Top Frozen Drinks In Connecticut

The Daily Meal Staff|June 25, 2014 7:00 am EST

Connecticut summers can be hot, and what better way to cool them down than to sip on a frozen cocktail? Connecticut bartenders are a crafty bunch, and they know how to deliver a classic frozen margarita or daiquiri, but they also like to experiment with everything from cucumber ice to ice cream when putting together a frozen cocktail treat. Here are just five unique frozen concoctions and the places that have made them famous in Connecticut, and vice versa.

Strawberry Mudslide
Michelangelo's
256 Main St.
New Hartford, CT 06057
(860) 738-8585
www.michelangelosct.com

Booze, strawberries and ice cream go very well together – and these are just some of the ingredients in the Strawberry Mudslide, the signature frozen drink of Michelangelo's Italian restaurant and pizzeria in Hartford. Vodka, Irish Cream and Coffee Liqueur are combined and poured over frozen strawberries and ice cream to make a delightful if potent drink that is part dessert, part cocktail. Michelangelo's also makes a great frozen daiquiri, especially of the strawberry variety.

Tokyo Highball
116 Crown
116 Crown St.
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 777-3116
www.116crown.com

Frozen beer? New Haven's 116 Crown serves just that – but not with just any beer. It takes a unique Japanese import known as Hitachino Nest Ginger Brew and freezes it into big round balls three inches across. It can be had on its own or as the ice cube substitute in just about any drink. Owner John Ginnetti, who is a big fan of ginger, came up with the idea and made the frozen sphere of beer the centerpiece for his Toyko Highball, which is made with ginger beer. As the frozen sphere of beer melts, it releases its ginger spice into the drink, making it "more intense" with every sip. When he is not busy running his restaurant, Ginnetti offers classes in bartending at 116 Crown.

Simple, Classic, Authentic Frozen Margarita
La Poblanita
1660 Park Ave.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203) 384-2377
www.lapoblanitarestaurant.com

As good a drink as a well-made margarita can be, a frozen margarita can be a thing of singular icy beauty. The bartenders at La Poblanita in Bridgeport do lemon and strawberry frozen margaritas just right. Like the restaurant itself, the frozen concoction is simple, welcoming and very affordable. La Poblanita is neither phony nor pretentious, and the same can be said of its drinks – as well as its food. Everything from the décor and furniture to the staff and ingredients in the food and beverages is authentic and from Mexico, and that includes the tequila in the frozen margaritas.

The 1942 – The Top Shelf Frozen Margarita
Agave Grill
100 Allyn St.
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 882-1557
www.agavehartford.com

The Agave Grill, like every Mexican restaurant, makes frozen margaritas. What makes the Agave's special, however, is the variety of margaritas it makes, and the quality of the tequila involved. The bartenders play with passion fruit, blackberry and even chilies to make unusual and amazing variations on the classic frozen or chilled margarita. Instead of the typical happy hour or well drink variety margarita, regulars know to ask for one made with something from the top shelf – at the top of which is Don Julio 1942. It costs $25 a shot, and while a thing of beauty on its own, when combined with Grand Marnier it transforms a simple margarita into the epic known as the "1942," which can be ordered chilled or frozen. Many patrons choose the later, just because it makes this expensive and decadent delight last all that much longer.

Gin Highball with Frozen Cucumber Juice
Parallel Post
180 Hawley Lane
Trumbull, CT 06611
(203) 380-6380
www.parallelpostrestaurant.com

A gin highball is about as basic and as simple as a cocktail can get – unless it is prepared by the bartenders at the Parallel Post in Trumbull. Instead of a pile of "rocks," they build it around a single, large block of frozen cucumber juice. They also line the sides of the glass with thin slices of chilled cucumber and after adding the booze, top it all off with an ice cube made with brandied cherries and citrus rind. The gin and tonic swirl about all of this frozen grandeur, and as the icy blocks melt, the cucumber and brandied cherry and citrus add a wonderful mix of flavors to the highball. This is a gin and tonic that must be sipped, for to just throw it back would be such a waste of all of that frozen goodness.

Mark G. McLaughlin is a professional and prolific writer with a proven publishing record in a wide variety of fields. An historian, novelist, freelance journalist, ghost-writer, book reviewer, magazine editor, web and magazine columnist, Mark has more than 30 years of experience. His work can be found at Examiner.com.