Summer recipes for boozy slushies

I love winding down with a cooling drink on a hot day. Sometimes it’s just something with a few cubes of ice, but there are other times when I want something a bit more adventurous. 

Slushies are perfect for this, and boozy slushies especially so. Here are ten recipes for slushies for adults as a starting point. Time to fire up that blender! 

A pale green drink served elegantly in a wide conical cocktail glass, I think this is a great starting point. Cooling, elegant but still a gin-laced drink that’s a great way to wind down at the end of a hot day. Like most drinks here, it’s made with a power blender for minimum defrosting time. 

Rosé is already a drink that goes well with hot summer days, but by adding strawberry sugar syrup and lemon juice, freezing and blending you have a long refreshing drink. This recipe gives full instruction including a video. 

Another wine based slushie, but I think this is a great-looking layered drink, with a pale peach and wine blend sitting on a base of wine and blueberries. This recipe uses frozen fruit, so with a little planning I can have the wherewithal always frozen, ready for any “slushie now” emergency. 

This mudslide mixes Irish cream liqueur, Kahlúa, vodka, double (heavy) cream and ice cream. Definitely rich, it sounds to me like a great dessert substitute on a hot day. I love the suggestion of blending chocolate covered frozen yogurt lollies as a possible ice cream substitute. 

An ice cold strawberry slushie with prosecco. The ultimate way to sit back and relax at the weekend and it only takes around two minutes to make. It’s fruity, refreshing and so delicious. I love the idea of using prosecco to give a slightly fizzy result.

Another prosecco based slushie, but this time one that sits on the line between sweet and tart, made with rhubarb, honey, sugar, prosecco and lemon juice. I’m intrigued by the idea of adding cardamom to add an exotic spicy twist. 

This looks so green and cooling, and I love the flavour combination of melon and cucumber. Again, this uses frozen fruit; I like the way the author points out that doing this means less ice, so the drink isn’t as diluted. 

A red drink but one that’s made with white wine. The one thing that makes these drinks quick and easy is having a good blender. But blenders are useful for so much more than slushies—hot and cold soups, smoothies and regular blended cocktails can be whipped up in no time if you keep a powerful model easily available on your countertop. 

Something chocolate-y now. This does need some planning; make a hot chocolate drink, chill it and then blend with Kahlua and top with a scoop of ice cream. Making a hot drink gives a thicker result, perfect for floating a scoop of ice cream on top. 

I’m ending on something much more traditional—a variation on the traditional Bloody Mary—tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire and tabasco sauces, plus a whole range of spices depending on what you have.  Adjust the recipe to your taste. Me? Tabasco, please, but not too much! 

Helen Best-Shaw, is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer & photographer. She has been blogging at Fuss Free Flavours for over 10 years.  

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