6 Easy Summer Drink Recipes Your Customers Will Love
How to Make Summer Drinks Using Concession Supplies
As the weather gets warmer, people gravitate toward cold beverages, and while soda and lemonade are always favorites, it can be fun (and profitable!) to introduce some novelty to your menu. We’ve put together some delicious and easy nonalcoholic drinks to add to your rotation for summer events.
You can keep costs down by getting creative with ingredients you already have for other products you sell, such as Sno-Kone concentrates, Flavacol, and Flossugar. All of the recipes shown here use ingredients you might already have or that are easy to find.
A Frusheez slush machine is ideal for serving refreshing summer beverages, but most of these drinks can be served on the rocks as well. (However, you will need the Frusheez machine to create the layered effect for two of the recipes.)
Mojito Mocktail
Mojito syrup
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with hot water
Add 4 cups sugar
Add 2 oz Lime Sno-Kone® concentrate #1034
Add 1/2 oz Sweet Selections® Green Mint Flavoring #1379
Stir or shake to dissolve
Fill jug to the top with water
To Serve:
Add 3 oz mojito syrup to 16 oz glass with ice
Top with one 12 oz can of sparkling water
Garnish with fresh mint leaves and/or lime if desired
“Tequila” Sunrise Mocktail
Cherry Component
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Cherry Sno-Kone concentrate #1031
Fill jug to the top with water
Stir
Orange Component
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Orange Sno-Kone concentrate #1033
Fill jug to the top with water
Stir
To Serve:
Fill serving glass 1/3 full of cherry mixture, then add orange mixture. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry if desired.
Optional: Add the cherry mixture to Frusheez machine and freeze. Then, fill serving glass 1/3 full of cherry slush and slowly add orange mixture, being careful to preserve the layering effect (do not freeze orange mixture).
Spicy Mango Mocktail
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Mango Sno-Kone concentrate #1376
Add 3/4 tsp of Ghost Pepper Flavacol® #2482
Fill jug to the top with water
Stir
Serve over ice or add to Frusheez machine and freeze
Ocean Ice Slush
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Blue Coconut Sno-Kone concentrate #1374
Fill jug to the top with water
Add to Frusheez machine and freeze
Garnish rim of glass with Piña Colada Flossugar #3209 if desired
Cherry Limeade Slush
Cherry Slush
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Cherry Sno-Kone concentrate #1034
Fill jug to the top with water
Add to Frusheez machine and freeze
Lime Slush
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Lime Sno-Kone concentrate #1031
Fill jug to the top with water
Add to Frusheez machine and freeze
To Serve:
Hold serving glass at an angle and fill half full of cherry slush, then fill other half with lime slush.
Garnish rim of glass with Cherry Berry #3207 and Leapin’ Lime #3204 Flossugar if desired.
Patriotic Pop Slush
Cherry Slush
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Cherry Sno-Kone concentrate #1034
Fill jug to the top with water
Add to Frusheez machine and freeze
Blue Raspberry Slush
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups sugar
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 5 oz Blue Raspberry Sno-Kone concentrate #1035
Fill jug to the top with water
Add to Frusheez machine and freeze
White Citrus Slush
Fill a one-gallon jug half full with warm water
Add 2 cups White Citrus Passion Flossugar #3715
Stir or shake to dissolve
Add 4 1/4 oz Sour Attitude concentrate #1056
Fill jug to the top with water
Add to Frusheez machine and freeze
To Serve:
Fill serving glass 1/3 fill of cherry slush, then fill another 1/3 full of white citrus slush, fill to top with blue raspberry slush, being careful to preserve the layering effect.
Garnish rim of glass with Cherry Berry #3207, White Citrus Passion #3715, and Blue Raspberry #3201 Flossugar if desired.
Selling Nonalcoholic Summer Beverages
When adding nonalcoholic summer cocktails to your menu, make sure you draw the right attention. Don’t call them “cocktails,” which can mislead customers into thinking they’ll be purchasing a drink that includes liquor.
Instead, make generous use of the term “mocktail,” and make the flavors clear if the drink name doesn’t convey the taste. For example, if serving Ocean Ice, make a note that it’s a blue coconut flavor. Also, be sure to emphasize that your creations are family-friendly. Kids are thrilled when they can taste something colorful and different.
Speaking of adult beverages, if your venue allows it, feel free to experiment with adding rum, tequila, or vodka to these recipes – but in that case, be sure to ID your customers!