The piña colada, the frozen margarita, a daiquiri – these are the drinks that remind us of all-inclusive cruises, tiki bars and the resorts. Some may cringe at the thought of any of these things. Others, like me, want to sit in the overpriced, overplayed and overdecorated tiki bar all afternoon. In the summer, I reminisce about these drinks and their cheesy garnishes, colorful straws and paper umbrellas.
They’re definitely cute, but what makes them perfect for the hottest and hardest days of summer is that you can liquor them up or down as much as you like. If your teen (or toddler) is eyeing you with envy, offer them a virgin version and enjoy them together as you lounge in the backyard. After all, a frozen drink is just a good time for everyone, and it’s also essentially a smoothie.
This particular recipe is for a pineapple frozen margarita, but if you don’t like pineapple, use blackberries, strawberries or any of your favorite fruits. I tend to like my drink on the tart side, but you can adjust the lime juice or add simple syrup to sweeten things up.
Tip: Your blender might not be the best at crushing ice, and that’s fine. Just add more ice and blend longer to achieve the level of slushiness you desire.
Blended with ice and sweetened up with your favorite fruits and flavors, a frozen margarita is a relief in a glass on a hot summer day. Just don’t drink it too fast or you’ll get a brain freeze. That might spoil all your fun.
FROZEN PINEAPPLE MARGARITA
Yield: 2 drinks
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 fl. oz. lemon juice or lime juice
2 fl. oz. tequila or vodka
3.5 oz. ice cubes
7 oz. frozen pineapple, cubed
Salt or sugar, for rimming
Directions:
■ Prepare the glasses by running a slice of lemon around the rim, then dip them upside down in a saucer filled with salt or sugar. Set aside.
■ Using a blender or immersion blender, mix the sugar and lemon juice until the sugar dissolves.
■ Add the vodka, ice and pineapple, and pulse until the ice and pineapple are finely crushed.
■ Pour into the prepared glasses and serve immediately.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
