For cool cocktails on demand, turn to your freezer

Due to my failure to label containers, our freezer is where mysterious blocks of leftovers wait for a resurrection that may never come.

But for cocktails, the freezer is a far more efficient ally. A bottle of water frozen for four hours is an icicle; a bottled cocktail treated the same is a perfect drink. Because the freezing point for ethanol is so much lower (-173 Fahrenheit) than for water (which freezes at 32 degrees; freezers are meant to be set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit), and because sugar (present in most cocktails in some form) also inhibits freezing, I regularly use my freezer to pre-prep drinks so they’re ready to go, for me or for any friends who happen to drop by.

Good freezer drinks can go in two directions: higher-proof cocktails, which stay liquid in the freezer, taking on a thicker syrupy quality (martinis, Manhattans, Negronis, etc.), and lower-proof, higher-water-content drinks that are designed to partially freeze and roll into your glass in slushy form (daiquiris and other drinks in which juices play a starring role, avoiding the mess of a blender). I’ve kept bottles of both Dante’s Negroni Azzuro and Shannon Mustipher’s lovely lime-and-banana Parasol in the freezer, and neither were the worse for wear when they came out; the latter was frozen but needed only a few minutes at room temperature to become pourable.

As the weather slides toward its stickiest state, I’ve been happy to find drink ideas in J.M. Hirsch’s new book, “Freezer Door Cocktails: 75 Cocktails That Are Ready When You Are,” which offers a range of original and rejiggered classics, formulated to hold in the cold but never freeze. Hirsch, editorial director of the culinary multimedia organization Milk Street, talks readers through such processes as fat-washing and rapid blender infusion that provide flavor boosts without more liquid, ensuring that the drinks are ready to pour straight out of the freezer.

Some snoots will pooh-pooh the freezer drink, arguing that cold damages the flavors.

“The first step is to not compare a freezer-door cocktail to what you get at one of the world’s best bars,” says Hirsch. “That is not the goal.” Yes, there could be some minimal impact on flavor, he says, but “what a lot of people are responding to is the cold. Scientifically, cold dulls flavor — so even ice cream tastes better if you let it warm up a little.”

I was especially pleased to see a recipe for a batched Vieux Carré, a classic New Orleans cocktail more people should be sipping regularly. Dating to at least 1938, it first appeared in “New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em,” attributed to bartender Walter Bergeron of the Hotel Monteleone. The name Vieux Carré, “Old Square,” references the French Quarter, but I’ve long warned first-timers that it’s also local patois for “swift kick in the face.”

It’s an ideal candidate for freezer-batching, not only because of the beautiful texture it takes on, but because, at six ingredients, it’s a little fussy to mix up one by one. Making a vat of it that will keep for months is ideal.

I went the slushy route for my own offering here, inspired by one of the season’s other great pleasures: fresh watermelon. I can’t get enough of it this time of year, and combining it with lemon and a citrusy gin just seemed like something I’d want to drink all summer. The lemon and watermelon juices both contain plenty of water, allowing the drink to freeze up while maintaining its intensity of bright, fresh flavor.

Here are some tips for whipping up your own summer cold ones, to have ready for company or just to prepare yourself.

Use the right amount of alcohol

The science of freezing makes for a delicate balance between a drink that’s icy cold and one that’s actually frozen. If you want a liquid drink right out of the freezer, Hirsch says, it shouldn’t contain any more than 20% no- or low-alcohol ingredients. That means you can replace about 150 milliliters of a 750-milliliter bottle with syrups, juice or lower-alcohol ingredients (such as vermouth) and it will stay liquid at standard freezer temps. Much more and you’re going slushy.

Pick the right container

The recipes in “Freezer Door Cocktails” provide the exact amount to remove from a standard 750-ml bottle of base spirit to add the other ingredients back into the same bottle. Hirsch also recommends the bottles from Crew Supply Co. — not only can they be filled from the bottom, they hold 850 ml. It’s an ideal size for drinks with more water or juice, since those will expand in freezing.

For drinks that’ll stay liquid, a standard bottle is fine, but if you’re making something slushy, you’ll be happier using a Mason-style jar with a wider rim — it’ll make the pouring easier and allow you to stir the slush if need be.

Don’t freeze bubbles

If you’re making a drink that incorporates fizz (such as sparkling wine, club soda or tonic), add that to the glass just before serving, not as part of the frozen batch. Otherwise you could wake up in the middle of the night to a freezer explosion.

Wait a minute before drinking

Remember Hirsch’s tip: Straight out of the freezer, a drink’s chill may deaden your taste buds. Take it out, pour it, get a snack, let the dog out, and come back to find it ready to go.

Batched Vieux Carré Cocktail

One of the best classic cocktails to come out of New Orleans, the boozy, complex Vieux Carré gets a batched treatment in J.M. Hirsch’s book “Freezer Door Cocktails.” The drink’s high alcohol content means it won’t freeze in a standard household freezer but will instead take on a silky, syrupy texture, ready for unexpected company or whenever you crave a drink on demand.

Make ahead: Chill the bottled cocktail in the freezer for at least a few hours before serving.

Storage: Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Scant ¾ cup (175 milliliters) rye whiskey

Scant ¾ cup (175 milliliters) sweet vermouth

Scant ¾ cup (175 milliliters) cognac

Generous ½ cup (135 milliliters) Bénédictine

Scant ⅓ cup (75 milliliters) water

¼ teaspoon Angostura bitters

¼ teaspoon Peychaud’s bitters

Null ice cubes, for serving

Lemon peels, for garnish (optional)

In a bottle that holds at least 750 milliliters, combine the rye, vermouth, cognac, Benedictine, water, and Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters. Seal the bottle, shake to combine, then transfer to the freezer and chill completely, at least 2 hours.

To serve, add a large ice cube to each of the rocks glasses you plan to use, and pour the drink over it. Using your fingers, twist a lemon peel, if using, over each drink (this releases its flavorful oils), drop the peel into the glass and serve.

Serves 8 (makes about 3 cups/720 milliliters)

Nutritional Facts per serving (generous ⅓ cup/90 milliliters) | Calories: 194; Fat: 0 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Sodium: 2 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 9 g

— Adapted from “Freezer Door Cocktails” by J.M. Hirsch (Voracious, 2024)

Boozy Melon Sour Slushy

Ripe, peak-season watermelon is one of the best things about summer, and here it takes the leading role in a slushy cocktail. This drink balances and brightens watermelon juice with tart citrus in juice and liqueur form, then uses the freezer to slushify the whole bottle — a perfect fruity brain freeze that isn’t so boozy it’ll knock you out before you get poolside. The cocktail contains enough alcohol and sugar that it shouldn’t freeze hard, but if your freezer runs cold and the drink comes out more solid, give it a minute or two, as well as a good shake, and you’ll have the consistency you’re looking for. You can serve as is in a chilled coupe, or over cracked ice in a rocks glass for texture if you prefer.

Make ahead: Chill the drink in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

Storage: Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Where to buy: Cold-pressed watermelon juice, such as the WTRMLN brand, can be found at well-stocked supermarkets or made in a blender, then strained.

Generous ¾ cup (200 milliliters) fresh lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)

Scant ⅔ cup (150 milliliters) watermelon juice (see Notes and Where to buy)

Scant ⅔ cup (150 milliliters) simple syrup (see related recipe)

Scant ⅔ cup (150 milliliters) citrus-forward gin, such as Tanqueray Rangpur or Citadelle Jardin D’Été

Scant ½ cup (100 milliliters) limoncello

Lemon slices, watermelon wedges or mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

In a wide-mouthed 1-liter jar, combine the lemon and watermelon juices, the simple syrup, gin and limoncello. Seal it and shake to combine. Transfer to the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Before serving, chill however many coupe or martini glasses you need. Remove the jar from the freezer and, if necessary, let the mixture sit at room temperature for a few minutes until shakable and pourable — it should be the consistency of a thick slush. Serve in the chilled coupe or martini glasses, garnished with lemon, watermelon or mint, if desired.

Substitutions: Instead of a citrus-forward gin, you can use a citrus-flavored vodka.

Notes: To make your own watermelon juice, place 1½ cups watermelon chunks in a blender and process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve; discard the solids.

Serves 6 (4 ounces per serving)

Nutritional Facts per serving (½ cup/120 milliliters) | Calories: 205; Fat: 0 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 29 g; Sodium: 2 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Protein: 0 g; Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 27 g

— From Spirits columnist M. Carrie Allan