Gin Lemonade Slushiesfeatured

Well it’s a super hot day here in Florida and I imagine that next weekend will be more of the same. On days like this, a cold glass of lemonade just doesn’t cut it – I want a slushie!

So first I need to start with a good lemonade base. The problem that I find with a lot of homemade lemonade recipes is that there’s just too much sugar and the result is a sickly sweet drink. That is neither healthy, nor refreshing. So I tried to find the lowest amount of sugar that I could add to the drink that would still give it a sweet flavor but not be overly sweet.

After I solved that problem, I looked for other ways to make the drink a little healthier. The easiest way to do that is to puree some fresh whole fruit into the slushie. I had blueberries on hand, so that’s what I used, but lemon goes so well with almost every kind of berry or stone fruit. So just feel free to use whatever you have on hand. You could even use frozen fruit, but just make sure to cut back on the amount of ice that you use in the blender.

Finally, I wanted to make this something that could be kid-friendly and adult-friendly. Usually I would have thought to add vodka, but last weekend I travelled to St. Augustine, Florida and went for a tour of the new St. Augustine Distillery. I sampled both of their small batch vodka and gin and was pretty impressed with both. But I have to say that the intensity of the amazing floral and herbal notes in the gin really stood out to me. I decided to try it with the lemonade slushie and was amazed at how good it tasted. It was light but still packed with flavor. I knew I had a hit!

So it really is as easy as dumping all the ingredients into your blender and then blending it until all the ice cubes are gone. You can make this ahead of time for a larger party and just leave it in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. You will need to give it a stir, but it should hold for a few hours in the freezer.

The consistency will be pretty thick at first, but remember that you are meant to enjoy this outside, preferably poolside, so it will melt quickly. The alcohol is completely optional – this tastes just as good without it. Hope you enjoy this great way to cool down this summer.