Summer is upon us! And when you think summer, you think balmy evenings spent lounging around the pool with your favourite iced cocktail. A tequila cocktail, no doubt!

 

Here’s a thought though. Let’s twist it up a tad. What if this summer you didn’t add the tequila directly to the mixer drink? What if we put the tequila in the ice cubes instead? Mind blown!

 

According to the pro’s, those mixologists in the know, and the tipsy trendsetters, that’s actually a great idea. For one thing, adding boozy ice cubes to cocktails gives extra alcohol and flavour to the drink. Even more interestingly, you can create a drink that evolves as the cube melts, which allows the alcohol level to change as you drink it.

 

But hang on, I hear you say. Tequila ice cubes? Tequila doesn’t freeze, so how on this good green earth are we going to make tequila ice cubes? Well, and pardon the detour to your old science class, there is a way. And that’s exactly what we’ll show you, so get ready to be impressed!

 

Ingredients for Our Tequila Ice Cubes Recipe

Cold is the new gold! Making tequila ice cubes, and the cocktails to put them in, is easy, and best of all, you don’t need much:

  • Olmeca Tequila Blanco
  • Natural mineral water (or favoured diluent)
  • Your favourite mixer soft drink. We recommended lemonade, cola soda, grapefruit soda, lemon soda and ginger ale.
  • Your choice of garnish, e.g. lime, rosemary, mint, salt, etc.

 

How to Make Tequila Ice Cubes Drinks

Don’t worry, no need to be a scientist – unless the nutty professor look suits you!

  1. Dilute the tequila with water or other non-alcoholic liquid (with one third being tequila and two thirds being non-alcoholic).
  2. Pour this mixture into your ice tray, filling each cube slot to the brim.
  3. Freeze overnight.
  4. When you make your drink, pour your favourite soft drink into a small glass, add your tequila ice cubes with a splash, and your garnish with a twirl, and voila, time to cool off!

 

How Can You Freeze Tequila?

It may sound impossible, but converting tequila into frozen ice cubes is actually achievable. Let’s start with the basics.

 

Water, as we know, freezes at 0⁰C. Pure alcohol, on the other hand, freezes at -114,1⁰C. And, in between, lies hard liquor, of which Olmeca is our favourite! Since tequila is about 40% pure alcohol (ABV), -27⁰C is your magic number to get it frozen. Therein lies the rub, since standard freezer temperature is only -18⁰C. So, trying to freeze tequila in it would be like trying to keep polar bears happy in a desert, which isn’t a good idea.

 

Fear not, my friend, the unbendable realities of science can be accommodated if we tinker with our preparation. The key is quite simple. It’s about creating balance. In short, we’re placing greater import on the drink’s flavour (Olmeca has that in buckets) than on the alcohol’s effects.

 

Summing up, before those at the back of the class go to sleep, the key to making tequila ice cubes is adding enough water (or other non-alcoholic beverage) to lower the tequila’s ABV.

 

As a general rule of thumb, and this obviously also depends on your freezer’s temperature, making tequila ice cubes is best if at least two-thirds of the ice cube is non-alcoholic.

 

Tips for Drinking the Perfect Mix with Tequila Ice Cubes

Our most important tip to enjoying drinks with tequila ice cubes is choosing the ideal summer’s day, where you and your friends are soaking up the sun, and you need refreshment to keep the party going.

 

There are also other ideas you can make happen to make it a day that even Ice Cube would be jealous of:

  • Add a lime slice as well, instead of diluting the tequila with natural water only. Once frozen, it’ll look stunning.
  • Buy different shaped ice cube trays moulds. The sky’s the limit here. You can get moulds that make ice in the shape of skulls, LEGO bricks, and even space invaders!
  • Use a glass size that will comfortably hold the ice cubes e.g., small to medium size drinking glass or a larger cocktail glass.
  • Choose a garnish that complements your soft drink, like citrus goes with cola.
  • Salt the rim of the glass if you choose, but only if it suits the flavours.

 

When is the Best Time to Make Tequila Ice Cubes?

You know, it’s always a good time to have a drink with tequila ice cubes. But there’s certain situations where you will definitely enjoy it far more, if possible:

  • Doh! The best time to enjoy tequila ice cubes is when it’s hot! And that’s pretty much all summer long here in Africa!
  • You can also enjoy them when you want less of an alcoholic drink, as there is less tequila involved.
  • Try the ice cubes for that evolving taste, as the ice will melt, and the tequila will be mixed progressively.

 

Best Tequila for Our Tequila Ice Cubes Drink

Ice, Ice, Baby! What’s the best tequila to use to make your cubes? That’ll be Olmeca Tequila Blanco, with its fresh herbal and green pepper scent with soft citrus notes at the end.

 

It comes directly from Los Altos highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, (with a stop over at the North Pole to make the ice, of course!).

 

So, go on, make ice while the sun shines. Your day will love you for it!