Join us in doing a happy dance, because blended drinks are back in style! They’re all over the place at bars and restaurants this summer, and we couldn’t be happier. You’ll occasionally still get those snobs that turn up their noses at slushy-style cocktails, as if they’re lowbrow, but seriously — who doesn’t love a frozen cocktail on a steaming hot day?! No one, that’s who. They’re delicious, refreshing, and most of all, fun! When the urge strikes at home for a frozen cocktail, we want you to be prepared. Dust off the blender, and let’s go!
Blended drinks can be tricky, because you need to keep an eye on them to keep the consistency in balance. You want a smooth, not-too-liquidy but also not-chunky texture. You’ll need to use your eyes and ears while it’s blending. Bring a friend — you can both stare into the mesmerizing vortex of the blender together!
Today, we’re going to use our riff on a blended banana daiquiri as an example, but you can use lots of different fruits and spirits to create a perfect frozen cocktail for your summer porch sitting. We have bags of frozen fruit in our freezer to mix and match in our cocktails!
Pro tip: you’re gonna wanna pop some overripe bananas in the freezer the night before you make this — when making frozen drinks at home, it helps with the cocktail consistency to use frozen fruit.
The Exploding Plastic Inevitable
(Makes 2 reasonable-sized drinks or 1 really hefty one)
🍹 2 oz. rum
🍹 3/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
🍹 2 small frozen bananas
🍹 1 oz. simple syrup
🍹 2 oz. cream of coconut
🍹 1/2 cup of pebble or crushed ice
Helpful hints:
🍹 We used 1 oz. of light rum and 1 oz. of dark rum for maximum flavor!
🍹 Peel and chop the frozen bananas into small bits — you’ll need about 1 cup of chopped fruit.
🍹If you prefer a sweeter drink, you can use rich syrup, which is 2:1 sugar-to-water.
🍹Cream of coconut can be found in cans in your local grocery store. If they don’t have it specifically, grab a can of coconut milk and skim off the thick top layer of cream.
🍹The ice is where you need to pay close attention. Don’t throw full sized cubes into the blender — that will throw off your cocktail’s consistency. You’ll want to crush your ice first. If you need to MacGuyver it, grab a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, a meat tenderizer, and a kitchen towel. Throw some ice cubes into the bag, seal it, then wrap it in the towel. Take that meat tenderizer and whack it until the ice is crushed into small pieces (also terrific stress relief 😂). Measure out about 1/2 cup of the crushed ice to start with.
🍹In lieu of crushing ice yourself, pick up a bag of pebble ice from your local Sonic or Chick-fil-a. They are super cheap and easy to toss into a blender without any fuss!
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy (start with around 7 seconds of blending, pause, and judge the texture). Remember, no one wants chunks of ice in their cocktail! Keep an eye on the consistency — if it’s still too thick, add a bit more of the crushed or pebble ice. If it seems to watery, a little extra frozen banana can help thicken it up. Once desired consistency is reached, pour into a chilled glass and garnish with a tiny umbrella if you have one! Sip & enjoy!