Slushy Drinks

Remember the Slushy Drink craze in the 70's and 80's?  Recently, while staying at the Ann Bean Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Stillwater, Minnesota, we were talking to a couple from Iowa who had never heard of this drink.  Maybe the craze was only in Wisconsin?  I learned that some people enjoy Slushy Drinks to cool down on hot summer days and others enjoy this beverage as a family tradition during the Christmas holidays.  What ever the season...Slushy Drinks are a pleasure. Here are some of my favorite recipes.


Slushy Drink
From the Cooking in Minnesota Cookbook, which is a collection of recipes from the Twin City Home Economists in Homemaking.  "This light, refreshing drink is nice for ladies' luncheons."

7 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 ~ 12 oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 ~ 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup gin or vodka
1 Tbsp. instant tea
Maraschino cherries
Lemon-lime carbonated beverage

• In a large saucepan, heat water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Freeze in a plastic ice cream bucket.  
• To serve, fill tall glasses 2/3 full of frozen mixture. Add enough chilled lemon-lime carbonated beverage to fill glass.  
• Serve with maraschino cherries, if desired.  
• 12 -14 servings. 

Brandy Slush
In 1977 the Extension Homemakers in St. Croix County published a cookbook.  So many of my recipes came from this cookbook, that the cover is missing and it has seen better days!  Published in the homemakers cookbook is Karen Enerson's recipe for a "good summer drink" and it is the basis of my recipe.

1 cup sugar
2 bags green tea
1 ~ 6 oz. can thawed frozen limeade juice concentrate
1 ~ 6 oz. can thawed frozen lemonade juice concentrate
1 cup brandy
4 1/2 cups water
7-Up or lemon sour

• Using a 5 quart plastic container with a lid (an ice cream pail works great) dissolve 1 cup sugar in 3 1/2 cups boiling water.  Set aside.  
• In a bowl, steep 2 tea bags in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes, then add the limeade and lemonade juice concentrates.  
• Add the tea mixture to the sugar-water mixture. 
• Next, add the brandy.  Mix well and freeze.  
• To serve, fill glass 3/4 full of broken up slush, then add 7-Up or lemon sour.  Stir.  
• Yield: 15 drinks.