How to make slushies at home 

When summer comes, we start packing our fridges with refreshing drinks, sorbets, juices and, of course, slushies. This option is a summer-season restaurant classic that can be easily replicated at home. The recipe for slushies (believed to have originated in Mesopotamia in the 19th century BC) is the perfect combination of healthy and delicious fruits for those sweltering days.

How to make slushies? All you need is ice and any fruit of your choice. In addition, making slushies at home lets you monitor the amount of sugar going into them, which is much greater in store-bought products. We all know that fresh, unprocessed fruit, which gives us fructose, fibre and vitamins, is better for us than juice, which eliminates vital nutrients. As such, when in doubt, it is worth taking the time to make this simple, delicious and refreshing treat.

There are just two things you need to bear in mind when making homemade slushies, and these are the two possible ways you can go about making them. The first option (the one we recommend) consists of chopping fruit, placing it in a container and putting it in the freezer. Once it is frozen, you take it out, put it in a blender and add a little sugar (without going overboard). You can also add cold water if it is difficult to work or even some other fruit juice of your choice. Blend until you reach the desired consistency and serve as quickly as possible.

Another way to make homemade slushies is to add ice cubes directly to a blender, freshly pressed fruit juice of your choice, and sugar. Repeat the above process, blending everything until you achieve the desired consistency. You can even freeze the freshly squeezed juice and then crush it in the blender instead of using ice cubes. This will make the flavour of our slushies much more intense and is more suitable for lemon or orange slushies.

How to make coffee, watermelon or any other kind of slushies 

A positive thing about slushies is that practically any fruit can be used, which means you have endless possibilities. People often wonder how to make watermelon slushies since this fruit has such a high water content and is one of our best friends in summer.

To prepare watermelon slushies (to which we can add lemon to give it a touch of acidity), you cut the watermelon into cubes and remove the seeds before placing the pieces in the freezer for about four hours. Meanwhile, you squeeze a lemon and set the juice to one side. You then wash some mint leaves to add to the mixture. Place the frozen watermelon in a blender, add ice, the lemon juice, the mint leaves and a little sugar. Blend to the slushie texture and pour into glasses.

Fruit slushies are not the only option for summer. A coffee slushie is another recipe worth learning. How to make coffee slushies? Start by preparing your coffee maker to make a strong brew. Avoid using instant coffee and water because the flavour will be less intense. When the coffee is ready, heat about 100 ml of water and dissolve about three tablespoons of sugar in it. Stir and reduce for approximately 5 minutes to obtain a syrup to mix with the coffee. Next, add lemon juice and mix everything well. Taste and adjust the sugar if needed. 

Once the mixture is ready, pour it into a container or a tray and freeze for 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and break up the ice crystals which will have formed using a sharp knife or a fork (and, of course, be careful). Return the container to the freezer and repeat the process every 30 minutes until you get tiny crystals similar to crushed ice. You will start to notice that the colour of the mixture becomes more golden than dark. Finally, serve your coffee slushie and enjoy.

Slushie or sorbet

Slushies and sorbet differ fundamentally in one respect – their texture. While a slushie is a frozen drink served when the ice is crystallised, a sorbet is halfway between a slushie and an ice cream and is smooth, not icy. How to make sorbet? It’s straightforward.

The usual procedure is to boil water and sugar for about 5 minutes to obtain a syrup (same as in the coffee slushie). The pectin that some fruits, like mangoes, contain helps make sorbets perfect. Pectin, in the presence of water, turns into a gel, acting as a thickener. In sorbets, this is very useful since it prevents the formation of crystals and improves the flavour.

To prepare a mango sorbet, for example, boil the water and sugar and keep to one side. Add lemon juice to the cooled syrup and cut and peel the mango. Put the syrup in a blender and add the chopped mango. Blend to obtain a very fine puree. Strain to get rid of the mango fibres. Make sure that the mixture is homogeneous.

The next step is to place the puree in a container and freeze it for at least 2 hours. It is then ready to be enjoyed. Garnish with a mint leaf and pieces of fresh mango as a final touch.