It's the height of summer, and there's simply nothing more enticing than a chilled drink swirling in a machine at your local bar. Who doesn't adore drinks like sweet and sour Margaritas, chocolatey Mudslides or fruity Saturns? They're refreshing and delicious all at once, but it can be notoriously tricky to imitate that perfect slushy consistency when you're at home.

Let's admit, most bars use frozen drink machines - often known as Margarita machines. Much like their ice cream cousins, these machines freeze the liquid while continuously mixing in air, leading to tiny ice crystals and a lusciously light texture to your drink. While these machines were a hit in the '70s and '80s, today's bartenders typically rely on a blender to create that slushy cocktail magic. However, blenders can sometimes lead to drinks with an inconsistent texture. Factors like room-temperature ingredients, irregularly-shaped ice, and excess water can all contribute to watered-down drinks.

But fret not, you can still achieve bar-level frozen cocktails with your standard blender, if you know the tricks of the trade. We've collected six expert methods to help you whip up creamy, smooth, and ice-cold cocktails at home, straight from professional bartenders' recipe books.

"Temperature control is the secret sauce for frozen cocktails," advises Ben Hopkins, the beverage director at Pitt’s and Agi’s Counter in Brooklyn. Mixing ice with spirits, syrups, or juices at room temperature can cause the ice to melt faster, resulting in a watered-down version of your cocktail. Hopkins' solution is to prepare your cocktail mix in advance and keep it refrigerated overnight before you throw it in the blender. Kevin Beary, beverage director of Three Dots and a Dash and Gus’s Sip and Dip in Chicago, employs a similar pre-blend chilling technique in his bars, combining and freezing all cocktail ingredients (except for fresh juices), and blending them with crushed ice and fresh juice when serving.

Both shaking and stirring a cocktail with ice can wonderfully chill the cocktail while adding a dash of dilution. However, the ice in a frozen drink plays a more substantial role, as it forms a large part of the cocktail. That's why, when recreating a traditionally shaken or stirred cocktail in its frozen form, Hopkins adjusts the quantity of the cocktail ingredients so that the drink's flavors are highlighted.

While blenders have large capacities, Carolina Gonzalez, beverage director of Diego and Trino in Chicago, strongly recommends crafting frozen cocktails one at a time. Doing it this way allows for better control over dilution, slowing down the drink's melting and maintaining the drink's consistency.

Not all ice is created equal when it comes to frozen drinks, the right size can significantly reduce blend time, helping to minimize dilution. Preferred are ice crystals small enough not to harm your blender, but robust and as dry as possible. To achieve this, Hopkins fills a clean trash bag with ice, then reduces it to pea-sized pieces by hitting it with a rolling pin or meat cleaver.

"Ice enthusiasts might have a pebble ice maker at home, which I highly recommend for frozen cocktails," says Gonzalez. "Pebble ice boasts a finer texture and takes longer to melt. Added bonus: it puts less strain on your blender."

While it might not be the most straightforward task to measure ice in a traditional kitchen cup due to the varied shapes and sizes, you can use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients with precision.

The ultimate recipe for frozen drinks typically involves equal parts ice and liquid cocktail ingredients, notes Hopkins. Starting with the empty blender on zero, add the liquid ingredients first and finally, an equal amount (weight-wise) of ice, then blend until it achieves a smooth consistency.

Hopkins also reveals a secret ingredient - xanthan gum - a common emulsifier often found in restaurant kitchens that helps to achieve soft, creamy cocktails. Even home bartenders can use it to improve the texture and mouthfeel of their frozen cocktails. Small amounts make a big difference. Adding just one teaspoon of xanthan gum per frozen drink portion can mimic the creamy, silky quality of a professional frozen machine without compromising the dilution for texture. You can find this secret ingredient in the baking aisle at your grocery store or online.