This bourbon slush recipe is a retro party favorite that's totally worth reviving. The frozen drink combines black tea, orange juice, lemonade, and bourbon for a refreshing sipper that's perfect for parties. We'll walk you through how to make a bourbon slush, including the must-have garnishes for each glass.
Tips for Making a Bourbon Slush
Here are a few tips from our Test Kitchen that are helpful to know when making this classic cocktail.
- Allow your tea to steep for at least 5 minutes for the most flavor. If you want a more intense tea taste, steep the tea bags a few minutes longer.
- Choose a freezer-safe storage container with a lid and label it with the date you made the bourbon slush.
- For the best texture, freeze the slush mixture for at least 8 hours before scooping.
- Let the container stand at room temperature before scooping so it's a bit easier to get out.
- Garnish the glasses with maraschino cherries, and orange wedges. They help play up the retro feel of each glass.
Ingredients
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8 cups water, divided
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4 black tea bags
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1 cup sugar
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1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
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1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
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2 cups bourbon
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1 (2-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled
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Maraschino cherries and/or quartered orange slices
Directions
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In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of the water to a boil. Add tea bags. Cover and steep 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Add sugar; stir to dissolve.
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In a freezer container, stir together tea mixture, remaining 6 cups water, lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, and bourbon. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.
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Let stand 10 minutes or until easy to scoop. Fill rocks glasses half full with scoops of slush. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with cherries and/or orange slices.
Test Kitchen Tip: Freeze serving glasses for an hour or more before serving.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 187 | Calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 35g | Carbs |
| 1g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 18 | |
| Calories 186.8 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 0.1g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 13.8mg | 1% |
| Total Carbohydrate 34.8g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.2g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 31.5g | |
| Protein 0.6g | 1% |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C 38.3mg | 43% |
| Calcium 17mg | 1% |
| Iron 1.2mg | 7% |
| Potassium 172.3mg | 4% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0g | |
| Vitamin D 0IU | |
| Alanine 0g | |
| Arginine 0g | |
| Ash 0.6g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.1g | |
| Caffeine 7.9mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 3.5mcg | |
| Choline, total 2.7mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.1mg | |
| Cystine 0g | |
| Energy 780.6kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 77.1mcg | |
| Folate, total 16.6mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 0g | |
| Glycine 0g | |
| Histidine 0g | |
| Isoleucine 0g | |
| Leucine 0g | |
| Lysine 0g | |
| Methionine 0g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 11.2mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.2mg | |
| Niacin 0.2mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 16.2mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.1mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0g | |
| Phytosterols 0.1mg | |
| Proline 0g | |
| Retinol 0mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 0.3mcg | |
| Serine 0g | |
| Starch 0g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.1mg | |
| Tryptophan 0g | |
| Tyrosine 0g | |
| Valine 0g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 60.2IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 3.1mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 0.1mcg | |
| Water 282.3g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.1mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.