How To Make A Refreshing Frozen Negroni Without Fancy Equipment

An ice-cold cocktail is great, but nothing tops a frozen tipple. Like the grown-up version of a slushie, frozen cocktails are a fun way to reinvent anything from a margarita to a daiquiri. Yet, that's not to say that a big and bold Negroni won't lend itself well to freezing. As a matter of fact, it makes the perfect candidate even in the absence of a blender — that is, as long as you have a resealable bag and flexible fingers.

More often than not, recipes for frozen cocktails require ingredients to be poured into a blender and blitzed. While this does yield uniformly frosty results, this isn't the only way to craft a frozen cocktail. Whether you lack the equipment or can't be bothered to deal with complicated and cumbersome machinery, a simpler solution does exist. All you need to do is toss everything into a bag, then freeze and squeeze — yes, it really is that easy.

Using our frozen Negroni recipe as a guideline, gather the necessary ingredients and pour them into a sturdy and resealable bag. Once excess air has been removed, place it in the freezer to firm up. To speed up solidification, we recommend laying the bag flat. After a few hours, remove it from the freezer. Then, start squeezing and squishing the bag to break apart the semi-frozen liquid inside. As soon as you reach the ideal slushie-like texture, unzip the top and pour the now icy Negroni into a glass.

Any good frozen Negroni starts with quality ingredients. Alongside bitter Campari, the ideal vermouth for the job should be a sweet (red) variety. That said, selecting an equally suitable gin is also important to round out the two tipples. This is why we recommend a style with herbaceous notes of juniper and citrus like a London Dry. But, that's not all that's worth bearing in mind...

Since a Negroni consists entirely of spirits, getting it to successfully freeze can be challenging. To combat alcohol's low freezing point and achieve a frosty consistency, another ingredient must be added to the mix. Rather than reach for water or simple syrup, however, we suggest highlighting the cocktail's underlying flavors with a fruit juice like citrusy blood orange, floral strawberry, or sweetly sour cherry juice. Even bitter coffee will do the trick. Along with improving textures, the liquid will balance flavors and aid in dilution, especially when the ratio is equal to the total amount of spirits used.

Although giving the tipple enough time to chill — think upwards of two hours — can ensure it solidifies as much as possible, frozen Negronis are likely to thaw quickly. To slow melting, we always recommend pouring the cocktail into a well-chilled glass just before serving. It also doesn't hurt to include a functional garnish like a frosty orange wheel to keep the frozen Negroni icier for longer!