Slushology 101: How to Make a Slushie with a Blender

Have you ever been in a bar with a frozen drink machine? It can be hypnotizing to sit there, watching as it churns away, roiling the slushy recipe inside. And then when you order the drink itself? Even better. It’s sweet and fruity with a kick from the alcohol and refreshingly cold in a way that makes you feel like you’re having dessert.

If only you could enjoy vodka slushies and frozen tequila drinks outside the bar.

Well, there’s good news. With an at-home blender and alcohol ice pops, you can enjoy delicious frozen homemade slushies from the comfort of your own home. 

Grab a pen and a notebook, and let’s learn how to make a slushie with a blender. 

Welcome to Slushology 101.

Gathering Your Equipment

When talking about how to make a frozen homemade slushie, we should start by making sure you have everything you need. Thankfully, there are only three things that make it possible for you to make your own delicious slushie:

• A good recipe
• Ice (or SLIQ ice pops)
• A blender

Simply put all your ingredients into your blender, add ice, and blend everything. You’ll be sipping slushie goodness in no time. 

What Type of Blender Do You Need

There are a lot of blenders out there. There are high-end blenders, immersion blenders, bargain-priced blenders—there’s a blender for every occasion. 

So what type of blender do you need?

Well, unless you’re planning on opening a bar out of your kitchen, any blender will do. You can use whatever you already have. And if you don’t currently have a blender and need to buy one, there’s no reason to break the bank.

What Type of Ice Do You Need

Ice is important. It’s what allows you to turn your normal drink into a slushie. But not all ice is created equal. Here are a few tips to enhance your slushie recipe with a blender.

• Use crushed ice – It’s best not to overwork your blender if possible. Using large ice cubes means you’ll have to blend more to break it down into the right slushie consistency. Crushed ice can make for an easier process.
  
  However, something to keep in mind is that if you overwork the ice you could break it down too much. This can result in two issues:
  
  • Your drink will lose consistency.
  • Your drink will get watered down. This can be especially discouraging. No one wants to find a great drink recipe only to end up with a weak, watery result. But tip #2 has a fix.
• Use SLIQ Spirited Ice pops – Our pops use the highest quality ingredients to create flavorful frozen cocktail pops that make the perfect base for your delicious slushie. This added flavor means you don’t have to rush your drink before it gets watered down. Goodbye brain freeze!
  

Additional Tips

Now that we know the basics of how to make a slushie with a blender, let’s go over a couple of advanced techniques.

• Use fresh ingredients – It’s a frozen drink, but you’ll still taste everything you put in. If you have some frozen fruit you want to use, that works. If you have the option, fresh fruit works best.
  
• Start the blender on low – You’ll have to blend on high to get the right slushie consistency, but whenever you’re blending frozen ingredients, it’s best to start breaking things up on low so as not to damage your blender blades.¹

Bonus Recipe

You should be ready to start making slushies. But what are the different flavors you can make? Pretty much any drink can be made frozen, though some flavors work better than others. Fruit flavors, like lemon juice, pineapple juice, watermelon juice, and lime juice, or sweeter drinks tend to be great options. You can even combine different flavors, such as strawberry lemonade. Using any kind of fruit juice also means you don’t have to add as much sugar or syrup. And if you want the slushy to be slightly fizzy, you can even add some club soda. Martinis maybe not so much.

To get you started, let’s give you a classic frozen tequila drink recipe.

Margarita Slushie

• Ingredients:
  
  • 2 ounces silver tequila
  • ½ ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1 ounce triple sec
  • ¼ ounce simple syrup
  • 1 or 2 SLIQ Spirited Ice Agave Margarita Pops – Any flavor
    
• Combine all the ingredients in your blender. Start on low then work up to the high setting. Blend until it’s at the desired consistency.
• Pour into a glass rimmed with salt (optional).
• Garnish with a fresh lime wedge.

Slushies With SLIQ

Congratulations! You’ve passed Slushology 101 and are ready to start making your frozen, delectable slushies. 

Remember to have fun and be creative. Slushies are fun to drink; they should be fun to make, too. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, look no further than your freezer and your SLIQ Spirited Ice pops.

SLIQ pops are made using only the highest quality ingredients and come in a multitude of flavors. Whether you’re using vodka ice pops, frozen margarita pops, or rum ice pops, there are a myriad of flavors that can inspire you as you come up with your own frozen slushie recipes. 

Remember: SLIQ ice pops are best enjoyed with a side of good company and good vibes.

Sources: 

1. The Cookful. The Top Five Tips for Making Frozen Drinks in a Blender. https://thecookful.com/the-top-five-tips-for-making-frozen-drinks-in-a-blender/ 
2. Liquor.com. Five Tips for Making the Best Blender Drinks. https://www.liquor.com/articles/5-tips-blender-drinks/ 
3. Delish. Frozen Margaritas. https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a27796403/best-frozen-margaritas-recipe/