by Louanne Cox

Created on: July 22, 2008   Last Updated: August 04, 2011

Frozen cocktails and summer go hand in hand, whether it be with a Sunday barbeque, a pool party or a nice quiet book in the sun with a glass in your hand. All you need is the liquor, ice, glasses and a blender and you can be whipping up some delicious concoctions in no time.

A few basic tips for making frozen cocktails are to use small ice cubes, frozen fruit and to use glasses that have been kept in the fridge or freezer so that the cocktail does not melt too quickly.

When making the cocktail you should always add the liquid ingredients first, followed by the frozen fruit and then the ice. The blender should start on the lowest speed first, gradually increasing the speed as you blend the ingredients.

The most common frozen cocktails have to be the daiquiri and the margarita.

Basic Daiquiri

2 oz white rum
2-3 dashes dark rum
2-3 dashes syrup
tsp powdered sugar
fruit pieces
oz lime juice

Add the rum, syrup and lime juice follow this with the fruit of your choice, powdered sugar and then some ice cubes to your blender and blend until it reaches your desired consistency then pour into cocktail glasses to serve.

If the mixture appears too thick then you need to add more ice, if however the mixture appears too thin then you need to add more fruit.

A creamy version of a daiquiri is made by adding ice cream to the mix, this recipe makes enough for two people.

Strawberry Daiquiri

cup light rum
2 tsp lime juice
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 cups vanilla ice cream

Place the rum and juice into the blender and begin to mix. Next add the strawberries and ice cream and continue to blend. Serve in cocktail glasses with a strawberry garnish.

Margaritas are made with tequila, the robust flavor of which works really well in a frozen cocktail.

Frozen Margarita

3 parts tequila blanco
1 part fresh lime juice
1 part cointreau

Place all of the ingredients into a blender with half a cup of ice and blend. Serve in a salt rimmed margarita glass.

Frozen Kiwi Margarita

2 oz tequila
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz triple sec
oz lime juice
oz simple syrup
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered
Garnish: half kiwi slice
Optional garnish: coarse sugar

Combine the ingredients in a blender with cup ice and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and garnish with a half kiwi slice. If desired, coat the rim of the glass with sugar.

If you do not like the flavor of rum or tequila, there are plenty of other recipes to try, a popular one that I like is the Banana Strawberry Smoothie.

Banana Strawberry Smoothie

2 oz banana liqueur
1 large banana sliced
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 cups frozen vanilla yogurt

Blend these ingredients together as above and serve in a highball glass.

If you do not feel like the fruity cocktails that are usually on offer over summer you could try the coffee flavor of the Iced Coffee Cocktail.

Iced Coffee Cocktail

1 oz coffee liqueur
2 oz coffee
1 oz pouring cream
2 tsp sugar
1 cup ice cubes

Combine all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a highball glass, but beware this cocktail is seriously addictive!

Let your imagination run wild this summer and try your favorite cocktail recipes with added ice and convert them to frozen. If the usual recipe calls for all spirits or mixers such as juices and soft drinks then add ice and blend them together. If the usual recipe calls for milk, cream or half n' half then turn it into a frozen recipe by adding ice cream and blend.

Cocktails are fun and creating frozen ones can become addictive, as well as refreshing.

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