coffee. The drink arrived at the bar in the 1980s. Now, it’s a fixture. People even seek out and treasure the black logo cups. And, during the bar industry’s yearly Tales of the Cocktail, bartenders consider visiting Erin Rose for their famous Irish Coffee to be an essential pilgrimage. Also playing on coffee, frozen Espresso Martinis have been appearing on menus in recent months, capitalizing on the renewed enthusiasm for the Espresso Martini.
Like any cocktail, however, frozen drinks pose specific challenges. Van Nortwick advises, “I would tell someone who is just starting out making frozen drinks to experiment and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The key to a great frozen drink is balance and texture. You need to make sure you have the right amount of alcohol, sugar, and acid to create a good frozen.” Bell says that there are two useful measurements that help with consistency: brix content – which measures the amount of a dissolved solid (frequently sugar) in a liquid – and dilution ratios. Dilution is always a component in cocktails, but frozen drinks specifically can come off as weak-tasting and lacking in that inherent and expected slushie-ness,if not proportioned properly. Bell also suggests using a lot of water and to “make sure your spirits and modifiers are unique and extra bold in flavor.” Carr-Wiley focuses specifically on the way the ice behaves. Her tip: “Be prepared to adjust flavor for your base recipes. While some flavors become more subdued, others may be more pronounced after freezing. I would also recommend small batches to reduce ice crystals which form over time.”
Having one or more frozen cocktails on a menu holds many advantages. An icy, brightly- colored slushie served out of a slushie machine or a creamy, pseudo-milkshake are infinitely eye-catching. They move beyond the typical shaken or stirred drink, promising a chilled treat that combines childhood and vacation memories. They may be boozy, but they are also, in a way, comforting. Cammie Carr-Wiley thinks the appeal to guests stems from “a combination of nostalgia for summers past and fantasizing future travels.” And Van Nortwick sees these drinks as yet another level of creativity a bartender can explore. Creativity behind the bar and a wow factor for the guest make frozen cocktails in their myriad forms a no-brainer for the bar menu year-round.
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