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Frozen cocktails and cute little paper umbrellas often go hand in hand, but concocting a potent potable that is true to the way it would be served in a bar is a little more challenging. For those of us who are novice drink mixers, knowing the basics of frozen cocktails will help us establish ourselves behind the bar and on the other side enjoying the fruits of our labor.

BLENDER: You will need a blender for your frozen cocktails, so if you do not have one, make the investment. There is really no other way to get the consistency that the professionals serve without one.

FRUIT: Yes, those frozen cocktails are replete with one or several fruity flavors that will hopefully spirit us off to the tropical island in our minds. No matter where your happy place happens to be, the fruit that you use will work best if it is frozen or semi-frozen. Fresh fruit is often mushy and can cause the consistency to go awry. Using frozen fruit also allows you to seal the bag and re-use any leftover fruit.

LIQUIDS FIRST: Make sure you at least chill any liquids that are necessary for the recipe. Even chilling the liquor will go a long way in making sure the consistency of the frozen drink turns out as it should. Put any liquids in first, then add the frozen fruit next and lastly put in the ice, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

SPEED: Texturally, you will want to start blending slowly and gradually work up to a higher speed. If you find that your drink is too runny, you can always add more fruit. If the drink is too thick, thin it out with more ice or, for those who are adventurous, more liquor.

GARNISHES: In addition to those darling little paper umbrellas, make sure you have wedges of pineapple, and tiny kabobs of maraschino cherries, orange wedges, freshly grated coconut, or any other festive and fruity garnish for your guests to nibble. Some hardcore frozen drink makers will soak their garnishes in rum or other liquor, chill it, and then make the garnish a special addition to the cocktail. Whatever your pleasure, make sure that it is pleasing to your guests, as well.

Frozen cocktails are a superb compliment to any dinner party, cocktail party, or Barbeque. Well done frozen cocktails are always a crowd pleaser and for one moment they allow us to slip off into a tropical world far away from the cares of the day. All we have to do is sip and relax!

For more information you can check out the following sites:
http://www.thatsthespiri t.com/en/drinks/articles/Froze n_drinks.asp
http://www.drinksm ixer.com/cat/11/
http://allreci pes.com/Recipes/Drinks/Cocktai ls/Main.aspx

Learn more about this author, Lisa Doherty.
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