The following is an online extra from our August 2020 issue.
Frozen painkillers from Liberty Public House (Photo by Jay Paul)
Rather than fancy spirits or creative misfits, cocktail mixology owes its genesis to ice. Whether stirring, shaking, swizzling or blending, all methods integrate the water crystals. As August heat settles over the city, slushy-style sips offer salvation.
When Virginia ABC lifted the ban on alcoholic beverages to go, Liberty Public House owner Alexa Shuett turned to icy libations.
After the Capri Sun-style baggies are filled and sealed, Shuett tosses them in the deep freezer.
“Once you get home,” she says, “just give them a squeeze, and they [get] that perfect slushy texture.”
Tiffany Ingram, owner and bartender at Mechanicsville’s Bell Cafe, also began slinging frozen curbside drinks when the quarantine began. Her distinctive blue lagoon, made with Richmond's Virago Four-Port rum and Giffard’s Blue Curaçao — a top-brand known for no artificial ingredients — is the star. Ingram fell in love with the orange-tinged liqueur on an island trip to Curaçao and hasn’t looked back.
With a slushy machine in house, Saison was one of the first craft bars in the area to debut frozen cocktails. Beverage Director and co-owner Justin Ayotte says it took years to dial in the process. “We found we had to add more sugar than we normally do — both for balance and texture,” he explains. Ayotte turns to sweet liqueurs like creme de banane, but his real secret weapon is fruit purees.
If you have a blender in your kitchen, congratulations, you’re more than halfway there. Fresh or frozen fruit, extra juice, purees or sweet liqueur aid in balancing the acids and water. Using frozen fruit also adds a cooling effect, so the ice doesn’t have to work as hard.
Experiment by combining the ingredients and then adding simple syrup until your cocktail tastes a tad sweeter than you’d typically prefer. Add ice, a pinch of salt if desired and blend.
Create Your Own Blended Cocktail
(Serves two)
4 ounces preferred spirit
2 ounces preferred liqueur
4 ounces fruit juice or puree
1 ounce citrus juice
2 ounces sugar (simple syrup, honey, maple, etc.)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup frozen fruit
Combine ingredients in a blender. Add enough ice to cover liquid, then blend on high until thick and frosty.
No blender? No problem. The original way to make a frozen drink is through a technique called swizzling. In a tall glass like a Pilsner, combine ingredients. Top with crushed ice and swizzle by rapidly rolling a bois lele stick between your palms like you’re trying to start a fire. In this case success isn’t a glowing ember but rather, a frosted glass.
Frozen Negroni
Justin Ayotte, Saison
(Serves two)
2 ounces dry gin
2 ounces Dolin Rouge vermouth
2 ounces Campari
4 ounces orange juice
4 ounces grapefruit juice
Combine ingredients in a blender. Add enough ice to cover liquid. Blend on high until thick & frosty. Remember, you can always add more ice, but the only way to fix over-dilution is by adding more sugar.
Frozen Painkiller
Alexa Schuett, Liberty Public House
(Serves two)
4 ounces Virago Four-Port rum
8 ounces pineapple juice
2 ounces orange juice
2 ounces cream of coconut
Grated nutmeg (garnish)
Combine ingredients, except nutmeg, in a blender. Add enough ice to cover liquid. Blend on high until thick & frosty then garnish with nutmeg.
RVA Blue Lagoon
Tiffany Ingram, The Bell Cafe
2 ounces Virago Four-Port rum
2 ounces Cirrus vodka
2 ounces Giffard’s Blue Curaçao
2 ounces orgeat (recipe below)
2 ounces pineapple juice
Combine ingredients in a blender. Add enough ice to cover liquid. Blend on high until thick & frosty. Serve in a hurricane glass with an orange wheel
Ingram’s cocktail is a healthy play on what’s usually a pretty uninspired drink, originally just vodka, Blue Curaçao and lemonade. Bell Cafe’s version adds its own touch, along with local flavor.
Bell Cafe Orgeat
32 ounces almond milk (1 box)
5 cups Demerara sugar
2-3 tablespoons almond extract
(Optional) 1/2 cup brandy or cognac
Heat almond milk in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it’s hot to the touch, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool, then add almond extract (and brandy or cognac, if you’d like). Keep refrigerated.
