We’re almost there… only a few more weeks until the official start of spring. One of the things we love the most about warm weather is fresh fruits in our drinks but they’re in low supply during the winter. What can you do until these delicious ingredients are available? How are you supposed to get the fresh flavor and health benefits that fruit provides if you can’t find any?
March is actually known as National Frozen Food Month. No, we’re not talking about frozen dinners and ice cream sandwiches (those are good too, though). We’re talking about frozen fruit.
Frozen fruit gets a bad rap sometimes because people think it’s simply not as fresh as “real” fruit. The truth is that frozen fruit actually holds more health benefits than the stuff you bag up in the produce aisle because frozen fruit is flash frozen at the peak of freshness. Take that.
The only down side is that freezing the fruit does make the texture kind of weird once it defrosts, so you probably wouldn’t want to eat it all by itself. However, thrown into some great cocktail recipes, frozen fruit can make a big difference in a delicious way.
To start with, think of any drink you would normally make frozen (like a margarita or daiquiri); cut down on the ice, and add more frozen fruit. You get way more flavor and it still tastes amazing. If all you have at home is a bag of frozen fruit and a bottle of white wine, throw both in a blender and make your day a whole lot better with a wine smoothie. Frozen fruit possibilities are endless.
Still want a recipe to play around with? We found one for a Blueberry Lime-Aid Slushy that looks awesome. The author published it as a non-alcoholic drink, but we think a little twist of your favorite vodka could make this an awesome cocktail.
In a blender, combine the following ingredients until well mixed and slushy:
- 12 oz. frozen blueberries
- 2 limes (just the juice)
- 4 Tbsp. honey
- 2 cups ice
- 2 cups lemon-lime soda
- Vodka, to taste
Taste with a spoon and see if it’s too tart for you. If it is, add a couple spoonfuls of granulated sugar to sweeten it up.
Pour into individual glasses and add some lemon-lime soda over top.
So take out that bag of frozen berries in your freezer and mix up a delicious cocktail this weekend. You’ll thank us later.