Beat the Summer Heat With These 5 Frozen Gin Cocktail Treats

As temperatures rise, there’s no better way to cool down and elevate your summer gatherings than with a mouthwatering frozen cocktail. From refreshing cocktail slushies to fruity boozy popsicles, here are five gin-based recipes that are sure to help you beat the heat.

Grapefruit & Thyme Granita

This recipe was created by @thegandmkitchen. (Photo: Empress 1908)

• ½ cup Empress 1908 Indigo Gin (review here)
• 1½ cup Fresh grapefruit juice
• Juice from ½ lime
• Thyme simple syrup*
• Garnish: Fresh thyme and grapefruit wheel

Combine Empress 1908, grapefruit juice, lime juice and thyme simple syrup in a shallow freezer-proof pan. Freeze for 2-4 hours. Remove from the freezer and use a fork to scrape the partially frozen mixture and return to the freezer. Freeze until fully frozen, scrape once more and scoop into glasses. Garnish with fresh thyme and a grapefruit wheel.

*To make the syrup, combine ½ cup sugar, ½ cup water, zest of ½ grapefruit and 3-5 thyme sprigs in a pan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Let the thyme steep until the mixture has cooled. Strain before using.

This recipe includes Empress 1908, a gin that draws inspiration from Victoria’s Fairmont Empress Hotel. Alongside classic botanicals, it features a unique blend of black tea served at the hotel and butterfly pea blossom, which gives the gin its natural indigo hue and color-changing feature. If you don’t have this gin on hand, consider using your favorite citrus-forward or subtly floral gin.

Watermelon Gin Popsicles

This recipe was created by Cierra Siller, @peanutbutterpluschocolate. (Photo: Empress 1908)

• ⅓ cup Empress 1908 Indigo Gin (review here)
• 2 cups Watermelon purée
• 2 tbsp Agave
• Handful of basil leaves
• 2 cups Lemonade

Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl and cover. Let it sit for 1 hour before transferring the mixture to popsicle molds or push-pop bags. Freeze overnight and enjoy.

Empress Frozen Lychee-Tini

This recipe was created by Colleen, @sprinklesofcocoa. (Photo: Empress 1908)

• 3 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin (review here)
• 3 oz Lychee Syrup
• 1 cup Lychee
• 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
• Scoop of Ice
• Garnish: Lychee, lime wheels and mint

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and slushy. Scoop into a Martini glass and garnish with a lychee, lime wheels and a sprig of mint.

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade Popsicles

This recipe was created by Amrita Singh, @mykalekitchen. (Photo: Empress 1908)

• 3 oz Empress 1908 Indigo Gin (review here)
• 2½ oz Fresh lemon juice
• 2 – 2½ oz Raspberry gum syrup
• 8 oz Water
• Garnish: Pinch of golden cocktail glitter

Combine all the ingredients and pour them into popsicle molds. Freeze overnight. Sprinkle some golden cocktail glitter onto the popsicles before serving.

Glendalough Rose Frosé

(Photo: Glendalough)

• 1 oz Glendalough Rose Gin (review here)
• 1 oz Strawberry purée
• 1 oz Aperol
• 4 oz Rosé wine
• 1 oz Simple syrup
• Garnish: Sprig of mint

Blend all ingredients with ice for approximately 30 seconds, until the ice is broken down into liquid. Pour your frozen cocktail into a tall glass and garnish it with a freshly torn and slapped sprig of mint.

Glendalough Rose Gin features a floral-forward profile from wild roses harvested from the Wicklow Mountains surrounding the Glendalough Distillery in Ireland. The gin also offers tasting notes of soft juniper, sweet spice and a touch of citrus. If you don’t have this spirit on hand, try using other rosey gins like Atian Rose or Bloom Jasmine & Rose. Or, try adding a splash of rose water to your favorite dry gin.

Read next:

Bee’s Knees Boozy Popsicles: A Frozen Lemon and Lavender Gin Treat

‘Not Your Grandparents’ Gin’: In Conversation With the Master Distiller Behind Empress 1908’s Striking Purple Gin

Glendalough Distillery Honors Ireland’s Only Full-Time Forager With New Gin Bottle