The Best Way To Add Alcohol When Making Frozen Drinks

Weekends just got better with expertly mixed glasses of frozen drinks. And for those seeking an extra kick of excitement, adding a dash of alcohol to your favorite drink recipes will give them a delightful buzz. But when making frozen drinks, it is important to remember that the ice will inevitably melt. And from there, the extra water, if unaccounted for, will dilute the taste and potency of the drink. 

Luckily, there's a way around this potential blunder: Simply opt for a slightly heavier pour of alcohol than usual. By adding more alcohol to your frozen drinks, the beverages will retain their bold flavor, even as the ice melts. 

You can also blend the liquid with alcohol before shoveling the ice on top. The liquid and the alcohol will then have the time to meld together by the time the ice is added, creating a well-balanced cocktail that remains uncompromised in flavor and strength.

A cocktail, by definition, is a mixture of multiple ingredients into a single drink. But don't expect your mix to turn out well if you just throw everything together without rhyme or reason. Layering — the art of placing and blending different ingredients together in order to get the best result — is crucial in mixology.

While every mixologist may have their own unique techniques (experimentation is part of the fun), a common approach involves layering the ingredients strategically in this exact order: Start with the liquids at the bottom to get things moving. This includes non-alcoholic liquids, syrups, and alcohol. Mix carefully before moving on to the next layer, which consists of greens and lightweight components such as cream. Top off with frozen fruits, and, at the very last minute, add crushed ice. The key to preserving the cocktail's integrity is adding ice at the last minute to limit dilution as much as possible.

And suppose you're wondering how much ice to add when you're making a frozen drink; the target is to have about as much ice as the drink's other ingredients. The dilution should be factored in before transferring the mix to a slushy machine, and if you make the drink with a blender, you should measure the amount of ice carefully before adding it in.