People often assume that frozen and frappé cocktails are interchangeable. There is an important distinction, though. Frozen cocktails are made in a blender, while frappés are mixed before being served over crushed ice (from the French for to hit or to smash). Although mostly used in reference to cocktails, you can, theoretically, serve any spirit or liqueur frappé-style by pouring it over crushed ice. As with cobblers, consider sipping through a straw, though, to prevent lip-freeze.
Obviously, frozen cocktails always taste better when you’re on holiday, with the hot sand between your toes and a slice of chilled watermelon on your plate. But whenever and wherever you’re in the mood for an ice-cold cocktail, these are our go-to beach-bar favourites.
Amaretto Sour Frappé
An Amaretto Sour is a wonderfully aromatic cocktail, perfectly balancing the creamy, nutty notes of Disaronno with a sharp kick of lemon juice. Thankfully, these distinctive Italian flavours aren’t dulled by the frappé treatment. Simply shake two parts of Disaronno Originale with one part lemon juice and a dash of sugar syrup (or, for an even easier solution, open a bottle of Edmunds ready-to-serve Amaretto Sour) before pouring over crushed ice in a coupe glass.
Frozen Margarita
Everyone loves a frozen Margarita. You can experiment with fruit flavours like peach and strawberry (by adding chunks of frozen fruit to your blender) but it’s hard to beat the original. Pour in a double measure of tequila with the same volume of lime juice, a single measure of Triple Sec, a splash of sugar syrup and a handful of ice and blend till smooth. Serve in a salt-and-lime-zest-rimmed glass.
Daiquiri Frappe
White rum, lime juice and sugar syrup are all the ingredients you need to whip up a classic Cuban-style Daiquiri – and it’s no trouble to turn it into a frappé by straining the shaken cocktail ingredients into a glass filled with crushed ice. But if you want to capture the full essence of summer, try adding strawberry liqueur and strawberry puree before serving – or remove all the effort by swapping the whole thing out for Edmunds Strawberry Daiquiri.
Sgroppino
This Venetian concoction falls somewhere on the continuum between a cocktail and a dessert. Combine equal quantities of chilled prosecco, vodka and limoncello with a small scoop of lemon sorbet (plus a little bit of double cream for extra indulgence, if you like), whisking in a bowl till thick and velvety. Serve in a chilled glass.
