Rethinking Frozen Drinks

I also attended Wednesday night’s tiki party and loved seeing some of the city’s most serious mixologists relax enough to drink—and serve—out of coconuts. One trend I hope will accompany the revival of tiki: the elevation of frozen drinks. I grew up snagging sips of my mom’s piña coladas, and most summers, when I’m far away from New York, I order one and enjoy it despite its mouth-coating sweetness. On Wednesday, F&W’s deputy cocktail book editor and mixologist extraordinaire Jim Meehan was whirring up a much more refreshing version of the piña colada in his BarBoss blender from Vita-Mix. Still, he said, “The blender’s going right back on my kitchen counter. I’m still anti-blender at the bar.” Unless it’s a tiki bar, he admitted. The new nautical-themed Rusty Knot (I know, how many editors can blog about it in a week?) is supposedly serving frozen mint daiquiris. Since so few people will actually get to taste them at this cooler-than-thou spot, I predict it won’t be too long before other respectable bars bring in a blender. May I suggest the Breville?