9 Perfect Frozen Cocktails For Sunny Spring Days

Spring brings a lot of things — baseball season, my birthday, streets lined with bright yellow pollen, and increasingly warmer temperatures. The long sunny days in Southern California where I live are seemingly tailor-made for sipping icy, blended beverages, especially over a leisurely Dodger baseball game (how #obvious is it that I'm ready for the weekend over here?). Check out these frosty frozen drink recipes that are perfect for sipping as the mercury climbs your thermometer.

You can make a great blended cocktail with a pretty average-performance blender. I should know, as for some reason, I've only owned blenders that are embarrassingly bad. If someone wants to get me a Vitamix for my birthday, you have a little over a week left. Once, I was making a protein smoothie when the bottom of the blender spun so aggressively that the glass pitcher spun two feet into the air, shattered into pieces, and dumped the half-blended smoothie out of the now detached bottom of the pitcher. So, I know a thing or two about what can be done with the blender you bought in college because it was the cheapest one at the store.

Point being, your blender is perfectly adequate for blending up some tasty drinks for when it's too warm outside for red wine. Here are some awesome blended drink recipes.

1. Jägermeister Flow

I had this delicious little thing at a super neat Jäger pop-up event in LA, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. It's chilly, sweet, and perfectly Tiki-inspired. Check out this recipe and more at Joe's Daily. The unusual thing about this drink is that you build the cocktail itself first, and then pour it over the crushed ice rather than blending it all together.

2. Two-Ingredient Piña Colada

I love a good two-ingredient cocktail (preferably one without vending machine juice). This awesome concoction from The Kitchn will kick off summer as soon as you take your first sip. Disclaimer — you may end up skipping town for the nearest island paradise after drinking this.

3. Blood Orange Negroni

This gin cocktail is a twist on the traditional negroni, which, like most cocktails, was not originally conceived in smoothie form. But this cocktail from The Kitchn is speaking my language with blood orange, sweet vermouth, and just enough gin.

4. Frozen Blueberry Margaritas

Now there's a collection of words that you rarely see together. I'm going to have to try this creation from Cookie + Kate more or less immediately, because blueberries and tequila sound like a magical combination. And the glasses in this recipe are rimmed with salt mixed with chili powder, which is a perfect spicy contrast to the sweet blueberries.

5. Cherry Mint Julep Slushies

This Southern-inspired cocktail sounds like something my boyfriend would go a little crazy over. It's all of his favorite sugary things, all in one drink. How Sweet It Is has the recipe for this one. I think my blender is going to get a serious workout this weekend. I'll definitely let you all know if it explodes like the last one.

6. Mango Pineapple Frozen Margaritas

Mango and pineapple are like the best friends that you desperately want to be pals with. They're two peas in a pod, two fruits in a basket, and two deliciously blended flavors in your margarita. Find out how to make this magical cocktail at Averie Cooks.

7. Frozen Peach Bourbon Mules

I've never had peach and bourbon together, but that sounds like a dream come true. I won't judge you at all if you run straight out and buy some cute copper mugs just to make these gorgeous springtime drinks. The Kitchn will show you how to get them from bar aisle to blender to mug.

8. Strawberry Sriracha Margaritas

I love Sriracha. Like, I have a tiny bottle of it on my keychain. We're kind of a thing. So, when I found these awesome little numbers from Domestic Fits, I was obviously pretty excited. They're sweet, they're spicy, and they're perfect for a little happy hour (or breakfast, no judgement) brain freeze.

9. Blended Melon Slush

Is there anything more summery than watermelon? I certainly can't think of a single thing except maybe a months-long mild sunburn. The story of this cocktail from How Sweet It Is is pretty great too. It was apparently the last lifesaving measure taken to survive an insanely hot day, so if the forecast is unseasonably warm, this drink is probably your best bet.

Images: How Sweet It Is (2); Courtesy of Jägermeister; The Kitchn (3); Cookie + Kate; Averie Cooks; Domestic Fits