This boozy Arnold Palmer combines vodka, lemonade, and iced tea to make a delicious slushy cocktail. It’s refreshing, perfectly sweet, and the lemon ice slushy element is just so dang fun.

I love making this cocktail for friends and family at the cabin — it’s always a hit, and can easily be made NA .

Essential Equipment and Ingredients

• Lemonade: can’t have an Arnie Palmer without the lemonade! I love making my homemade lemonade recipe; it just makes this cocktail feel a little more special Store-bought works just fine as well.
• Lemon zest: I don’t recommend skipping the lemon zest! It adds such great tart lemon flavor, and because you’re blending it with the lemonade and ice, there’s no gritty texture.
• Ice cubes: you’ll need ice cubes to make the lemon ice aka the slushy part of this drink.
• Vodka: the quality of vodka will influence the flavor of this drink, so choose your own adventure here. My go-to is Tito’s or Prairie vodka.
• Unsweetened Iced Tea: just like the lemonade — feel free to make your own! My homemade iced tea recipe is incredible. If you’re opting for store-bought, just make sure it’s unsweetened.
• High-speed blender or food processor: you’ll blend the lemonade, lemon zest and ice cubes together in a high-speed blender or food processor.

Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below.

Tip! Make it Non-Alcoholic

One great thing about this recipe is that it can be easily made NA. Because you’re just blending the lemonade, lemon zest and ice, and then topping with iced tea and vodka, you can easily just omit the vodka for those who want to enjoy this as a traditional Arnold Palmer without the booze.

Looking for more yummy drinks that skip the alcohol? Check out all of my NA bevvies . One of my faves is this virgin margarita recipe.

Blend, Pour, Serve and Enjoy!

This boozy Arnold palmer is as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Add the ice cubes, lemonade, and lemon zest to a high-speed blender, and blend on high until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
2. Pour the slushy into a a fun glass and then top it with vodka and iced tea.
3. Garnish with a fresh lemon slice and lemon zest. Enjoy!!

Other Fun Cocktails to Make

This time of year, nothing sound better than a frozen Aperol spritz. Except maybe this rum punch. But honestly this Aperol slush is so delicious – you gotta try it.

A tropical twist on the classic aperol spritz – this frozen cocktail is summertime in a blender. With bold mango, tangy passionfruit, bubbly Prosecco, and a splash of Aperol, it’s refreshing, vibrant, and just the right balance of sweet and bitter.

Wanna try? Click through for the recipe. 

Frozen Aperol Spritz with Mango + Passionfruit

Whether you’re lounging poolside or hosting friends, this slushy drink will send you straight to the tropics.

Ingredients

The specific measurements for each ingredient can be found below in the recipe card. But here’s what you’ll need to round up to make a frozen Aperol spritz like this one…

• Frozen mango: Gives amazing flavor to the drink and helps make it frozen.
• Simple syrup: A little bit of sweetness to balance out the more bitter side of Aperol. 
• Passionfruit pulp: Brings some aromatic flavor to the table. Plus, passionfruit is pretty refreshing. Perfect for summer.
• Chilled Prosecco: Add a little more sweetness.
• Aperol: The star of the show!
• Ice cubes: The ice, along with the frozen mango, help make this cocktail frozen.
• Garnish: To make your cocktail extra pretty, you can garnish it with a mango slice, passionfruit pulp, or even a little bit of mint.

How to Make an Aperol Slush

To make this frozen delight, you’ll blend all the ingredients together briefly, pour, add a garnish, and serve. It’s truly so easy.

The only thing to note, would be that you don’t want to blend it too long (just 25-30 seconds until everything is combined). Over blending may cause the bubbles from the Prosecco to dissipate / flatten the taste a bit. 

Drink Modifications

For a thinner drink, you can simply reduce the ice or add more Prosecco. And if you prefer a thicker consistency, add extra frozen mango or ice.

Adjust sweetness to taste by adding more simple syrup, if desired.

And if you wanna try something different with the flavors, I would recommend swapping out the simple syrup and passionfruit in the recipe for my homemade blackberry syrup recipe. It’s basically blackberry simple syrup (just thicker) and is really yummy in cocktails. Pairs well with mango too.

That’s all this frozen Aperol spritz. But if you wanna a couple more frozen cocktail recipes, try one of these…

 

Walk by a farmers market in the summer and you’ll almost certainly be lured into a stand by the sweet smell of strawberries. It’s that time of year when the little red jewels are scarlet all the way through and bursting with flavor.

Always looking for ways to bring seasonal finds into my cocktails, I started tinkering with some of my favorite strawberry flavor combinations. The result is this summery take on the classic whiskey smash. Strawberries are muddled with lemon to create a juicy base, then a little strawberry syrup is added for a bit of sweetness and to balance the tartness of the lemon. The balsamic acts as bitters, and then of course a hefty pour of bourbon is added, because what’s a smash without the bourbon?

The result is a crimson cocktail with flavor as bold as the color. The strawberries and bourbon work together to create a rich and intense sweetness that is cut by the lemon and balsamic. It’s the kind of cocktail that makes you do a double-take but it drinks with embarrassing ease.

June 2011

Cook Mode
(Keep screen awake)

For the Strawberry Syrup:

• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 1 (3-inch) piece lemon peel

For the Cocktail:

• 4 large strawberries, hulled, plus more for garnish

• 1 round slice lemon, cut into half-moons

• 1 fluid ounce strawberry syrup

• 1/2 fluid ounce balsamic vinegar

• 2 fluid ounces bourbon

1. For the Strawberry Syrup: In a small saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon rind. Cover and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. Once the sugar has dissolved and the strawberries have released their liquid, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring gently, until the berries are tender, about 3 minutes.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked strawberries to a pint jar. Continue simmering the syrup until it thickens to a syrupy consistency, about 2 minutes. Discard lemon peel and pour syrup over berries. Let cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

4. To Make One Cocktail: In a cocktail shaker, thoroughly muddle 4 hulled strawberries with the lemon. Add the strawberry syrup, balsamic, and bourbon, then fill shaker with ice and close shaker.

5. Shake vigorously until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Using both a cocktail strainer and a fine mesh strainer, strain the cocktail into a glass. Garnish with a strawberry.

Special equipment

Cocktail shaker, cocktail strainer, fine mesh strainer

The Sea Breeze may sound like something Zack Morris ordered in Saved By the Bell: The College Years, but this easy cocktail dates back nearly a century. Some trace its origins to the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), where bartender Harry Craddock’s “Sea Breeze Cooler” mixed gin, apricot brandy, and grenadine. Others credit a midcentury Ocean Spray campaign, which helped popularize the version we know today.

The classic Sea Breeze cocktail formula is simple and summery: vodka, grapefruit juice, and cranberry juice, served over ice in stemware or a highball glass, accompanied by a grapefruit wedge. It’s easy to make, easy to drink, and endlessly refreshing.

This summer drink recipe is part of a family of easy vodka cocktails. A Bay Breeze swaps the grapefruit for pineapple juice, while a Cape Codder doubles down on cranberry and adds a lime wedge. A Greyhound is vodka plus grapefruit, hold the cran, and if you add on a salted rim, it becomes a Salty Dog.

With minimal ingredients and zero fuss, the Sea Breeze remains a warm-weather favorite nearly 100 years after its debut.

Blend up my frozen peach bellini for a sweet, crisp, refreshing cocktail. It’s the perfect summer drink! I love serving this as an afternoon cocktail on hot summer days at the cabin. It’s easy to make a big batch, and is always a hit!

Frozen drinks are the latest craze right now. Insert – frozen margaritas and frose. Honestly, I’m not mad about it. I love me a good slushie in the summer, and these frozen peach bellinis will be on REPEAT at the cabin.

What’s in This Peach Bellini

• Frozen Peaches: the sliced peaches must be frozen for this recipe! So, you can either use store-bought frozen sliced peaches or buy fresh peaches and slice and freeze them.
• Prosecco: use your favorite brand! You can also substitute for a brut or really any other sparkling wine of your choice. I’m also sharing ways to make this bellini NA if that’s your jam below
• Ice and water: the right balance of ice and water gives the frozen peach portion of these bellinis the perfect thickness.
• Fresh lemon juice: the fresh lemon juice adds just the right amount of tartness and helps bring out the sweetness of the peaches.
• Honey: my go-to natural sweetener! I love that the flavor adds a touch of sweetness and warm flavor without overpowering the drink.

How to Freeze Your Own Peaches

Feel free to pick up a bag or two of store-bought frozen peaches from the freezer section of major grocers. But if you have a big ol’ batch of fresh peaches from a roadside stand (just me in the midwest?! ), you’ll want to peel and slice the peaches into wedges and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place into the freezer for at least 1 hour, preferably until frozen solid.

Make it Non-Alcoholic

This is a super easy cocktail to modify for an NA version! I recommend replacing the prosecco 1:1 for either soda water or a sparkling water.

Looking for more yummy drinks that skip the alcohol? Check out all of my NA bevvies . One of my faves is this virgin margarita recipe.

Pour, Serve, and Enjoy!

Once you’re frozen peaches are blended into a thick and smooth mixture, it’s time to serve! Scoop the mixture evenly into glasses and then top with prosecco. It will bubble when you combine it with the peach mixture, so pour slowly . Top with a fresh peach slice.

I love serving these in champagne glasses for fancier occasions, but honestly, when we’re all down at the dock at the cabin, I’m serving these in cute plastic stemless wine glasses.

More Frozen Cocktail Recipes

This Tom Collins recipe is easy to make with gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda. Served over ice, this classic cocktail is bright and refreshing.

It’s probably not surprising that I love a Tom Collins cocktail. This sparkling gin drink is only one step removed from homemade lemonade, after all.

Made with gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and club soda, it’s bright, fizzy, and super refreshing. Plus, because it’s a long drink, meaning that the alcohol is mixed with a good amount of soda water, it’s not as strong as some other cocktails. This makes it perfect for sipping on a hot summer day.

If you’re new to making cocktails at home, I think this Tom Collins recipe is a great place to start. You don’t need any special equipment like a cocktail shaker or strainer, because this drink is traditionally stirred, not shaken. Plus, once you have gin and simple syrup on hand, you’ll be well on your way to making other gin cocktails too. Make this recipe first, and then add a gimlet or French 75 to your list to try next!

Tom Collins Ingredients

A classic Tom Collins cocktail has 4 basic ingredients:

• Gin – According to Difford’s Guide, the Tom Collins cocktail likely originated in London in the 1800s, and it was first made with Old Tom gin (hence the “Tom” part of its name—the “Collins” part comes from the name of the man who popularized it, John Collins). These days, London Dry gin is the common choice for this drink, but I think you can use any type with a flavor profile you love. My go-to brands are Hendrick’s, St. George Botanivore, and Koval Dry Gin.
• Fresh lemon juice – Freshly squeezed, please! Fresh juice will give this cocktail the best, brightest flavor. Bonus: If you have fresh lemons on hand, you can garnish your glass with a lemon slice.
• Simple syrup – For sweetness. No need to buy this—homemade simple syrup is easy to make with equal parts sugar and water.
• Club soda or sparkling water – It adds fizz to the cocktail and dilutes it into a lower-ABV, sip-able drink.

You’ll also need ice for serving, and—if you like—a maraschino cherry (or Luxardo cherry) for garnish. Optional, but fun!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make a Tom Collins Cocktail

I think a Tom Collins is one of the easiest cocktails to make.

• Just stir together the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a collins glass, highball glass, or other tall glass.
• Fill the glass with ice.
• And top with sparkling water!

Stir gently, then taste and adjust before you add your garnishes. If you want a tangier cocktail, squeeze in some extra lemon juice. For a stronger, more herbal drink, add a little extra gin. Want it sweeter? Pour in some more simple syrup.

When you love the flavor, garnish with a lemon slice and/or cocktail cherry, and enjoy!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

More Cocktail Recipes to Try

If you love this Tom Collins recipe, try one of these refreshing cocktails next: