When to blend
Blend for frozen drinks — Piña Coladas, frozen Margaritas, and similar. Texture is the point.
The big idea
Blending is a texture method — crushed ice and short blend cycles create a frozen body that should be served immediately before it separates.
Use for frozen Margaritas, Piña Coladas, and similar texture-first drinks.
Prefer crushed or small ice so the blender doesn’t stall.
Pulse first, then blend smooth — don’t obliterate herbs into bitterness unless the recipe wants puree.
Serve at once; melted separation ruins the point.
Sweetness reads louder when ice-cold — taste and adjust syrup with that in mind.
How to do it
Use crushed or small cubes so the blender doesn’t struggle. Pulse to start, then blend until smooth. Serve immediately before it separates.
Common mistakes
- Too little ice makes soup; too much mutes flavor under freeze.
- Letting a pitcher sit separates the drink.
- Obliterating mint or herbs turns a frozen cocktail grassy unless the recipe wants a puree.
In the glass
Practice blend
Read the drill, then make the drink once focusing on that cue — repetition beats another paragraph.
