Freezer Door Cocktails: 75 Cocktails That Are Ready When You Are

by J. M. Hirsch

Readymade cocktails for whenever you want batch drinks made directly in the liquor bottle and stored on your freezer door There is a time and a place pulling out shakers and stirrers and strainers and taking time to assemble the perfect cocktail. But sometimes, what you really want is a great drink, served immediately.  For those times, there are Freezer Door Cocktails—batch cocktails of your favorite drinks that are built directly in the bottle and kept on your freezer door to be ready when you are. The premise couldn't be Pour off enough of a standard liquor bottle to create just enough space to add the other ingredients needed to produce a full bottle of your desired cocktail. Store the bottle in the freezer and you have chilled cocktails ready whenever the mood strikes. That means a Negroni in hand before you even have a chance to loosen your tie or take off your heels.  This fun, creative collection of 75 ready-to-pour beverages will walk readers through making freezer door versions of their favorite cocktails, from Negronis, Margaritas and Manhattans to Cosmopolitans, Espresso Martinis and Gin & Tonics. Organized by primary liquor, Freezer Door Cocktails also covers the science behind the simplicity, including how the freezing point of alcohol changes based on volume of water, juice, and/or sweetener added, as well as how to use this information to craft your own recipes. 

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food

192 pages, Hardcover

Published July 2, 2024

Reviews

[Justus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few months ago I stumbled upon the concept for batched cocktails. I read two different books on the idea -- Batched & Bottled: Cocktails to Make Ahead and Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion and came away disappointed with the direction both of them took.

There are two basic ways you can approach the idea of batched cocktails. You're having a party in a few hours and want to mix up some cocktails in advance. Essentially a modern take on making some party punch. You might mix some of the alcohols a day or two in advance but you'll be adding fresh juice or cream or whatever within the last hour or two. This is batched but not really what I wanted. I had in mind putting the kids to bed, opening the freezer door, and having a cocktail ready to go. And apparently I'm not alone because the bottle shops are full of pre-mixed cocktails nowadays. But both of those books take the tack of "the juice has to be as fresh as possible or the cocktail is compromised and we can't have that!"

But I don't care! I'm willing to sacrifice something for convenience! I want someone to do something more than just scale up existing cocktail recipes for me. I want to see the interesting ideas and twists and compromises that can make it work.

So I was disappointed with those two books. As if the universe heard me out comes Freezer Door Cocktails which is exactly what I wanted.

Some examples of the twists Hirsch brings: the Cosmopolitan uses cranberry juice concentrate to keep the water levels low enough to avoid freezing; the Lemon Drop reduces the lemon juice but adds in limoncello; the Long Island Iced Tea uses cola syrup; the Moscow Mule uses ginger liqueur; the Coconut-Lime Daiquiri Colada uses coconut oil; the Mai Tai and Mojito both use mint bitters.

At one point the author writes "I don’t like adapting cocktails to the freezer door if doing so requires leaving out a key ingredient. The whole point is one-bottle ease!" but he still breaks his rule a bit more often than ideal. Admittedly, I'm not sure there's any real alternative other than just leaving them out. If you want a Long Island Iced Tea you can use cola syrup but you're still going to need to add seltzer water at some point. So there are decent number of recipes that require you to add a splash of something.

The recipes here aren't overly fussy, which is nice. With a few exceptions (like those mint bitters) you're not going to buy tons of weird ingredients.

After each "freezer door" recipe Hirsch also includes a "if you have vodka left" cocktail recipe. These I could take or leave. A few of them do have more obscure ingredients, like the ones that call for elderflower liqueur or Ancho Reyes chili liqueur. But since these are brief and not the focus of the book I'm willing to cut them slack.

If I had to pick one flaw -- or recommendation for improvement -- for the book: these freezer door cocktail recipes generally only use about 2/3rds of the bottle of the main alcohol. If you make his French Martini you use 435mL of vodka leaving you with 315mL. Obviously not a world ending problem but it is an awkward amount because it isn't enough to make any other freezer door cocktail. And that's what his "if you have vodka left" recipes are kinda sorta trying to address. But in a book about freezer door cocktails I think maybe I would preferred to see it more directly addressed via freezer door cocktails. Is the answer to "half batch" of something? Or maybe buy two bottles of vodka and make three freezer door cocktail batches?

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freezer Door Cocktails is a clever concept — you take a bottle of your favorite booze, pour off enough to add the mixings for a cocktail, and freeze. You’re then left with a perfectly mixed, frosty cold cocktail ready to serve whenever you are.

I’ve only tried 2 cocktails from the book so far (Daiquiri and Mai Tai) and one from the bonus cocktails supplement, available if you pre-ordered a copy of the book (Spicy Blueberry Daiquiri) and I have to say these cocktails are strong. We’re talking Friday night at the gay bar strong (if you know, you know…lol). For example, the Daiquiri requires pouring off 7oz of rum and then replacing it with 2oz of lime juice, 2oz of water (to compensate for ice dilution when shaken or stirred), a little under 2oz of agave syrup, and a bit of Angostura bitters. That’s it. There’s not a lot of mixers involved so you’re left with a subtly balanced yet incredibly boozy cocktail.

The cocktails are identified by a combination of eleven characteristics: Refreshing, Creamy, Fruity, Sweet, Sour, Herbal, Bitter, Spicy, Smoky, Warm, and Strong. To be fair, the Daiquiri’s characteristics were Sweet, Strong and Sour so it’s not like I wasn’t warned it would be strong. However, the Mai Tai (which is the best of the 3 cocktails I’ve tried) has characteristics of Refreshing, Sweet, and Creamy yet it was still so strong. Not to say that’s a complaint because perhaps I’ve become a bit of a light weight as I’ve grown older, but it is something to consider if you’re hoping for not so potent cocktail recipes.

A bonus is each cocktail recipe contains an additional recipe for a single cocktail to use up the booze you’ve poured off. However, these will most likely only work if you have a fully stocked bar because they call for additional or specialty alcohols like apricot brandy or elderflower liqueur.

Overall, my only quibble is many of the cocktail recipes are just plain odd, somewhat unappealing (to me) and seem completely made up. Things like Apple Pie Cocktail, Cinnamon Toast Martini, and Almond Joy. I will most likely stick with the classics and bypass those completely.

I give the concept 4 stars because it's really clever but minus 1 star because the few drinks I've tried so far are a bit too strong for me. I've found myself adding some seltzer or juice to my glass to dilute it a bit.

[Barbara Bengston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about the making of cocktails. This book included many new interesting recipes. What made this book different from other cocktail books is that it outlines how to prepare the recipes in advance to be kept in the freezer. The author describes the freezing temperatures of the various ingredients and explains how one can keep the prepared concoctions in the freezer without them freezing. Good reference book to have on hand, especially if you entertain. You can have cocktails prepared in advance to make entertaining easier. Or, just to enjoy a cocktail without putting in a lot of effort.

[H James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr Hirsch offers a Last Word recipe that isn’t even the same format of drink as the much beloved standard Last Word and explains the change by insulting the standard version. Mr Hirsch is welcome to his opinions and welcome to craft new recipes, but giving new recipes old names is a particularly irksome form of revisionist history that can only cause confusion.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book, if a couple of the classic batched recipes are very tailored to the author’s personal spec, without much reference to standards. I did write down three new recipes to try batched. I use this kind of resource more as a set of ratios, as I like 16 oz recipes for convenience at home…but I get the appeal of using the base spirit’s 750 to make batches for entertaining.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so excited to dive into this book because I have decision fatigue and thinking of things to try and make gets overwhelming. The idea that I could make a batch of something(s), store it in my freezer and have it read made is *chefs-kiss* fantastic. I am loving what I've tried so far!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely produced book, excellent graphics. Can't wait to try the recipes.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boulevardier and the Monte Carlo look like incredibly promising additions for this year’s Xmas party.

[Danielle Noone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

Good recipe ideas for a bunch of different cocktails. I can't wait to try a few of these to keep on hand for whenever the mood strikes.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book and the recipes! My only complaint is wishing each bach cocktail had the recipe for 1 drink so I could try before making a huge batch.