The Vodka Freezing Process: How Our Frozen Cocktails Work

There’s nothing more disappointing than a warm, tepid alcoholic beverage. When lukewarm vodka hits your lips, you might think you can save an unpleasant drink with some quality time in the freezer. Maybe you’ve even tried to create a DIY version of your favorite alcoholic popsicles, like SLIQ’s Spirited Ice pops.

Does vodka freeze? Toss that tepid drink in the freezer and wait a few hours to find out.

Or we can save you some time and tell you that you might be out of luck. Instead, you’ll have some very chilled vodka that will slosh around the bottle no matter how long you leave it in the freezer. So what’s the secret behind our frozen vodka cocktails? 

We’re about to peel back the curtain and let you in on the magic, including the science of freezing points and how our premium frozen cocktails get their solid shape and signature flavor.

Why Doesn’t Vodka Freeze?

The reason you’ll never find a frozen vodka bottle behind your bags of ready-to-blend berries is because of the simple science of freezing points. Different liquids freeze at different temperatures. 

Here’s how the freezing points in frozen cocktails break down:

  • An average home freezer is likely set to -18°C (0°F)
  • The freezing point of water is 0°C (32°F)
  • The freezing point of 80 proof vodka is -26°C (-16°F)

Quite simply, the math just doesn’t work out. Unless you adjust your home freezer temperature by a considerable amount, it won’t reach the freezing point needed to solidify vodka, if it even has the capability to sustain such temperatures that low. This is great news for everything else in your freezer, but not for making frozen cocktails.

Before you go all out and upgrade your standard freezer to a heavy-duty unit capable of turning your kitchen into an igloo, there’s a simpler solution out there—us! Here at SLIQ, we offer several different flavors of hard freezer pops made with premium vodka. And unlike pure vodka, our frozen vodka pops stay nice and solid in a standard freezer. 

If you’re curious about how we managed to pull it off and want to figure out how to freeze some of the best vodka cocktails yourself, we’ve got you covered.

How Frozen Alcoholic Cocktails Work

Alcoholic drinks are a mixture of water and alcohol content. Based on our brief chemistry lesson outlined above, increasing the percentage of water in an alcoholic beverage also raises the freezing point. That’s why pure vodka won’t freeze in a standard freezer but a vodka slushie or mixed drink might.

This is a delicate balance, however. Too much alcohol content and your cocktail won’t freeze. Too little and it’ll be nothing more than a flavorful fruit punch.

To create frozen cocktails that actually earn the title of “frozen,” follow these simple guidelines as you’re testing and perfecting your at-home recipes:

  • Keep the ratio of mixer to alcohol at 4:1—at most—to ensure that your hard freezer pops form solid ice crystals.
  • Use containers or popsicle molds with room for growth, as the popsicle will expand during the freezing process.
  • Choose flavors and mixers that complement the vodka rather than overwhelming it.

Keep these guidelines in mind the next time you’re in charge of desserts. Slushies are great ways to enjoy alcoholic beverages, but not when the goal was to create a batch of perfect, ready-to-eat cocktail pops.

Why SLIQ’s Frozen Vodka Cocktail Pops Are Top Shelf

At SLIQ, we’ve perfected the formulas for our frozen vodka ice pops, frozen rum ice pops, and frozen margarita pops so that your hard freezer pop ends up freezing all the way through and you end up with an amazing flavor profile. We use premium liquor in our hard freezer pops so you’ll be enjoying more than just the sweetness of lemonade or the tang of raspberry—you’ll also notice hints of top-shelf liquors like 7x Distilled Vodka. 

We feel confident using the good stuff because we’re perfected our recipe, but amateurs might want to avoid reaching for the highest price tag. A heavy hand with the cranberry juice can easily mask the subtler notes of quality vodka and make you wish you hadn’t shelled out the extra cash. Instead, use cheaper alcohol for your DIY hard pops. The harsher notes can actually benefit from being overpowered by your mixers.

If the top shelf has your heart, leave the frozen cocktails to the experts.

SLIQ’s Frozen Vodka Cocktails are carefully concocted, perfectly portioned, and delectably delicious—every time. So the next time your friend in charge of refreshments sends you a frantic “why doesn’t vodka freeze” text, you’ll know exactly how to respond. You’ll also know to advise against the DIY desserts and just pick up a pack of SLIQ Spirited Ice instead.

Crisis averted. Refreshments secured. Congratulations, you’ve saved the day. 

And with our hard frozen pops, made from premium vodka as well as rum and agave spirit, you’ll be well on your way to good times and great memories.

Sources: 

Reader’s Digest. Does Vodka (and Other Alcohol) Freeze? https://www.rd.com/article/why-doesnt-vodka-freeze/

The Spruce Eats. What is the Freezing Point of Alcohol? https://www.thespruceeats.com/will-liquor-freeze-760302

Mashed. Why You Should Never Put Vodka in the Freezer. https://www.mashed.com/186881/why-you-should-never-put-vodka-in-the-freezer/