Sloshies

Book excerpt: It’s not your mother’s Piña Colada! Sophisticated, flavorful, with fresh ingredients and the perfect hit of booze, a sloshie is a high-octane slushie—the ideal summer drink that’s a far cry from the cloyingly sweet blender cocktails of yore. Written by Jerry Nevins, cofounder of Kansas City’s Snow & Co.—named the #1 frozen cocktail bar in the United States—Sloshies features more than 100 innovative refreshers guaranteed to jazz up (and cool down) backyard parties, barbecues, or any gathering with family and friends. And they are so easy to make: Based on a simple granita technique, sloshies require little to no special equipment. Just mix the ingredients, stick them in the freezer, and wait until they’re slushy. There’s the tart: the Whisky Smashed, a frozen mint julep; the cucumber-kissed Limey Bastard; and the Sunshine Boulevard, a stone-cold shandy starring beer, vodka, and citrus juice. The sweet: the alluringly exotic Blue Roses (featuring a bouquet of curaçao, vodka, and rose hip liqueur). The spiced and herbal: including a Manhattan with rye-infused cherries, and the Proud Mary—yes, that’s a frozen Bloody Mary. Plus drinks with floral notes, like the Midnight Orchard, a beguiling combination of whiskey, elderflower, bitters, and maraschino, and a few nonalcoholic granitas to refresh the palate. The book includes recipes for the syrups and infused liquors that many of the drinks are built upon, plus information on garnishes, serving suggestions, and other finishing touches.