frozen cucumber mint margarita

With a heat wave approaching the Northeast, it’s time to bust out the no-cook recipes... and by recipes, I mean cocktails. It is Fourth of July week, after all. Whether you’re getting after it in a share house with your besties or attending a family-friendly affair, a frozen beverage is always a good idea.

The key to a great frozen drink is the consistency. It should be so frozen you could eat it with a spoon. To achieve that, you need the right ratio of maximum frozen to minimal liquid ingredients, and a very powerful blender.

Before we continue, I’d like to note that this is in no way a paid endorsement.

I used to think the only blender powerful enough for the job was a $600 commercial-grade Vitamix. That was until I blew out the engine on mine while making a mango smoothie... kind of embarrassing for the blender, IMO.

After years of trial and error, I finally found one that checks all my boxes: powerful enough to give me that thick, frozen texture I’m after, apartment-friendly, and easy to clean.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you probably already know her, but for those who don’t, I’d like to introduce you to the Ninja Foodi Personal Blender & Smoothie Bowl Maker. Since it was literally designed to make smoothie bowls, it makes perfect sense that it handles all the other frozen concoctions I throw its way so well.

It comes with two standard cups, plus one with a built-in tamper. Similar to the aforementioned Vitamix, the built-in tamper lets you stir and agitate the contents while the blender is running, which is especially useful for anything super thick or frozen. Personally, I never use it because I find the motor powerful enough that it’s not necessary, but feel free to experiment.

I also have the Ninja SLUSHi machine, which I like, but don’t love. The biggest downside, aside from how big and bulky it is, is that it requires a bit more planning than simply throwing everything into a blender. For it to work properly, your mixture needs to chill in the fridge overnight. And, similar to an ice cream machine, you need the right balance of sugar and alcohol for it to freeze correctly.

Not to mention, it takes anywhere from 20–60 minutes to freeze a full batch and can only make about seven servings at a time. I don’t know about you, but my friends and I would polish that off in five minutes flat. Granted, it is nice that it’s completely hands-off once it’s running, rather than having to stand at the blender. Just something to consider.

Beyond smoothies and frozen cocktails, I also love using this blender for sauces like basil pesto and salsa verde. It gives you an incredibly smooth, uniform consistency that’s hard to achieve with a food processor, which tends to leave sauces looking more chopped than blended.

some fourth of july outfit inspo

My cookbook has some great options! If you're in the mood for something blended, I highly recommend the Picante Piña (page 231). For a non-blended option, you can't go wrong with the Passion Fruit Mezcalita (page 235) or the Blueberry Basil Lemonade (page 236).

I’m calling this a margarita purely for marketing purposes because I know y’all love your tequila, but for me personally I like to make this with white rum, which would be more similar to a Mojito, OR with vodka. And of course, no alc for a mocktail. You do you. Not only is this bev delish and refreshing as heck, the combo of coconut water, sugar, and salt have natural electrolytes that will help keep you hydrated! Science!