20 Great Blended Cocktails to Enjoy This Summer

Made-From-Scratch Recipes for Your Favorite Frozen Drinks

Written by
Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham is a cocktail expert, professional bartender, and cookbook author with over 10 years of experience in the food-writing world.
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Colleen Graham
Updated 09/17/20

For the coldest cocktail, break out the blender and mix up a refreshing frozen drink. From the margarita to the daiquiri, these boozy smoothies come in an array of flavors and are a great way to cool down on a hot summer day.

Blended cocktails are easy to make from scratch. For most recipes, you'll simply add liquor, fresh fruit, juice, or other ingredients to the blender, along with a handful of ice, then blend it up. It may take a few rounds to perfect your blending technique, but even the less than ideal drinks are delicious. Have fun with it and enjoy these tasty, slushy cocktails.

  • 01 of 20

    Lime Margarita

    Frozen Lime Margarita Cocktail

    The Spruce Eats

    The basic frozen margarita is very simple, and it features the refreshing flavor of lime juice. The recipe includes tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and sour mix, along with a cup of ice. It's the foundation for all other margarita recipes, so it's the perfect way to kick off a blended cocktail extravaganza.

  • 02 of 20

    Lime Daiquiri

    Frozen Daiquiri Cocktails
    Lisa Romerein / Photolibrary Getty Images

    Tequila, not your thing? The frozen daiquiri has the same flavor as the margarita, it simply switches to rum. This is another summer classic that's refreshingly tart and perfectly sweet. Rather than a sour mix, you'll need simple syrup for this recipe, and that's an easy homemade ingredient.

  • 03 of 20

    Strawberry Daiquiri

    Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri

    The Spruce Eats

    The strawberry daiquiri is the most popular daiquiri flavor. The mix of sweet berries and rum is difficult for anyone to resist, especially when the fruit is at its best during the summer.

  • 04 of 20

    Piña Colada

    Frozen Pina Coladas

    The Spruce Eats

    The piña colada is another essential for any blender enthusiast. It's a boozy tropical smoothie of pure deliciousness. The best part is that you only need five ingredients: rum, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, lime juice, and ice.

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  • 05 of 20

    Tamarind-Pineapple Margarita

    Tamarind Pineapple Margarita
    Gentl and Hyers / The Image Bank / Getty Images

    The tamarind-pineapple margarita has a taste that's both alluring and unforgettable. Tamarind has a sweet-sour taste that is a perfect pairing for both tequila and pineapple. The recipe uses tamarind nectar, which is rather easy to find among the juices at most major grocery stores.

  • 06 of 20

    Chi-Chi

    Chi-Chi Frozen Cocktail - Blue Vodka Cocktail
    Angela Wyant / The Image Bank / Getty Images

    The chi-chi is essentially a vodka and ice cream twist on the piña colada. It has the same delightful pineapple-coconut combination, and the beautiful blue color makes it a poolside favorite.

  • 07 of 20

    Rock Lobster

    Rock Lobster Frozen Cocktail
    Bryan Mullennix / Digital Vision / Getty Images

    The rock lobster is a flavorful blend of coconut rum, banana liqueur, grenadine, a banana, and orange and pineapple juices.​ Add a dark rum float and the fanciest tropical garnish you feel like constructing, and you'll discover why this drink is a hit.

  • 08 of 20

    Watermelon Margarita

    Fresh Watermelon Margaritas

    The Spruce / S&C Design Studios

    Watermelon is the iconic fruit of summer and the fresh fruit is the star of the watermelon margarita. While the main recipe is for a muddled and shaken cocktail, tossing the ingredients in the blender is a quick variation and fantastic use for leftover watermelon. Serve it at a barbecue and enjoy a delicious melon cocktail with a few friends.

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  • 09 of 20

    Hawaiian Margarita

    Hawaiian Margarita

      The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    Pineapple and strawberry are pure magic, and the Hawaiian margarita showcases the duo perfectly. Not much different than any other margarita, you'll cut the fruits into blender-sized chunks, add your favorite tequila and triple sec, some sour mix and ice, then blend away.

  • 10 of 20

    Bushwacker

    Bushwacker Cocktail

    The Spruce Eats

    Frozen cocktails are not all about the fruit. In the bushwacker, you'll enjoy the irresistible combination of coffee, chocolate, and coconut. Back that up with a little rum, toss in milk and ice, and you're ready to relax with a perfectly creamy cocktail.

  • 11 of 20

    Frozen Banana Split Cocktail

    Frozen Banana Split Cocktail
    Westend61 / Getty Images

    When you're in the mood for a boozy milkshake, this banana split cocktail is a great recipe. Made with chocolate and strawberry vodkas, pineapple juice, ice cream, and a banana, it blends all the flavors of that favorite ice cream dessert into one delicious frozen drink.

  • 12 of 20

    Pomegranate-Grapefruit Frosé

    Van Gogh Vodka's Pomegranate Grapefruit Frosé - Blended Rose Wine Cocktail
    Van Gogh Vodka

    Frosés are frozen cocktails that feature rosé wine, and they can take on all sorts of flavors. This pomegranate-grapefruit frosé is a perfect introductory recipe that gets its signature flavors from pomegranate vodka and grapefruit juice.

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  • 13 of 20

    Bay Hill Hummer

    Bay Hill Hummer Cocktail
    xia yuan / Getty Images

    Arnold Palmer is well-known for his signature iced tea drink, but he was also fond of his golf club's Bay Hill hummer recipe. This is no ordinary spiked milkshake. It really packs a punch with a mix of vodka, brandy, and chocolate liqueur.

  • 14 of 20

    Batida

    Batida Cocktail - Popular Brazilian Cachaca Drink - Passionfruit smoothie
    vanillaechoes / Getty Images

    The batida is fascinating and perfect for anyone who is discovering the wonders of cachaça. It's right behind the caipirinha on Brazil's list of most popular drinks, and is an exquisite mix of coconut milk, lime juice, and passion fruit syrup.

  • 15 of 20

    Spicy Cucumber Mint Margarita

    Frozen Cucumber Mint Margarita with Tabasco Sauce

    Tabasco

    Up for an adventure? Add the spicy cucumber mint margarita to your cocktail list. This tequila cocktail offers a tantalizing array of flavors with the cool taste of mint and cucumber backed by a well-aged tequila and key lime juice. When you break out the Tabasco, things get really interesting.

  • 16 of 20

    Kappa Colada

    Frozen Kappa Colada Cocktail
    Richard Jung / Photolibrary / Getty Images

    Don't ignore the brandy during the summer! Mix up a delicious kappa colada and put that bottle to good use. With this recipe, you'll enjoy the dark brandy background against a tropical blend of coconut, pineapple, and vanilla ice cream.

    Continue to 17 of 20 below.
  • 17 of 20

    Watermelon Coconut Mojito

    Frozen Watermelon Coconut Mojito

    The Spruce Eats

    Combine two great drinks in one glass with this watermelon coconut mojito recipe. Rather than ice, this recipe uses frozen watermelon chunks. Add coconut milk, lime juice, and fresh mint, then a hefty shot of coconut rum, and you have a delicious drink for two.

  • 18 of 20

    Love Potion #9

    Love Potion #9 Cocktail
    jonthnsloane / E+ / Getty Images

    The love potion #9 is an excellent drink to share with your sweetheart. Filled with strawberries, ice cream, vodka, and chocolate liqueur, it's sweet, delicious, and irresistible.

  • 19 of 20

    Boozy S'mores Milkshake

    Boozy S'Mores Milkshake With Rumchata and Marshmallow Vodka
    TheCrimsonMonkey / Getty Images

    No campfire needed for this boozy s'mores milkshake. Vanilla ice cream flavored with marshmallow vodka, chocolate liqueur, Drambuie, and RumChata is just half the fun. Adorn the glass with a graham cracker rim, drizzles of chocolate, and a toasted marshmallow to complete the experience.

  • 20 of 20

    May Day

    May Day Cocktail - Blended Fruit Drink
    The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

    A fruity blend with plenty of zing, this May Day cocktail is a fun change of pace. The peach, strawberry, passion fruit, and apple juice base is accented with ginger and spiked with rum. It makes two drinks, but no one will judge if you stash the second glass for yourself.

Quick Tip

Cleaning the blender can seem like the biggest chore because small particles get trapped around the blades. The trick is to rinse out the blender immediately after use. This prevents the sugars from drying up and makes it easier to clean properly when you're done enjoying your drink.