The Ideal Way To Prevent Frozen Cocktails From Melting This Summer
If you're new to the world of frozen drinks, you may have some misconceptions about how they're made. Toss ice, fruit juice, and a few shots of booze into a blender, and you'll get a bland, watery drink that melts before you're halfway done. An ice cream maker will produce better results, but not everyone has one on hand.
For thicker, smoother, and cooler drinks, batch your cocktails beforehand and put them in the freezer. While freezing a large batch of cocktails ahead of time may take more time and forethought, it produces better results. Batch cocktails are perfect for barbecues and summer soireés, and they make it easy to serve a crowd, leaving time for elaborate garnishes.
Next time you're planning on having friends over for drinks — or want a batch of ready-made cocktails all to yourself — leave your blender on the shelf. Instead, mix your ingredients in a freezer-safe bottle and wait for them to chill. The alcohol will keep the ingredients from freezing entirely, and you'll end up with a batch of ice-cold drinks that you can sip at your leisure.
How to batch frozen cocktails
When batching the cocktails, you need to consider how your prep method will affect dilution. The standard ways for mixing drinks — shaking, stirring, or building — all use ice to dilute the booze. Dilution isn't necessarily bad; a little dilution helps cut the astringent taste of the alcohol and balance the flavors, essential for a good cocktail. When batching frozen cocktails, the drink should be 20 to 25 percent water. Generally, you should add more water to higher-proof drinks and cut back if the drink is already pretty light.
Water serves another purpose: it helps release aroma molecules from the alcohol. When you eat or drink, your senses of taste and smell combine. Cold temperatures slow aroma molecules, so frozen cocktails aren't as aromatic. This can make a drink taste bland, so save your elderflower liquor and small-batch botanical gin for another day. Instead, go big and bold; don't be afraid to add extra citrus juice or bitters, and use aromatic garnishes like mint, basil, or lavender to make up for some of the lost flavors.
And if you're looking to preserve that thick, icy texture, avoid booze-heavy drinks and use viscous ingredients like honey. Prepping your drinkware will help, too: while chilling your glasses beforehand is always a good idea, it's a must for frozen drinks.