Brandy Slush
A Glass Of Holiday Cheer
Brandy Slush is the perfect holiday batch drink. It’s made with green or black tea, orange juice, lemonade, and of course Brandy.
This can be made in large batches ahead of time and served when your guests arrive. Topped with a pretty garnish of orange and cherry, this is a festive and delicious adult beverage.
There’s a recipe card at the end of the post with a “print” button that will allow you to bring the recipe up on one page without ads.
I first learned of this drink when we started spending lots of time at our lake house in Watersmeet, Michigan.
Watersmeet, MI is right over the Northernmost Wisconsin border. I was delighted to find out that many people make these buckets of deliciousness to serve at parties.
A Tipsy Old Fashioned History
Personally, I LOVE a brandy old fashioned.
I have a recipe for a Brandy Old Fashioned on my site.
I also write a food column for a local Wisconsin/Michigan newspaper called the Border Bulletin. I wrote an article once on the best old fashioneds in the Northwoods and tried TWELVE different OFs in one day!
Needless to say I won’t be doing that again.
One thing that hasn’t changed since then is my love of the drink. I especially love this frozen variety for something special for the holidays.
Become Bitter
The one ingredient you may not be familiar with are the Angostura Bitters. The flavor of this is nutty and slightly medicinal.
You use a small amount for the batch and It adds a great layer of flavor. You can get this product in almost any grocery liquor department or liquor store.
I have also seen this on Amazon. If you absolutely cannot find this, your drink will be just fine, but I do recommend trying it.
My Favorite Brandy
Any brandy will do for this drink but my favorite is Korbel Brandy. This is also an affordable option.
While you may be tempted to use more than the two cups in the mix, don’t because it won’t freeze as well. You can add the extra shots to the glass when serving.
I am also able to find this brandy anywhere.
The Cherry On Top
If you are not familiar with Maraschino Cherries, I included a picture above. You will see a little of the cherry juice is used in the mix.
I also use these cherries to garnish the drinks. They are festive and fun.
A Drop In The Bucket
If you do not want to have to eat gallons of ice cream to make this drink, you can buy these ice cream buckets on amazon.
You can get Two, One Gallon Buckets for $14.99 on Amazon. A clean but used ice cream bucket will be just fine though.
*The link is my Amazon affiliate link, which means Amazon pays me a small commission if you use the link.*
I am actually going to buy these myself so that I can make a double batch of these drinks to keep on hand.
Brandy Slush
Brandy Slush, the perfect holiday batch drink. Made with green or black tea, orange juice, lemonade and of course Brandy. This can be made in large batches, made ahead of time and served when your guests arrive. Topped with a pretty garnish of orange and cherry, this is a festive and delicious adult beverage.
Ingredients
- 4 Green or Black tea bags
- 9 cups of water, divided
- 1/2 cup of white sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of Angostura bitters (pictured in post)
- 2 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice (from the jar of cherries)
- 2 cups of brandy (plus more for topping the drink)
- 1 twelve ounce can of frozen lemonade, thawed
- 1 twelve ounce can of frozen orange juice, thawed
- 1 two liter of lemon lime soda (for serving)
- Orange slice and maraschino cherries for garnish
- Sprigs of rosemary to make it Christmasy
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the green or black tea bags. Boil two cups of water and pour over the tea bags and steep for about 5 to 10 minutes and then discard the tea bags.
- In a sauce pan add the sugar, 1 cup of water, the bitters and the 2 tablesoons of maraschino cherry juice. Slowly bring this to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat.
- To mix this up and store in the freezer you need a big bucket or bowl with a lid. Add the tea, the sugar water mix, the lemonade, the orange juice, the two cups of brandy (if you add more, it won't freeze) and the remaining water to the bucket or bowl.
- Freeze overnight, to serve, scoop into glasses, top with an additional shot of brandy if needed, a spalsh of lemon lime soda, a cherry, orange slice and a sprig of rosemary.