Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush

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You need just 3 ingredients to make this easy Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush. Share this refreshing Midwestern classic cocktail recipe at holiday gatherings, showers, and parties.

Pink lemonade vodka slush in a short clear glass.


 

When I was growing up, this is the Vodka Slush my mom always made.

I wasn’t drinking it of course, but I remember it from neighborhood block parties, bridal showers, Christmas, and that one time we threw a surprise party for my Dad. It’s a breeze to make and so fun and fruity!

Just one piece of “special equipment” is required: a 1-gallon ice cream pail.

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for pink lemonade vodka slush.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Frozen pink lemonade concentrate: If you prefer a yellow slush, feel free to use regular lemonade concentrate. The flavor is equally delicious either way.
  • Citrus soda: Canfield’s 50/50 is my top choice, but Squirt, Sprite, or Fresca work too (If you like the taste of diet or zero sugar sodas, they work here).

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In an empty one-gallon ice cream pail, combine lemonade concentrate, vodka, and a 2-liter bottle of soda.
Making pink lemonade vodka slush in an ice cream pail.
  1. Chill at least 8 hours, overnight, or up to a month in advance. Remove from freezer 1 to 2 hours before serving. As the slush melts, it will become easier to scrape and serve.
Pink lemonade vodka slush in a ice cream pail.
  1. To serve, add 1 cup slush to a glass (a ladle works well). Top with additional soda as desired.
Pink lemonade vodka slush in a short clear glass.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 12 cups slush. Each serving is 1-cup slush plus soda to top.
  • Storage: Store in a freezer safe, airtight container in the freezer.
  • Make ahead: Since it’s designed to be prepped in advance, this cocktail recipe is a busy host’s dream. Complete step 1 and 2, then freeze the slush recipe for up to 1 month.
  • Alternate spirits: If you don’t have or don’t love vodka, try this same slush recipe with an equal amount of rum or tequila.
  • Cocktail glass: I love using these elevated Old Fashioned glasses from Marquis by Waterford. They’re $60 on Amazon, but you can also check out some of my other favorite cocktail glasses.

More cool cocktail ideas

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Pink lemonade vodka slush in a short clear glass.

Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush

You need just 3 ingredients to make this easy classic Midwestern cocktail recipe that's ideal to serve at holiday gatherings, showers, and parties.
Cook Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 12 servings (1 cup each)
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Calories 216
4.98 from 49 votes

Ingredients 

  • 1 (12 ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate thawed (see note 1)
  • 2 cups vodka
  • 1 (2 liter) bottle citrus soda (see note 2)

Instructions 

  • In an empty one-gallon ice cream pail, combine lemonade concentrate, vodka, and 2 liter bottle of soda. Chill at least 8 hours, overnight, or up to a month in advance.
  • Remove from freezer 1 – 2 hours before serving. As the slush melts, it will become easier to scrape and serve.
  • To serve, add 1 cup slush to a glass (a ladle works well). Top with additional soda as desired.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Frozen pink lemonade concentrate: If you prefer a yellow slush, feel free to use regular lemonade concentrate. The flavor is equally delicious either way.
  2. Citrus soda: Canfield’s 50/50 is my top choice, but Squirt, Sprite, or Fresca work too (If you like the taste of diet or zero sugar sodas, they work here).
  3. Yield: This recipe makes 12 cups slush. Each serving is 1-cup slush plus soda to top.
  4. Storage: Store in a freezer safe, airtight container in the freezer.
  5. Make ahead: Since it’s designed to be prepped in advance, this cocktail recipe is a busy host’s dream. Complete step 1 and 2, then freeze the slush recipe for up to 1 month.
  6. Alternate spirits: If you don’t have or don’t love vodka, try this same slush recipe with an equal amount of rum or tequila.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 19mgPotassium: 22mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. I decided to try this recipe for our Christmas Eve party but decided to taste it last night with my hubby and OMG….we already drank 3/4 of the pail…I have to make another batch tonight so we can hopefully make it to Christmas Eve. Let’s just say this was by far the best slush I have had in a long time. I’m a 3 ingredients kinda girl and this slush did NOT disappoint at all. Thank you for this recipe.5 stars

  2. This was one of my most favourite recipe from a guys that I went to High School with – he and his wife and son ended living across the street from us in our first home. I have been trying to find this recipe for years and here it shows up on my Face Book Page. A big shout out to Michael Leacy’s wife for this recipe. It is an awesome drink recipe especially for summer. Cheers!5 stars

    1. Good call. Complete oversight on my part, I will fix that. It really makes me want a tall glass of Squirt right now.

  3. I’ve been making a frozen slushy drink for years with 32 oz cranberry juice, 1 can lemonade concentrate, 28 oz ginger ale, and you can use 3 cups of vodka or bourbon (I once used everclear, still taste great but will knock you on your butt a lot quicker lol!) A couple of tips, I tried it once with with crystal light and once with an already prepared lemonade and it really needs to be the concentrate, otherwise it tastes way too watered down.  Also, if you add more alcohol to the recipe like my recipe above ( if you like it stronger like I do 😊) the result is it’s a lot easier to scrape and serve immediately because the alcohol doesn’t freeze and so it’s already slushy and you don’t have to defrost the whole container. 

  4. Write up calls for one cup of vodka. Yet recipe reads two!  Which is correct just so I don’t botch this up!  Thanks!

    1. Sorry!  Should have read more comments.  Can’t wait to try this on vacation. Much simpler than the much-loved slush recipe I have.  

    2. I’m so glad you pointed this out! I fixed the blog post/write-up so it reflects the 2 cups. Everything should make sense without you having to read all the comments, ha ha h! Things should just make sense! And now they do. Thanks for letting me know and happy slushy days to you!

  5. I’m looking for a slush drink my mother used to make about 40 years ago. It used lemon aid concentrate, iced ted and some kind of clear alcohol and you froze it. It was so good on a hot day. Do you know the drink I’m talking about? If so can you get me the recipe?5 stars

    1. Hi Rose, tell me if I’m oversimplifying this. It sounds like your mom used to make a boozey Arnold Palmer slush. Probably equal parts lemonade and iced tea and any clear liquor you want – vodka would be awesome. I’ve made drinks like this. But in her case she froze it to make a slush like my vodka one here. Only you will know if what you make tastes exactly like what your mom made, but if you want to try it, I’d try something like 1 (12 ounce) can of frozen lemonade concentrate, 2 quarts unsweetened iced tea, and 2 cups vodka. I will definitely try this out myself and work on a recipe that I think tastes great though. Such a fabulous idea! Thank you!

    1. Hi Debra, sorry about that. My original recipe was just 1 cup, but I’ve since modified it to be 2 cups. It makes more sense that way and the slush goes further with two cups. 8 ounces of vodka out of 128 ounces of total liquid just isn’t enough! All the feedback I received indicated more alcohol would be preferred, but I forgot to change it in the directions. Sorry about that! Fixing now.

  6. My mom has done this with whiskey  for years. At every party, they request her famous “whiskey slush!” Since we add a splash of 7-up/sprite when we serve it, we definitely use more alcohol in the mix. So, for this I used 2 cups Vodka.  Yummy! 5 stars

    1. I actually discussed this with my family when I was home last month – the recipe needs to be 2 cups of vodka. Thank you for reminding me! And yes to whiskey, that’s the best. :) Thanks for visiting!

    2. My favorite is the Whiskey Sour Slush. .. I use I large can of Pineapple juice, I–2 liter of gingerale pop, n 2 cups of Segrams Seven.. I freeze it n mix occasionally. When I serve it, I just scoop out enough for a glass n then add the Squirt Pop… There’s no need to thaw this out even for parties. I’m going to try the Vodka Slush n see how this tastes!

    1. It works! And it’s good. I’ve made it with rum before (when I was out of vodka). Personally I like vodka better than rum, but the rum version is fantastic too. Can’t go wrong!

  7. I made this for our 4th of July BBQ! I added a little red food coloring to make it a red slushy drink! Still tastes like lemonade but I didn’t think pink went super well with my outdoor table! Thanks for the recipe! Super easy and tasty! 5 stars

    1. Hi Wendy, you can top it with more soda, sparkling water, or some intrepid readers just top it with more vodka. :) You can definitely make popsicles out of it! That is the best idea ever! Thank you. :)

  8. Does anyone know if this will work in an ice cream machine? I would love to make it at a bbq quickly in an ice cream machine.

  9. I made it and used all Squirt and added and additional 1/2 c of Vodka – just because! It is VERY good.5 stars

    1. Sure! You definitely can. It wouldn’t have any impact on how it freezes. That’s a good way to cut out sugar! Thanks for the question Donna! I’ll add that to the recipe notes.

    1. Hi Jean, is it the can one from the freezer section? That’s the right stuff. That’s concentrated. If you just bought a regular can of lemonade (from the juice section) it will work but the flavor will be diluted. But probably still good, just not as strong/flavorful.

    1. The Squirt! OR, if you can find it, 50/50. If you’ve ever heard of that. :)

    1. It’s closer to a gallon but not quite that much. And yes, it freezes overnight! At least the slightly-under-a-gallon quantity does. But it’s slush, so if it’s a little soft in the middle, that’s okay! I hope this helps!

  10. Hi , has anyone tried to make this with a flavored vodka? I wonder how it would taste with something fun like a citrus, or vanilla.

    1. I haven’t tried, but I definitely will! I’m sure it would be amazing! Endless combination ideas here.

  11. Just a suggestion from someone who love to makes slushy cocktails in the summer months. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays then throw into the blender with a bit of liquid to make the slushy. That way you dont have to defrost the whole batch if you only want to make a few cocktails.

    1. Hi Jody, I’m not sure! I don’t see why it would have to be frozen lemonade concentrate. The texture might be different (frozen concentrate is somewhat syrup, crystal light wouldn’t be) but I think the end result would be basically the same. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes for you! Thanks.

  12. my parents used ice in a blender, vodka and the frozen pink lemonade. …super quick and no need to wait for it to freeze in the freezer5 stars

    1. This is great for a serve now thing, but if you’re going to be serving for a party or where people can come back for more the Frozen is better as it doesn’t water down and still taste great when it melts! :)
      We like to add strawberries. Taste like a strawberry limeade from Sonic :)5 stars

    1. Hi Dana! I’d use sparkling water. It won’t be a sweet, though, but I think it would still taste good.

    2. Maybe instead of pop you could add raspberry juice or concentrate or even puree. Or even cranberry juice. Just a thought.

  13. My uncle made something like this. I had the recipe but cannot find it. It was so much fun to do. 

    1. Jody if you ever find it, or if you can even describe it, I’d love to know more! These kinds of drinks are THE BEST. Thanks for stopping by!

  14. This looks almost perfect for a baby shower I’m planning. Have you ever done a non-alcoholic version? What did you use to replace the vodka?

    1. Hi Wanda, I have never done a non-alcoholic version but its seems like an obvious idea for a baby shower. I think you could just leave out the vodka and you wouldn’t even have to add anything else. Or, you could add more lemonade and soda! Good luck!

    1. I personally would use something sweet like Riesling or Moscato! YUM! Thanks Adam!

  15. I haven’t had this drink for many years but it was always popular for showers and other parties. It’s always a crowd pleaser and easy to make!5 stars

    1. Maybe instead of topping the slush off with sparkling water or more soda, you should top it off with more vodka. ;) LOL!