Hey, Reader!

When a heat wave hits, there are really only two officially sanctioned ways to cool down: a dip in the pool and a frozen cocktail. (Ok, maybe more than two — drinking lots of cucumber water and staying inside are perfectly acceptable, and encouraged!)

You won't find a slushy machine here, just a good old fashioned blender to craft your frozen cocktails — it's easy, even for favorites like frosé! Add some ice and your ingredients, then blend. Pour into glasses, add a straw and drink up to cool off! This method works to transform some of your favorite drinks, like sangria, into a frozen version.

Below are some of my favorite frozen drink recipes. You'll want to drink them before they melt, but pace yourself to avoid brain freeze!

frozen margaritas

Frozen lime margaritas might just be the best kind of margarita when it comes to summer sipping! Grab your favorite tequila and your blender to whip up some restaurant-style icy margs at home. Don't forget to rim your glasses with some salt! (Here's how.)

frozen peach daiquiris

Too many fresh peaches? That is never a problem! Use them to make frozen peach daiquiris. Full of fresh summer flavor, these rum cocktails are perfectly suitable for poolside sipping. (You can also make them in strawberry, lemon or mango varieties!)

frozen moscow mules

Fans of the classic Moscow mule will love sipping on this frozen version. It takes a little bit of prep: You'll need to freeze ginger beer into ice cube trays, then blend them up with lime juice and vodka (or any spirit that sounds good).

frozen butterbeer cocktail

Harry Potter nerds will find this frozen butterscotch cocktail tastes just like the one you can get at the theme parks — only boozier. Made with vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps and cream soda, then topped with whipped cream, this sweet drink is absolutely magical. (Check out this non-frozen version too.)

frozen grasshoppers

This mint chocolate cocktail is a slightly different kind of frozen cocktail involving ice cream! You'll mix up the ingredients — ice, vanilla ice cream, crème de menthe and chocolate liqueur — in the blender, then re-freeze it. Serve scoops of this cocktail for a tasty after-dinner drink.

The bourbon slush is one of my new favorites; you mix it, freeze it, then scoop it into your glass for an ultra-refreshing treat, no blender required. Really, you can't go wrong with any of these!

Stay cool!

Susannah