Brandy Slush Cocktail

One of my favorite cocktails for summer, the Brandy Slush Cocktail is made by combining orange juice, lemonade or limeade, and pineapple juice, with brandy. It's frozen and then served topped with lemon-lime soda. It's a great crowd pleaser too!

This Brandy Slush Cocktail is my contribution to our monthly Progressive Eats. Our group event has members sharing recipes as part of a menu; as if we were actually participating in an old fashioned Progressive dinner, where members would go house to house for different courses.

While this month the theme is inspired by Memorial Day, I thought I would share this old fashioned yet always in style cocktail, one that I first had over a 4th of July weekend many moons ago.

My ex-husband is from Indiana and while I couldn't say it then, I can now. I hated going to visit his family. They were a tribe of religious fundamentalists and I felt like Satan on every trip. I enjoyed a cocktail, I wore short skirts, OMG I even put stuff on my hair to make it blonder.

They were ALWAYS trying to save me; as if making us go to church and loading on the guilt would ever be something that a young woman/person would ever look at and say, yep...that's what I want!

I used to smoke cigarettes in my 20's, a habit I picked up from my parents and luckily followed more in my dad's footsteps. One pack a week, it's true! I enjoyed a cigarette with an ice cold soda or with a cocktail but never by itself; when I decided to quit it wasn't even that difficult, which was a good thing.

My ex-husband smoked more than I did but no matter, when we went to Indiana, we were perfect. No drinking, no smoking, no nothing...we might sneak a kiss or two but I was worried lightning would strike!

One evening, while visiting there, my mother called me. Sadly that was not a good thing...my mom would drink too much and then track me down to complain about everything, including me. After that conversation, I told my then boyfriend, I'm sneaking outside to have a cigarette and I went back beyond their garage and indulged.

I had my one cigarette and drank an ice cold Coke from a bottle and them promptly buried the butt behind the garage that was a separate building; Satan trying to cover her tracks!

Ahem, the next morning, when I came into the kitchen for breakfast, that ONE lousy stubbed out cigarette was sitting smack dab in the middle of the plate where I usually sat, I guess waiting for me to ask for absolution.

It didn't work, I feigned ignorance but I was irritated and...hey, did I mention I hated going to Indiana? So how on earth does that tie into this cocktail Barb, where's the fun part?

Well, the one thing I did enjoy was going with Bill to visit his best friend and his best friend's parents. Luckily they were normal. So normal that even knowing the Kiebel family's proclivity for everything fun being sinful, she made us drinks...and I needed one!

Her specialty was this Brandy Slush Cocktail. Mary Meek always had a container in the freezer and I think she made them especially for me!

I'm not sure where her recipe came from but it appears that the Brandy Slush has some history in Wisconsin except that the original recipe calls for tea along with the orange and lemonade concentrates. I think I'll stick with this one; pineapple juice is my preference!

I was not a big drinker when I was younger, even today with my love of both making and drinking cocktails, I never over-imbibe. I think I could with this cocktail though. They really do go down so easy.

Easy to make too...containers of frozen orange juice, frozen lemonade and frozen pineapple juice are combined with sugar water and brandy and then the whole thing is frozen; actually finding freezer space for the quantity this recipe makes was the hardest step but I persevered and have enough for all summer!

While the recipe I've included for the Brandy Slush Cocktail is the very same one that I have written on a little 3X5 recipe card that is now an antique, I did make one modification.

I thought I had lemonade but it was limeade. No problem, it's what I used. I actually love limeade better but I can't say it really made a big difference here; either one is fine.

Maybe the most difficult step of this cocktail is the waiting. I separated the mixture into two square dishes and while it was 'sort of ' ready several hours later, I thought it best the next day, 24 hours is a good number to shoot for. It will never freeze firm because of the alcohol in the brandy but you do want all of the liquid to be, well, slushy. Hence the name.

I've always made Brandy Slush drinks as a summer cocktail; it is nice to have something easy to serve if friends drop by without planning. I could imagine though that they would be an equally great cocktail over the holidays; garnish with a cranberry in lieu of the maraschino cherry.

They are bright and light and citrusy and absolutely divine! If the quantity seems way too much, no problem, it's easy to cut in half too. I hope you try it this summer, you'll be hooked too...Cheers!

Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month's theme is Memorial Day BBQ and Picnic Favorites! Our host is Jane who blogs at The Heritage Cook

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it's a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious BBQ and picnic inspired dishes!