How to Make Slushy Drinks

Lime juice is the base of a frozen margarita, a classic slushy drink.

Nothing brings out the taste of summer quite like a frozen slushy drink. Commercial slushy drinks use machines to keep the beverage at a slushy consistency, and while you can make a frozen drink in a blender, it will require extra ice which dilutes the drink and gives a crunchier texture than a traditional slushy. To make a true slushy drink without the machine, you can either freeze a drink with a high alcohol content -- the alcohol portion will not freeze, creating a slushy texture -- or freeze and then carefully defrost and scrape a non-alcoholic drink mixture.

Things You'll Need

• 3 cups fruit juice
• 1 cup fruit, pureed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup rum, bourbon, or other alcoholic drink
• Freezer

Instructions

1. Select your blend of fruit and fruit juice. Watermelon and lime, pineapple and cherries, lime and lime juice, or tea and oranges are all classic combinations. Combine in a 3:1 ratio.

2. Puree the fruit along with the juice and sugar. Add alcohol.

3. Freeze at least six hours or overnight.

4. For non-alcoholic slushy drinks, defrost in the freezer for up to five hours. To obtain a classic slushy texture, scrape the frozen drink with a fork before serving.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose alcohol that compliments the fruit and juices chosen -- for example, tequila for lime juice or rum for pineapple,

References

• New York Times: Slush Fun
• Cooking New Orleans Style: Slush Drink Recipes
• New York Times: Frozen Watermelon Slush
• "The Tex-Mex Cookbook"; Robb Walsh; 2004