Summer is the time for icy cold beverages whether you are lounging at the pool, on your patio or in your home. Leave it to the Zoku company to create inventive products that not only work but also help me to present my drinks in memorable ways. There are two products I am going to share with you today. Both can be used for adult’s or kid’s drinks.
Remember slushes from when you were a kid? Usually they were made of sugary, colorful ingredients that just made you smile when you saw them. Well, Zoku has designed a way to make slushes of your own creation in your own home. And it is so simple! The Slush and Shake maker is just three components. The outside container which comes in numerous colors, the freezer cup and the scraper spoon. Directions are even simpler:
1) Put white inner cup in the freezer for about 8-10 hours. Tip: I leave mine in there all the time. You just never know when you are going to want an icy beverage!
2) Remove from freezer, put white insert into colored shell.
3) Pour your favorite beverage in cup up to fill line.
4) Let it begin to cling to walls of cup before you slowly scrape down the sides with the plastic scraper. (about 2-3 minutes)
5) And voila! Slush!
6) Pour or scoop into your container of choice to enjoy. Note that if you eat it out of the freezer cup, (yes, I have done this!), keep scraping down the sides or it will get too frozen to scrape off.
Zoku has a recipe book full of delicious drinks to make if you run out of your own ideas. The list of possible slushes you can make are endless, really. The important thing to note though is that you must use a natural sugar in order for it to freeze. No diet anything works.
Here are some of my ideas:
Fresh juices — orange is my favorite with nothing added to it.
Pomegranate Cherry juice
Chocolate milk
Root Beer Soda — again not diet
Lemonade
Coffee “frappe” a la Starbucks
Ice cream mixes — makes an individual soft service cup NOTE: Zoku has since come out with a homemade ice cream option but I improvised before this was on the market.
How about adult beverages? Yep, tried those too. Here’s what works:
Wine
Margarita
Sangria
Drinks with a liqueur of some kind: ie. White Russian, Lemoncello
Those are just my ideas. What are yours? The Zoku Slush and Shake maker is under $20 and so much fun to use. I know you, your friends and family will love it. Plus it makes a great gift! Zoku Blue Slush and Shake Maker
And for my second summer find, Zoku’s Ice Ball Ice Sphere Mold. Zoku Ice Ball Ice Sphere Mold, Set of 2
The idea is to have one round, large ice ball that fits in your traditional bar glasses, pitcher or even punch bowl for a more decorative look. It is so easy to use. The mold snaps together in the middle. At the top, you will see a small hole that you fill with water or whatever beverage you want to make the ice ball out of. Then, since it is made of flexible silicone, it is very easy to pop the now frozen ice ball out of the mold. The box comes with two molds that I just leave in my freezer.
Remember that “ice” doesn’t have to be just made of water. If you make the ice ball out of the beverage you are drinking, it won’t dilute it. One of my favorite drinks is ice tea. So, I pour ice tea into the mold, freeze it and then use that sphere for my glass of tea. Keeps it cold without watering down the ice tea flavor.
And since I am on the subject of ice tea. I thought I would share a recipe for an adult version of the summer drink known as the “Arnold Palmer” or half lemonade half ice tea. Only this time, it will have a little kick.
The “Arnold Palmer” drink can be made with the tea of your preference. Usually, you would want a stronger tea, like black tea, as the lemonade adds some sweetness to it. But, instead of adding lemonade, use Limoncello. Have you had this lemony liqueur yet? If not, you should! I keep a bottle in the fridge as it is delicious on it’s own over ice, as a mixer or even as a part of a dessert (pour over ice cream or pound cake). Very refreshing.
These were definitely fun products to experiment with. Try it yourself and let me know what you create. Enjoy!
Oh, that looks so great! Every drink tastes better as a slush.
That is really neat! This is perfect for Summer or Florida where I live 🙂
I love slushies! Burger King gets all my cash in the summer. haha I’ll look into getting a few for my house. You can’t have just one right!
That seems like a very handy gadget to have on hand, thank you for sharing. Who wouldn’t love a slushee in the summertime, right?
I’m pretty sure I need that Slush & Shake Maker in my life. Several of them actually.
My boys would have so much fun making their own slushes. Our ice maker is broken so this would work better.
i love slush, thanks for sharing this
Love slushies in the summer, even if I am an adult!
Thank you so much for sharing this! Slushes are the best drinks ever!
I love slush! Thank you so much for that recipe!
The slushie looks easy to make.
thanks for sharing.. I will check this out.
I’m definitely on board with the adult beverage versions 🙂 And I love frozen mango a lot too.
Those are crazy fun gadgets! I love your idea of freezing iced tea so it doesn’t get diluted!
I totally need one of these!! This would be a huge hit at out house. Thanks for sharing!
Oh my! We still have one of my husband’s cups from when he is a kid! This is super!
These look so awesome!! I want some!
You had me at wine. I’m totally going to get a few of these “for the kids.” 😉 😉
I think it would be fun to experiment with different lessons for this. A great way to add some more fun to summer.
I love slushies. This looks amazing. I remember making them with Hawaiian Punch and staining our lips as kids. We pretended it was our lipstick haha. Thanks for sharing 🙂 Can’t wait to try a grown up version.
Great for summer time, it’s about 110 here today so I could really use on of these!
I LOVE a good slush. This would be perfect for my family!
I’ve never made slush before on my own, though I would love to give it a try.
Slushies’, what a great Summer fun ideal. They are also keep you cool down, love raspberry.
There’s no end to the possibilities you could make with this
this is the perfect item for summertime refreshing, ty for the share!
We’ve tried to make our own slush before to no avail. I have to check this one out.
Looks like a great way to cool off for the summer. Yum!
My son loves using his. Perhaps I should steal this for a mommy drink 🙂
This would make my daughter and her friends very Happy!!! 🙂
I want a wine slushy. I have those Ice ball molds. They’re awesome.
This sounds great! What a neat way to actually have healthy slushies!
Absolutely love both ideas! We entertain often with families that have children, so the concept of the ice balls in a punch bowl or for a Frozen/Olaf theme party would be fun too. Slushies are always a hit in this household. Thanks for sharing!
How fun is all that? I love it and I want some of these now
Wow…these are really cool. Love this idea.
Frozen sangria sounds like the perfect summer drink! .. Its only 10am but can I help if I want one right now?
xoxo, Anni
http://www.annisbubble.com
FUn cups! I love slushes, and I think my kids would think this was awesome. thanks for sharing. Pinned.
I really need one of these bad boys not that the dog days of summer are here.
That would be great to have for an end of summer party. I need to get one!
I LOVE slushies!!! YUM Perfect for summer!
Slushes are a family favorite on hot days! Thanks for these ideas!
I love this! My kids adore slushies at the store, but I always shudder at all the sugar and colors they add. I love the idea of making my own out of fresh fruit juices or smoothies!
That looks like fur for those hot summer days! Thanks for sharing.
Slushes are so much fun! And this is perfect for the summer.
Wow. how great for parties. I love this product. Slushies are an awesome treat.
slushies make summer time so much more fun, they are good to any age.
We love slushes during the summer. This looks great!
I LOVE This brand! They make the coolest (no punt intended) products. I have been eyeballing these for quite sometime.
Do you know how much sugar is in similar beverages sold in convenience stores? It’s alarming. This is such a great way to enjoy the same kind of cool treat on a hot day without having to worry about slipping into a diabetic coma! A must have with four little ones running around!
What a great product. Perfect for summer drinks.
Mhmm, those look fantastic! I would love to have the pomegranate and cherry juice one right about now. It’s HOT here today!
It looks like I’m the only one who doesn’t know what a slushie is ; he he.
You need to try this then! A slushie is an icy cold beverage that is totally refreshing on hot summer days. You could put lemonade in the blender with lots of ice and make a slushie. Or even better, you can put lemonade in this slush maker without ice so you aren’t watering down the drink and you will have a slush in minutes!
This would be a huge hit at out house. I think it would be fun to experiment with different lessons for this