This summer's set to be a hot one, so we're teaming up with NOLET'S Gin to share our favorite cocktails for staying cool: slushy frozen drinks starring NOLET'S Silver Gin, a floral and fruit-forward gin crafted with real botanicals and over 330 years of Nolet family experience.
There are few things I love more during the summer than a frozen cocktail—instantly cooling, and a breeze to batch up for a barbecue or poolside get-together. Margaritas, daiquiris, frosé, and the like might be the first drinks you think of when getting ready to fire up the blender this season, but you can turn almost any sip into a slushy.
Case in point: frozen gin and tonic.
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
A timeless combo, the botanical aromas of the gin and bitter notes from the tonic, plus fresh lime, shine in a frozen format. You'll need the same ingredients you normally would, including a high-quality gin; NOLET'S Gin is a staple on my bar cart, with its rich floral aromas and classic dry finish. The only additions: a lime-zest-infused simple syrup for a touch of sweetness (you don't want to use the juice here, as the hot syrup will give it a flat, cooked taste), and, of course, ice for blending.
To heighten the bitter flavors of the tonic even further, you could also add a dash of Angostura bitters and up the amount of fresh-squeezed lime juice if you like your sips extra tart.
Another hot-weather refresher is lemonade, so why not give it the frozen treatment? You could just blend lemonade with ice and gin (and it would be delicious), but to take things up a notch, I like to bring seasonal fruit into the mix. NOLET'S Gin has a uniquely fruit-forward flavor profile that consists of raspberries, peaches, and also roses. Any one of them would pair nicely with lemonade, but peaches felt especially right for summer.
Freeze juicy, ripe peach slices to whip up this frozen cocktail, or use store-bought frozen peaches for ease. You might even add a spoonful of peach preserves to boost the peachy flavor even more. A mint sprig garnish isn't essential, but if you ask me, its fresh, cooling aroma really adds something special to the drink as you sip it.
Of course, there are so many different combinations of ingredients and flavor profiles that would be excellent in a frozen gin cocktail—and part of the fun is experimenting. The other weekend I had some frozen strawberries lying around in the freezer and a bottle of rose water in the pantry, so I blended them with ice and a splash of NOLET'S Gin. For the garnish, I grabbed some fresh basil leftover from dinner the night before.
The verdict? Let's just say, it would give the best frosé a run for its money.
What's your all-time favorite frozen cocktail? Sound off in the comments below!
In partnership with NOLET'S Gin, we're sharing this summer's coolest, slushiest sips starring their Silver Gin. From a frozen gin and tonic to a peachy riff on frozen lemonade, NOLET'S Silver Gin is a bar-cart staple for all your cocktails this season and beyond. With a rich history that dates back over 330 years, the Nolet Distillery has been crafting quality spirits for 11 generations.
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