Bar technique
How to blend a frozen cocktail
A blended drink is mostly ice, so the ratio of ice to liquid decides everything. Too little and it is thin. Too much and it is stiff, bland and hard to drink through a straw.
Cold dulls sweetness and aroma, so a drink that tastes balanced warm can taste flat once frozen.
How to do it
- 1Measure the liquid ingredients into the jug first, so the blades start in liquid.
- 2Add ice. Start with about the same volume of ice as liquid and adjust from there.
- 3Pulse a few times to break the ice, then run until the drink is smooth, with no chunks.
- 4Taste from a clean straw and adjust the house spec, not the single drink, if it needs more.
- 5Pour into a chilled glass and serve straight away.
Common mistakes
- Running the blender too long, which melts the drink back to liquid.
- Eyeballing the ice, so no two drinks come out the same.
- Leaving the jug unrinsed between different drinks.
Related: measuring and balance, ice and dilution, glassware.
