I was thinking recently about limoncello, a delicious lemon liqueur that’s traditionally enjoyed straight out of the freezer. This got me thinking – what if you could pre-make cocktails and store them in a pitcher in the freezer, ready to drink at a moment’s notice?
Let’s see if it works!
How’d it go?
These two cocktails might look familiar… we used the Daiquiri and the Oude and Sloe (a distant take on a Manhattan). We made both about three weeks ago and they have been stored in the freezer in sealed containers ever since. We deliberately chose a citrus-focused cocktail and a spirit-focused cocktail to see if one would fare better than the other. My suspicion was the spirit-focused cocktail would taste better after the wait, as citrus has been known to lose its luster if you wait a while between squeezing and consuming.
The Taste Test
The Oude & Sloe:
Not bad! I felt this cocktail definitely lacks the depth of flavor that the original cocktail had – but it’s possible that’s because it’s just very, very cold.
The Daiquiri:
This cocktail tasted a bit like a “slushy machine” margarita. Again, this could be because it was right out of the freezer – but also means that it wouldn’t be a good “go to” freezer cocktail.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, I think that freezing a spirit-driven cocktail might just work. You will need to wait a bit and add a dash or two of bitters to kick up the flavor (or maybe start with more bitters at the beginning?) I’d say it’s about a 9 out of 10.
The Daiquiri, on the other hand, is probably closer to a 7 or 8. It tasted fine, but it’s definitely not the best daiquiri I’ve ever had. I could see adding a bit of citrus juice or spritzing with lime oil to kick up the flavor a notch – but again, that defeats the purpose of making “freezer ready” cocktails to start with!
What’s in your Freezer?
Have you tried freezing cocktails in your bar or at home? Have you had similar results? Better yet – got any tips for making these cocktails even better, right out of the freezer? Let me know in the comments!
I had some luck with freezing a Manhattan. Though, you did need to let it sit for a few minutes and give it a stir before taking a sip or it was way to bitters heavy. It was not the best manhattan I have ever made as well, and thought we would give freezing a try. Next time I am going to make two exactly the same, one a day or a week ahead of time and freeze it and one fresh. Then do a taste/texture comparison between the two and adjust the frozen if necessary to get the correct balance.
Nice! Definitely let us know what you find – the idea of having a pre-made Manhattan on hand at all times is pretty appealing!
Did you guys added the water that would come from dilution before freezing it?
Things that might help the citrus-focused drinks is getting rid of oxidation and hydrolysis, I, at the bar, use nitrogen to expel all atmospheric gases from the freezer cocktails and cheater bottles, the next best thing would be a Vacu Vin… 😉
You know what, it looks like we didn’t mention the water – thanks for calling that out Thyti. You’re absolutely right, an un-diluted cocktail will not be balanced correctly. As for your suggestions, thank you! It sounds like we have some more experimenting to do!