This Slushy, 5-Ingredient Cocktail Is One Of Martha Stewart's Summer Time Faves

In the stickiest days of summer, there's nothing more refreshing than a frozen cocktail in a frosty glass. But if you're burnt out on pina coladas and frozen daiquiris, Martha Stewart recommends a Basil Lillet Slush. It's an easy, sophisticated twist on the adult Icee, and you might even already have all the ingredients. All it calls for is vodka, simple syrup, basil, lemon juice, and the star ingredient, Lillet Blanc.

If you've never heard of Lillet Blanc, its arguably most famous appearance is in the Vesper cocktail that James Bond invents in "Casino Royale." If you've ever tried to make a Vesper as Bond orders it in the book or movie, you might have found it disappointing. 007's creator Ian Fleming himself has stated that there was no thought to the recipe beyond something that made his secret agent appear suave and exacting. But thanks to Martha Stewart, you now have something tasty to make with that aging bottle of Lillet in the back of your fridge.

On Martha Stewart's YouTube channel, she swiftly tosses together about a cup of ice, a dash of simple syrup, and a squeeze of lemon juice. She then adds a handful of basil with a hefty pour of both Lillet Blanc and vodka, in a 2:1 ratio, respectively. It gets whizzed up in the blender and topped with a sprig of fresh basil. Unfortunately, making the cocktail this way produces a beverage that suffers from a subpar texture. In the video, the ice quickly separates from the liquid, and it's all studded with flecks of basil just dying to get stuck between some teeth. You can do better.

A homemade frozen cocktail should ideally turn out just as well as one from a large expensive margarita machine you'd normally find churning behind a bar. Just a few frozen drink tips and techniques will get your Basil Lillet Slush there with hardly any added effort.

First, consider adjusting the ice amount. With such a strong addition of alcohol, this drink would be better suited with a more generous amount of ice instead of the scant one cup. Crush it in your blender before you add anything else. Smaller ice pebbles make for a smoother consistency, and they won't throw unblended bits of basil around your blender like large cubes will. No basil stuck to the sides of your blender means it breaks down completely, and there's no greenery to pick out of your cocktail.

To take your frozen cocktail even further, have your Lillet Blanc and vodka pre-chilled in the freezer. A blender can get quite hot, and anything to fight that helps keep the drink from getting watery. Lastly, try adding in the secret ingredient that yields perfectly blended frozen cocktails. A quarter teaspoon of xanthan gum from the baking aisle will give the final product an emulsifying boost, ensuring that the drink does not separate as you sip it in the sun.