Blender cocktails have a bad rap.
Unlike a lot of things, though, the blender cocktail earned its reputation. I've hadhorribleones. Sticky-sweet drinks made in a rickety old blender at a dive bar. Or the one with a little too much booze at my friend's backyard barbecue. Or the hard-to-mess-up frozen margarita that somehow manages to get messed up anyway.
But why can't a blender cocktail be fantastic? After all, we're talking about the same ingredients used in most cocktails—alcohol, some sort of citrus or fruit, and ice—mixed together into smooth, drinkable oblivion.
Well, I went ahead and created a great one: the Life's a Peach, a balanced, fruity whiskey cocktail that does the blender cocktail category justice.
The drink starts with peaches. It's August, so head to the farmers' market and buy them fresh in peak season shape. Come home, slice them up, and place the peaches on a baking sheet in the freezer until solid—they'll be easier to blend and make for a better cocktail this way. Frozen peaches from the grocery store will also work in a pinch (or, you know, this winter when you're craving this cocktail again).
Next comes whiskey, which can be a tough spirit when it comes to the hot summer heat. But if anything can save a brown spirit from its rich, heavy self it's sweet fruit. I doubled down on the sweetness with honey, and rounded out the drink with both lemon and lime juice.
Finally, I toss in a very small amount of cardamom. Any more than not very much is way more than you need.
Blend until smooth, pour into a few glasses, and spend the rest of your afternoon wondering why you ever doubted the blender cocktail's greatness.
