Did someone say heat advisory? There’s only one thing to do in these dog days of Charleston summer: sip on frozen drinks.
Gone are the days of sugary sweet, neon-tinted frozen cocktails. In today’s carefully curated craft cocktail scene, high-quality, flavor-packed frozen bevs are the norm, from NA selections to a wide variety of boozy options.
While we miss Wet Willie’s as much as the next guy, we’re happy to report that you don’t need to “call a cab” to enjoy these perfect summer sips (although drinking responsibly is always encouraged). Here’s where to drink frozen drinks in Charleston right now.
Is your bar or restaurant serving a really great frozen drink? Send the details to connelly@charlestoncitypaper.com.
Head to Alcove Market for grab-and-go frosé and NA slushies.
Speaking of grab-and-go frosé, the spot for that is the Co-Op, which has a variety of locations around town.
And if you plan on sitting and sipping everyone’s favorite pink drink, you can find frosé at: Satellite Bar, Leon’s Oyster Shop and Bohemian Bull.
While the Co-Op may have taken home City Paper’s Best of Charleston award for Best Frozen Drink this year, Home Team BBQ’s frozen bevs were a strong second place. If you haven’t paired your wings with a Gamechanger or frozen Irish coffee, we suggest remedying that immediately.
Head to Rancho Lewis for a frozen margarita, which according to a City Paper interview with Rancho Lewis’ GM last year, is pretty special: “When we added the green chile juice to the frozen margarita, it didn’t resonate as well, so we created a candied green chile, almost like a marmalade to incorporate into the drink, and the hint of sweetness pairs really well.”
Saltwater Cowboys offers a whopping five frozen cocktails, from a classic Tito’s and lemonade to a boozy, buzzy caffeine-infused bev, the Bacardi Creekwhacker, made with Bacardi rum, Irish cream, amaretto, creme de cacao and coffee.
Beachside spots have frozen bevvies on lock — look no further than Coconut Joe’s, which has seven frozen offerings on IOP and Rita’s Seaside Grille which has five solid choices on Folly. We personally love the option to add floaters to each of Rita’s frozen sippers.
Pier 101 on Folly has got some great frozen drinks, too (hello frozen White Russian), with the always added bonus of being able to stroll the Folly Pier with drink in hand.
Head to Sullivan’s Island’s The Longboard for what the restaurant lovingly calls “frozen legends,” namely a frozen painkiller and the Wadma-Law-Breaker, made with tequila, watermelon agua fresca, lime, basil agave and orange liqueur.
King Street karaoke bar Bangkok Lounge has seven frozen drink machines filled with NA flavors like banana, strawberry and mango, allowing guests to add their own booze.
Get your electrolytes the right way at Cleats with a frozen gatorade (option to take it spiked or NA).
Bodega has your breakfast drinking needs covered (in general — just check out their extensive breakfast martini list) with a frozen espresso martini and a frozen Aperol spritz.
Local breweries get in the mix, too. Find frozen beer slushies at Edisto River Brewing, frosé and frozen gose at The Garden by Charles Towne Fermentory and a variety of frozen cocktails at Commonhouse Aleworks.
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