If you like pina coladas, ("and gettin' caught in the rain"), then there's nothing stopping you from getting your establishment patio ready this summer, and in case you missed it, patio ready means patio ready drinks—the frozen beverage kind—to be exact.
While the current landscape for many restaurants and bars across Canada includes limited dine-in options—outdoors or take out only—with warmer weather around the corner, it's only a matter of minutes before patrons across the country shake off their winter hibernation and inhibitions in favour of their favourite cocktail to beat the summer heat.
The frozen drink craze although not a new concept, has a new front runner for summer's coolest cocktail: the spiked slushy. Not your typical slushy, the spiked slushy takes the concept of boozy frozen beverages to new and delicious heights by using fresh ingredients, ciders, beer, hard seltzers, or just about any alcohol—choose your favourite—as a base.
According to Google Trends, internet searches for hard seltzer slushy's spiked last summer, Pinterest searches for slushy's made with pineapple rum, moscato and lemonade and vodka hit all-time highs and celebrity chef Cat Cora shared her recipe for a White Claw slushy (made using a lime, frozen mangos, White Claw and ice).
Check out what these customers are doing with their Taylor slush machine!
El Catrin
Serving up delicious Mexican fare, El Catrin in Toronto has been keeping waiting crowds happy—some even waiting for hours for a coveted seat on their heated patio—by offering customers their famous margarita while they wait.
Zak's Cantina
Head to Zak's Cantina in Ottawa's Byward Market for the ultimate Mexican diner experience, complete with all the sights, sounds and rich aromas that you would expect from Tex-Mex street food, including frozen margaritas and a variety of slushy flavours from mango to pina colada.
The Stubborn Goat
Halifax's The Stubborn Goat added a newly-installed slush machine to their already extensive beverage menu and are getting ready to serve up frozen beverages all summer long.
Cat Cora's White Claw slushy
Ingredients:
1 can of your choice of White Claw (Cora uses a mango-flavoured White Claw)
1 lime
1/2 cup of fruit of your choice (Cora uses frozen mango)
1/2 cup of ice
Directions:
Add White Claw, fruit and ice into a blender and blend well
Pour the mixture into a glass
Serve with a wedge of lime and enjoy
