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Best Frozen Drinks In Minnesota

Summers as a kid always meant scraping for change to buy something cold and sweet from the passing ice cream truck. But why should the kids have all the fun? While there aren't any ice cream trucks slinging popsicles shaped like vodka bottles, we adults have bars and lounges all across the state that will serve us frozen drinks as satisfyingly sweet as any bomb pop or orange creamsicle or push-pop. Adults should enjoy the summer as only adults can, with the ice cold sweetness of childhood. Why not? We've earned it.

The Torpedo Room
Eat Street Social
18 W. 26th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55404
(612) 767-6850
www.eatstreetsocial.com

You can have your childhood Dreamsicle made with vanilla orange syrup, orange liqueur, cream and Bittercube orange bitters. Or try something like the Nectar, with Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac, almond vanilla syrup, cream and orange blossom water for a sophisticated cocktail in sno cone form. Be careful, without mom there to tell you that you can't have another, it's easy to have a few too many. You can also order them without alcohol for a cool treat that's also safe for children.

Ward 6
858 Payne Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55130
(651) 348-8181
www.ward6stpaul.com

Channel your inner child and enjoy a milkshake. There's nothing wrong with that. And then you realize that it's an adult milkshake, made with rum, Rumchata, raisins and cinnamon like the Rum Raisin, or the decadently sweet Mom's Salted Caramel that mixes Absolut Vanilia with dark cacao and caramel and adds a salted rim for a drink that will satisfy any sweet tooth. With all of the rich, ice cream goodness of a milkshake and the warm alcohol buzz wrapping you up, these milkshakes are a treat all year long.

Psycho Suzi's
1900 Marshall St. N.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-9069
www.psychosuzis.com

Colorful drinks? Daiquiris? A kitschy, tiki setting complete with torches? Something has got to get us through the winter. But these drinks are even better when the heat of summer is taking its toll and something cold and refreshing is more than necessary. You can find daiquiris and other icy island drinks at Psycho Suzi's upstairs bars, or enjoy a blended margarita if you're in the mood for tequila. It's up to you which of these refreshers will cool you down, as the dog days of summer are best dealt with ice and alcohol.

Related: Best Summer Drinks

Salsa a la Salsa
1420 Nicollet Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 813-1970
www.salsaalasalsa.com

Frozen drinks mean vacation. Vacation to the white sandy beaches of Mexico? Sounds nice. Without leaving Minnesota? Even better. The large, frozen margaritas here are sweet, but not too sweet, and sour. Enjoy cool blends of tequila as either classic or strawberry. You'll get no frills, no crazy glasses and no overwhelmingly large menus of different sorts and styles, just delicious margaritas that are the perfect drink for a hot day in Minneapolis.

Conga Latin Bistro
501 Hennepin Ave. E.
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 331-3360
www.congalatinbistro.com

Tastes from coasts south of the border mingle in Northeast Minneapolis' dancing, dining and drinking emporium. Float away to a place where the ocean awaits you at the edge of the beach. Enjoying a classic pina colada here will make you wonder if you should have shown up in your bathing suit; everything from the refreshingly cold ice to the sweet of the coconut and the rum will wash all of your worries away. Whether you've come to dance or lean back and enjoy a colada, you'll be welcome here.

Related: Five Reasons To Visit Minnesota This Summer

Adrian Schramm is a resident Saint Paul writer with a passion for all things local. Through his work with Saint Paul Almanac and Minneapolis Examiner at Examiner.com, as well as in the kitchens of bars and restaurants around town, he has discovered what truly makes the Twin Cities tick.

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