This article was originally published on July 23, 2025, and updated on July 20, 2026.
Spotted more hypnotically whirring slushie machines behind bars than usual lately? This summer, the capital has been inundated with hyper-creative frozen cocktails. Not only are they refreshing, but frozen cocktails also offer a hit of nostalgia – albeit with a boozy twist. And for Nicholas Fitzgerald, founder of Borough Market taqueria Tacos Padre, boozy slushies provide an excuse to get creative in the kitchen. “Ours offer something sharp and exotic to cleanse the palate,” Fitzgerald tells Broadsheet. “There are so many interesting, fun flavours and combinations to be tried and explored.”
Nevertheless, between acrid frosé and saccharine Daiquiris, it’s still very possible to get a dud. But we’ve done the research and found London’s best boozy slushies, from a frozen Cosmo to top-tier takes on the frozen Margarita.
The George, Fitzrovia
“I first came across the frozen Irish coffee at Erin Rose in New Orleans – a city that knows how to handle heat and humidity,” says Colin Maher, head of bar operations at Fitzrovia pub The George. His version has a feather-light whip of iced Glendalough Double Barrel whiskey, the pub’s signature Guinness reduction and Origin coffee topped with a froth of whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg. “It’s our take on a boozy frappuccino, which is cool, indulgent and perfect for beating the heat,” Maher says. “The boldness of the coffee along with the smooth, warming notes of the whiskey – and the fact that it’s frozen – all work together to balance the sweetness.”
thegeorge.london
@thegeorgepublichouse
Tacos Padre, Borough
Nicholas Fitzgerald’s generously sized sweet and sour guava Margarita at Borough Market taqueria Padre is made with “some water to keep people out of trouble and us legally compliant”, as well as pastry-grade guava puree (often used in top-quality sorbets), fresh lime juice, tequila and triple sec. For Fitzgerald it’s all about complementing complex Mexican flavours. “The exotic guava is great for cleansing the palate when you’re having bold, sharp, spiced tacos,” he says.
tacospadre.com
@tacospadre
Norbert’s, East Dulwich
The freshly blended Pina Colada at Norberts – the rotisserie chicken joint opened in early 2025 by John Ogier (ex-The Marksman and Lasdun) and Jack Coghlan (ex-Planque and Lyle’s) – has all the fantastically camp qualities of the old-school cocktail. It’s vibrant yellow in a retro glass with a neon maraschino cherry. But there’s a subtle difference from the original recipe. “It still tastes like a proper cocktail as well as being fun,” says Coghlan. “Pineapple and coconut with white rum bring the holiday feels, but the blend of overproof dark rum and a splash of Angostura Bitters has a nice punch which stands out, even for a frozen cocktail.”
norbertslondon.com
@norbertslondon
Lyaness, Southbank
You can always count on mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana and his team at Southbank cocktail bar Lyaness to dream up something special – and its dirty Martini slushie is no exception. Refreshing, yet still packing a boozy punch, the cocktail is given an aromatic twist with the addition of koseret tea to Grey Goose vodka, fino and olive vermouth.
lyaness.com
@lyanessbar
You Call The Shots, Hackney
The Frozen Cosmo at leopard print-carpeted Hackney cocktail bar You Call The Shots is, in owner Rhiannon Graham’s words, “real ’80s nostalgia in a glass”. It’s a party-ready blend of vodka, triple sec, lime and house-made cranberry syrup – “served up to give you the best brain freeze of your life!” In Graham’s view, as the drink has roots in Miami, “it should really have always been frozen”. After a few sips, you may well agree.
@youcalltheshotse9
Carlotta, Marylebone
Big Mamma, the group behind larger-than-life restaurants Carlotta, Ave Mario, Gloria, Jacuzzi and Barbarella has mastered all things OTT, so of course its Sgroppino, found at Carlotta this summer, is similarly decadent. “We wanted to bottle up the scent and sunshine of southern Italy and pour it into a glass,” says Big Mamma group’s operational beverage manager Marica Tonucci. It’s a bright, sparkling creation crafted with silky bergamot sorbet shaken with Italicus liqueur and limoncello, then topped up with heaps of champagne. Order it as an aperitivo, mid-supper palate cleanser, dessert – or all of the above.
bigmammagroup.com
@bigmamma.uk
Smoking Goat, Shoreditch
A menu mainstay, the All The Woo In The World slush is a rite of passage for anyone approaching the fiery heat of Smoking Goat’s Thai barbeque for the first time. Inspired by a Pina Colada and named after Bernie Worrell’s 1978 album (which you’ll hear spinning from time to time), expect an airy Pina Colada crafted from handmade coconut milk, pineapple, coconut rum, white rum and a sprinkling of salt for balance.
smokinggoatbar.com
@smokinggoatbar
Additional reporting by Rose Johnstone.
