As the temperature soars, Londoners need to chill out. Here are some frozen cocktails, boozy slushies and icy tipples that ought to do the trick...
Mezcal slushies at 184 Hackney Road
This secret-ish bar beneath a kebab shop doesn’t take itself too seriously at all, with a 10p-per-play pinball machine being just one of the fun added extras. Served in pint glasses and topped with chilli worm salt, these deceptively drinkable twists on the classic Margherita are served straight from a slushy machine.
Tequila slushies at Collooh-Stock
Shoreditch bar Callooh Callay is well and truly in the festival spirit, with its upstairs bar converted to Callooh-Stock until the end of July. The menu here changes daily, but Tequila-based slushies are always an option. Fruits will vary in order to keep things interesting, but expect the likes of watermelon, mango and pineapple.
Ice cream floats at Stax
Newly-launched American diner Stax in Carnaby’s Kingly Court (brought about by Bea Vo of Bea’s of Bloomsbury) serves a whole host of chilly cocktails made using ice cream and sorbet. Hard ice cream floats include the Golden Cow made with pale ale and vanilla ice cream, and the Drunken Black Cow made with root beer, vodka and vanilla ice cream. A frozen bellini is made using peach sorbet and Prosecco.
The Snowgroni at Foxlow
This St John Street restaurant from the Hawksmoor team doesn’t just do meat well — it has a rather tempting drinks list too. The granita-style cocktail they do here is as good as its pun-tastic name: Dubonnet, cherry and grapefruit combine to create a slushy, summery take on a Negroni.
Frozen Margaritas at Casa Negra
This Shoreditch sister restaurant to Soho’s La Bodega Negra has a whole menu of frozen Margaritas to accompany its Mexican food offering. Choose from flavours including peach and passionfruit, strawberry and black pepper and spiced mango.
Cool puppies at The Parlour
Canary Wharf isn’t the coolest of London’s neighbourhoods, but bar-slash-restaurant The Parlour is doing its best, with a summertime selection of retro alcoholic slush puppies. The Seaside Slushy (well, Canary Wharf is by the water), is made from El Dorado rum, poppy liqueur and passion fruit, and is served on a bed of edible sand (pictured above), while the Mexican-inspired Cool as a Cactus is made from Mezcal, agave, homemade lemonade and peach bitters.
And also...
You’ll find frozen mango Margaritas at Breddos in Haggerston.
Frozen yuzu Margaritas are on the menu at Flesh & Buns in Covent Garden this summer.
Fish Market near Liverpool Street serves vodka and rum steeped ‘snow cones’ in its bar area.
Frozen juleps are on hand at Chicken Liquor (formerly Wishbone) in Brixton.
Gallery and bar Peckham Springs serves frozen Caiprinhas.
Hackney’s Rawduck serves a frozen mango Margarita.
Rita’s in London Fields serves punchy frozen Margaritas in paper cups.
There’s a dedicated slushy bar at Lewisham’s recently launched #ModelMarket.
Shrimpy’s at King’s Cross offers frozen Margaritas with a twist: they add hot habanero sauce.
Any more red hot freezing cold finds? Let us know in the comments below.
Still in need of cooling down? Check out London's best ice creams.
This article is part of our Best of London Food and Drink series. Visit the page for more recommendations of where to enjoy the capital's top food and drink, categorised by cuisine, food type and more.