TUCSON, Ariz. - What better way to toast the arrival of warm weather than with a frozen cocktail?!
“As of recent years the rose has become super popular so everyone’s making frose’s with different variations," says Bartender, Nick Macchi.
Macchi says the key to whipping up any type of frozen drink at home is getting the consistency right. Consumer Reports says not all consumer-grade blenders are up to the task of making those perfect frosty drinks! Its ratings cover nearly 70 full sized blenders put through some pretty tough tests, including one for icy drinks.
“Only a handful actually aced the tests for the icy drinks," says Perry Santanachote, Consumer Reports.
CR tests each blender with a batch of nonalcoholic piña coladas. A blender only earns an "Excellent" if the drinks have a smooth, consistent texture.
“We’re also testing how well a blender crushes ice without the help of water or using the pulse button," says Santanachote.
Vitamix’s Professional Series 750 has held a top spot in CR’s ratings for quite some time, but it’s pricey: $650! For $100 consider the Ninja Professional. It’s excellent when it comes to blending up an icy drink and demolishes the ice crush test.
And one last tip from Nick …
“The best thing you can do for an at home frose is use high quality ingredients. You only get back from it what you put into it," says Macchi.
Consumer Reports also evaluates how well a blender purees vegetables into a smooth consistency. So when the cold weather hits, you can switch from frozen drinks to a warming soup. Both the recommended Vitamix and Ninja Professional are up to the task and deliver excellent and very good pureeing results, respectively.
Click here for an easy at-home recipe for frose!
