bourbon slushies

some time ago it became a tradition in my family (on both sides) to serve bourbon slushies at holiday gatherings. the drink is typically such a success that it has started appearing at other family functions as well. since the refreshing coolness of bourbon slushies would be perfect for a hot australian christmas celebration, i've decided to contribute some to the "orphan christmas" meal that i've been invited to this year.

the problem is that almost every recipe i've received from family or looked up online calls for frozen canisters of orange juice and lemonade concentrate. it turns out that practically no country on earth other than the US produces these frozen goods, as far as i can tell.

so, i've had to devise my own recipe from scratch (aka from actual fruit and tea!) for bourbon slushies. it requires a bit more work, but trust me, its worth it! i ran a trial run this week with very pleasing results :)

photo from here


BOURBON SLUSHIES

Boil 6 cups of water

Steep five teabags for about 5 minutes

Stir in 1 to 1.5 cups sugar

Add lemon zest and juice from 6 lemons

Add 2 cups orange juice with pulp

Add 2(+) cups bourbon or whiskey

stir together and let cool.

put in flat pan or other container and freeze... until frozen. it takes several hours. best to let it set overnight. to serve, scrape some out into a glass and mix with 7up or ginger ale if desired. i like to add a spoon full of cherry juice and a cherry as well.

top tip: try not to cut or scrape your hands during the day leading up to zesting and juicing the lemons! ouch!