Slushies and frozen cocktails have been around for a long time, but ever since the sellout success of Ninja's new Slushi machine, more and more people are learning how to make their own frozen drinks from home. Although the Slushi allows you to freeze drinks without adding ice, meaning they'll be less watered down and significantly less noisy to make, you can still make a great slushie in a blender if you know how.
Before you break out the blender though, you should know some tips and tricks to get the most out of your ingredients. Even the best blender will struggle if you use the wrong mixture to make your drinks, so we spoke to Jerry Nevins, cofounder of Snow & Co. — named the #1 frozen cocktail bar in the United States, for some expert advice.
Can you make slushies in a blender?
"Anything you can make as a Ninja Slushi you can make in a blender", says Nevins. "The difference is consistency. The Ninja will freeze the water in the whole cocktail, while you need to add ice or ice cream in any blender based cocktails."
And as for the type of blender you should be using, Nevins suggests that you're better off with a personal blender or jug blender. "Immersion blenders can get messy, but they'll work in a pinch."
How to make a slushie
1. Pre-freeze your ingredients
If you're making an alcoholic beverage, or a Sloshie, as Nevis calls them, you'll struggle to freeze your drinks in advance. However, you can still keep your ingredients as cold as possible prior to blitzing to achieve a less watered-down result.
"One way to get a blender based cocktail closer to Ninja Slushi consistency is to freeze your non alcoholic recipe items and keep your liquors in the freezer so they're as cold as possible when you start to reduce initial melting in the blender. You can throw the non-alcoholic recipe items in an ice cube tray for easy addition to your blender."
2. Give them a quick blitz
Many of the most powerful blenders will make light work of ice and frozen produce, but if you blend for too long, their blades will start to heat up and your ingredients will be melted before you even add them to your cocktail glass.
Adding any ice cubes to the bottom of your pitcher will make things harder for your blender. It's best to have some liquid to work with, whether it's some fresh-squeezed juice or liquor, to help your blender integrate all the ingredients as it blends. This will mean you're not left with very fine shards of ice, but a top layer of ingredients that's not been integrated and sucked towards the blender blades.
"A common mistake if you use a machine is dumping in too much booze. If it's too boozy, it won't freeze. Or, not enough booze, because then it freezes solid", says Nevins. To avoid this, we recommend holding back some of your ingredients when working on your recipes, which will allow you to add more solid or more liquid ingredients as required to reach the ideal consistency.
You should do this for taste, too. "When it comes to mistakes people make when making slushies, the most common one is adjusting for sweetness. When things are frozen your taste buds react differently, so you need to make things sweeter than you might if you were making a regular cocktail."
3. Pour, and enjoy!
Once it hits your glass, your drink will start to melt quickly, so we suggest you sit down and enjoy immediately to get the most out of your frozen drink. Remaining liquid in your pitcher would be best off in the fridge while you drink, or alternatively, you could only blend enough for one or two drinks at a time to ensure that you're not left with any wasted mixture.
Can I make sugar-free slushies?
"In a blender, yes", says Nevins. "You don't need the sugar content to keep the machine from seizing up."
"If you're using a Ninja Slushi, you need sugar to help act as a bit of antifreeze that lets the auger create that Slushi texture without it just turning to a block of ice in the machine."
Do I need a blender to make a slushie?
We're all waiting to hear of a Ninja Slushi restock, and trust us, we think it's worth the hype. Our Managing Editor Kate was lucky enough to get her hands on it before it sold out, and made delicious margaritas in as little as 15 minutes. Until it's back though, there are some workarounds you can use.
"My book Sloshies lets you learn how to make slushies at home with just a ziplock bag and a freezer", says Nevins. "Anyone can do it without fancy equipment. But, you can use a Ninja Slushi, Gelato Maker or a blender if you like."
In fact, a gelato maker is an ideal tool to make a slushie if you want your drinks to be stirred continuously while it's frozen. This will allow you to create drinks in batches and leave them to be stirred hands-free while you enjoy your drink.
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