It’s hot, you’re thirsty – these ice-cold drinks are the answer.

We’re not shy about using a load of ice in our drinks. We’re also partial to a frozen cocktail (and you bet we’re eyeing off a slushy machine). But sometimes, when the temperature soars and you need a sweet fix, sorbet is the only way forward. The Italians know it, gelato fans the world over know it, but we’re here to add this excellent frozen treat into cocktails. Because why not? And we think you should, too.

While many sorbets are quite sweet, they can also be deliciously tangy, bright and tart, which are excellent flavours to find in a drink. To show you just how good they can be, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite cocktails that are made with sorbet. In many cases, the frozen flavours are interchangeable too, so whether you’re a staunch lemon fan or prefer something fruitier, there’s a whole lot of mixing, matching and tasting to be had.

The Lemon Sherbet Margarita in a silver coupe with a salted rim

1. Lemon Sherbet Margarita

If the name of this cocktail doesn’t immediately grab you, then we suggest you jog on. This is an exceptional riff on the classic Marg that’s extra zingy. It brings all the goodness of a Margarita, with tequila and agave syrup, but switches lime juice for lemon, adds limoncello, and caps it off with a scoop of lemon sorbet. Throw in a salted glass rim and you have a refreshingly mouth-puckering Marg. If that’s all a little too much lemon for you, it works a treat with just about every other flavour of sorbet.

2. Sgroppino

Vodka, sorbet and prosecco may sound like an unexpected trio, but they create one very delicious cocktail. With our recipe for the Sgroppino (scroe-pee-noe), you can choose to mix the three ingredients together in a metal bowl with a fork or give it a quick blitz in a blender instead. We recommend you go for the latter so you can scale it up for a crowd (just go easy so you don’t lose all the fizz). Because, trust us, once your mates see this cocktail come out, they’re all going to want one.

The Sgroppino is a simple refreshing cocktail made with prosecco

The Mango Colada is creamy, sweet, fruity and refreshing

3. Mango Colada

Didn’t know the Piña Colada could get any better? If you happen to like mangoes, then we have just the thing. The Mango Colada is the best kind of summer cocktail – think sweet, creamy and tropical, which somehow tastes like a dream island holiday. Rum still does the heavy lifting, but fresh mango and mango sorbet step in to bring the fruity vibes. A splash of Aperol, lime juice and coconut cream round it out to complete this very pretty, very tasty, sunset-hued treat.

4. Lao Gan Martini

If you’re not usually one for super sweet cocktails, we’re here to remind you about one of our all-time favourite creations, the Lao Gan Martini. This is a mix of vodka, yuzu liqueur, lemon juice, honey syrup, lemon sorbet and a pinch of salt, but the real kicker is in the finish. This cocktail gets topped with a few drops of the moreish Lao Gan Ma chilli oil, which brings heat, umami and a little complexity to balance out all that citrus and sweetness. Delish.

The Lao Gan Martini is finished with chilli oil

The Tropical Non-Alc Sgroppino is made with zero% beer

5. Tropical Non-Alc Sgroppino

We’re pretty proud of our non-alc cocktails, and this one is up there with the best of them. The Tropical Non-Alc Sgroppino has a few more ingredients than the traditional Sgroppino above, but it’s worth it. Our recipe uses passionfruit sorbet, grapefruit juice, lime juice, sugar and a pinch of salt, and it all gets a refreshing twist with non-alcoholic beer. This is a fresh, frothy, sweet and tart cocktail, and the malty backbone from the zero% beer brings it all together.

6. Strawberry Patch

We’re big fans of Froomes around here – not least because she knows how to make a mean cocktail. Follow her lead and whip up the Strawberry Patch, which gets its flavour from strawberry sorbet – the higher quality the better, so swinging past your favourite gelato shop is a good idea. Blitzed together with limoncello and prosecco, consider this a lighter, strawberry twist on the Sgroppino. Garnished with basil for a herbal hit, this crowd-pleaser is sweet, tart and ice-cold, and set to be on high rotation this season.

The Strawberry Patch cocktail is made with strawberry sorbet

The Frozen G&T is a simple, refreshing twist on the traditional G&T

7. Frozen G&T

If you’re a G&T purist, look away now. But everybody else? Gather round because Rob Libecans of Melbourne’s Caretaker’s Cottage (#19 bar in the world, thank you very much) and new venue Three Horses has given this classic cocktail an icy glow-up. There’s gin and there’s tonic, but the addition is lemon sorbet, and it all gets whisked together in a bowl to smooth out any lumps and make it light and fluffy. This is one of those genius cocktails that’s tough to mess up, which is just how we like it.