With the outdoor temperatures rising, the requests for frozen or blended cocktails are also on the increase. The longer days of early summer give us the chance to relax in the evening sunshine with an ice cold blended cocktail making it easy to forget that winter ever happened. For restaurant and bar owners, catering to the frozen or blended cocktail customer is easy with the right commercial countertop blender. There are several great brands of drink blenders to choose from including Dynamic, Hamilton Beach and Waring.
But even with the right equipment, there are some nuances to making a great blended cocktail. We’ve done a little research and put together a six easy to follow tips that will help you create blended and frozen cocktails that will keep customers coming back for more.
1. Balance the ratio of ice to liquids. Start out with equal parts liquid and crushed ice. After you’ve blended your ingredients at this ration, you can add more ice for a thicker consistency. Also, to increase the richness and create a thicker cocktail, you can add in some fresh fruit. If the blend is too heavy, add in a splash of juice or some coconut water to dilute the mixture.
2. Be sure to sequence the cocktail ingredients correctly. Make sure to build your ingredients in the proper order for optimal results. Layer in solids like fruits first, then add in the correct measure of chilled liquids. Ice goes on top and be sure to blend immediately by starting at a slower speed with a gradual increase. And don’t blend too long or you may get a thinner consistency than you want.
3. Start with crushed ice. We strongly recommend that you don’t skip this step in the name of time. Even if you purchase a blender that touts that it can crush ice for drinks, start with the ice already crushed. When you begin with crushed ice you will get a smoother consistency more easily. This is especially helpful when you don’t have a high powered blender. Pre-make crushed ice in your food processor.
4. Begin with chilled spirits and juices. Customers like their frozen cocktails to be cold and frosty for as long as possible. Starting with already cold ingredients will keep you from serving a watered down cocktail.
5. Chill your glassware too. One quick way to warm up a frozen drink is to put it in a room temperature glass. Be sure that your glassware is prechilled and that you are pouring your cold cocktails into a glass or mug that will keep the temperature low.
6. Use only quality, fresh ingredients. While there may be some good, prepackaged cocktail mixes on the market, one of the best things about a blended cocktail is that you can easily start with fresh ingredients and make them into a drink with your blender. By using fresh fruits and juices, you’ll get flavors that burst with freshness and aren’t loaded with extra sugars that a mix will rely on. We know that using fresh fruit does come with some seasonality, but if you’re smart, you can buy fruit at peak season – and flavor – and freeze it for use later.
