Summertime Fun - Frozen Drinks

During our recent vacation in Aruba, we rediscovered frozen drinks.  They are usually referred to as slurpies or slushies if non-alcoholic and frozen drinks if alcoholic here but in Aruba they are simply frozen drinks.  They are a very popular way to cool down there.  Although there were fancy frozen drink makers in the bars, the timeshares were equipped with standard blenders.  We were gifted with a Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker so I was collecting ideas for summer drinks while sitting around the pool.  The beauty of the frozen drinks is just about any drink can be made into a frozen drink easily and inexpensively by adding ice and blending until smooth and slushy.  There's no need to leave the comforts of your home or change out of swimwear to head to the local variety store or ice cream shop to pay the high prices for a frozen drink when it only takes a couple of minutes to make one at home.  Oh, and you can use chilled coffee as well which is a good way to use up the left over coffee from the pot you made in the morning.

We used the blender in Aruba to make Pina Coladas to take down to the pool area and the beach.  This is a nice, cooling drink that just so nice with blue skies and sandy beaches!  Traditionally, it is an alcoholic drink but you could make it a virgin drink by omitting the rum and adding a light splash of rum extract.  The following recipe is written for the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker but can be modified to use a standard blender.
  
Pina Colada
source: Margaritaville Cargo Recipes

1¾ oz White Rum
3½ oz Pineapple Juice
1¾ oz cream of coconut

Fill ice reservoir with ice cubes.  Pour ingredients in glass blending jar.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Pour into a goblet glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and serve with a strawberry (optional).

Kids love frozen drinks as well.  When the grandkids (ages 5, 4, 3) last visited for a pool party I wanted to make special frozen drinks for them.  I made raspberry lemonade then Papa turned it into frozen drinks for the little ones.

Raspberry Lemonade Frozen Drink
source:  Garden Gnome

1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
water
1 c fresh raspberries
3 - 4 mint leaves (optional)

Mix the frozen lemonade concentrate with the amount of water specified on the container.  Pour 4 c lemonade into blender.  Add ½ c of the raspberries and mint leaves.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a large pitcher.  Repeat with the remainder of the lemonade and raspberries.  Pour that into the same pitcher and stir well.  This will give you about 64 oz of raspberry lemonade.

to make frozen drinks:  [concoction maker] Fill ice reservoir with ice cubes.  Pour raspberry lemonade in glass blending jar.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  [blender] Pour about 2 c of raspberry lemonade into blender.  Add several ice cubes.  Blend adjusting to get the right consistency with either more ice cubes or lemonade.  Pour into plastic drinking cups.  Add a straw and long handled spoon.