17 new frozen cocktails to try this summer
Summer in Chicago means street festivals, hitting the beach and drinking as many cool cocktails as possible. Bars in Chicago are embracing frozen drinks more than ever this season, with snow cones, push-pops and icy mango lassis. Here's where to cool down with a drink in hand.
Hurricane at Analogue, $8
Analogue serves fantastic Cajun food, and this summer they've added a frozen daiquiri machine like you see all over New Orleans. But these aren't the sugary concoctions you get on Bourbon Street—instead there's a classic Hurricane, made with rum, lime, grenadine and orange curacao, and a frozen Ramos gin fizz, with gin, lemon, lime, cream and orange flower water.
Electric Pisco Colada at Celeste, $13
Celeste's fourth floor is a lush garden space, and it's the only spot in the bar where you can get frozen drinks, like the Electric Pisco Colada, made with pisco, roasted pineapple puree, housemade coconut milk and Creme de Noyaux, an almond-flavored cream liqueur.
Frozen at the Game Room, $10
Paul McGee's Game Room menu at the new Chicago Athletic Association names its drinks by style, like the Highball, Collins and Frozen, a cocktail made with gin, blackberry, lemon, Fernet and mint. While the options will rotate, there will always be a frozen drink on the menu, which is ideal after working up a sweat playing bocce.
Daily Shave at Cochon Volant, $14
Beverage director Anthony Mitchell offers the Daily Shave, a daily-changing cocktail that's showered with feathery ice from a manual Japanese ice shaving machine. On my visit, it was a shaved ice mai tai, and it was delightful.
Rosé Snow Cone at Expat, $5
The adorable new seasonal sidewalk cafe offers a trio of boozy snow cones—a sidecar, limoncello and rosé, with a healthy slug of the fruity, summery wine.
Rodeo Sweetheart at Frontier, $5
Blackberry Sgroppino at Lone Wolf, $12
Lone Wolf has served sgroppinos, sorbet cocktails, since it opened, and for this summer they've added a new flavor—blackberry. It's made with vodka, blackberry lemon sorbet and topped with fizzy prosecco.
Tic-Tac-Taxi at Lost Lake, $12
Shaved Ice Cocktails at Mott St., $12
Lemon Ice Slushie at Nonna's, $8
Nonna's, the tiny sandwich shop next to Formento's, is serving lemon ice slushies this summer. The non-alcoholic version is $4, but for $4 more, you can get it spiked with vodka.
Frozen Sangria at Oak + Char, $6
Each Sunday, Oak + Char serves frozen sangria by the glass for $6. If you've brought a group of friends, get the $25 pitcher.
Purple Drink at Parson's Chicken & Fish, $8
Blended Gin & Tonic at The Promontory, $10
The Hyde Park restaurant offers blended gin and tonics, an icy version of the classic, made with Aviation gin, a housemade celery tonic and lime.
Mango Lassi at Pub Royale, $8
The British-Indian-themed bar serves funky frozen mango lassis, made with yogurt, mango, honey and bitters and spiked with rum, Batavia Arrack and Ancho Reyes chile liqueur. The drink is garnished with sweet paprika and mint, and it’s super boozy but refreshing.
Mojito slushie at Q-Tine, $9.99
The Logan Square barbecue-poutine restaurant has rotating slushies in flavors like mojito and watermelon margarita.
Sporting Julep Cone at Sportsman's Club, $5
Negroni Push Pop at Wood, $5
Wood beverage director Tommy Lansaw is making Negroni Push Pops with Campari, Caorunn Gin, sweet vermouth and grapefruit and orange juices. The pop will be available through the end of June, and he'll be adding new variations for the rest of the summer.
