Lemon Vodka Slush - The Best Summer Cocktail Recipe Ever!

Published: Jun 29, 2018 · Modified: Feb 22, 2024 by Nicola · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

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Cool, refreshing and loaded with alcohol, this fresh lemon vodka slush is going to be your favourite summer cocktail of all time after you've had just one delicious sip! It's super easy to make and yields a huge batch in one go. So you can spend just a few minutes prepping this drinkable heaven and have an almost never-ending supply of delicious slushy cocktails in your freezer to last you the whole of summer. Sound good? Let's get to it!

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Summer is the best time of the year, don't you think? With long sunshine-filled days, fun BBQs with yummy eats and beautiful sunsets at the beach that you wish would never end. Such an amazing season deserves to be celebrated with an awesome cocktail, which is exactly where this lemon vodka slush comes in!

It's my favorite summer cocktail recipe of all-time and it's something I genuinely look forward to every single year. This cocktail is packed with exotic fruit juices, tart citrus flavors and a good kick of vodka. Not to mention the incredibly addictive frosty texture you won't be able to get enough of. Nothing says summer more than a great big frosty glass full of lemon vodka slush. Especially if you're sipping it at the beach or by the pool.

Ever since I first came across a recipe for lemon vodka slush years ago, I've been trying my hardest to perfect it and... I've finally done it! One thing you need to know before you make the best cocktail you'll ever have: this lemon vodka slush is really moreish and although it's got a lot of alcohol in, you really can't taste it.

This makes drinking glass after glass of the stuff pretty dangerous! I was lounging by the pool one day enjoying a few glasses then struggled to walk in a straight line when I got up. You have been warned! If you're not a fan of the alcohol kick, you can always use less vodka (but I wouldn't!)

Aside from the amazing flavor, one of the best things about this recipe is how simple it is to make. Throw all the ingredients into a big plastic container, freeze, scoop and top with Sprite, 7Up or sparkling water. That's all there is to it.

How to make healthy lemon vodka slush

If you use sugar and ordinary Sprite or 7Up to make this recipe, 1 glass will come in at 320 calories. If you want to reduce that down to just 180 calories per glass (that's almost half!) without sacrificing any of the flavor or alcohol, listen up.

Swap the sugar for artificial sweetener. I can't give you an exact quantity because different types of sweetener have different levels of sweetness. One of the little sweetener pill-type things I use at home is the equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. There are 48 teaspoons in 1 cup and 3 cups of sugar in this recipe. So that makes 144 individual sweetener pills. All the other flavors in this lemon vodka slush really mask the artificial sweetener taste. So using a zero-calorie sweetener is a great way to massively cut down on calories.
Use Sprite Zero, Diet 7Up or sparkling water. Another great way is to swap ordinary Sprite/7Up with the zero-calorie diet versions. This way you get the same taste without the calories. I think the artificial sweetener and natural sweetness from the fruit juices is more than enough for this cocktail, so I'm happy with sparkling water. But if you love really sweet cocktails, try one of the diet sodas instead.
Don't use Stevia. Stevia has a really strong taste and it will overpower all the other flavors in this summer cocktail. So unless you're a total Stevia-holic, stick to a mild-flavored artificial sweetener.

Essentials to make lemon vodka slush

You don't need any unusual ingredients to make this summer cocktail. But you will need a seriously big freezer-safe plastic container because this recipe makes a lot of lemon vodka slush. You could make a half batch, but where's the fun in that?

A 29-cup container will just about do the trick. The volume of water hugely reduces during the boiling process, so the container won't be full to the brim. Containers this big are hard to find, but you can easily pick one up online. This is the container I use. It's super sturdy and you'll be able to use it to make lemon vodka slush for years and years!

While you're at it, you'll want to get a solid ice cream scoop to help you scoop out all the slushy goodness, too. This stuff can be quite hard when it freezes and you don't want to end up bending all your spoons.

More frozen vodka slush recipes

If you love frozen summer cocktails like this lemon vodka slush, you've absolutely got to try my strawberry vodka slush! It's a simpler version of this cocktail, made with fewer ingredients and a sweet strawberry hit. Oh, and make sure you save this vodka cranberry slush on Pinterest or in your bookmarks, so you can enjoy festive slushy cocktails when Christmas comes around.

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