Frozen Hot Chocolate

This delicious cross between a milk shake and a slushie makes for a surprisingly refreshing (and easy) summertime dessert. You can add about 1/4 cup of chocolate or coffee liqueur for a boozy kick, if you like.

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• 2 cups ice cubes
• 3 Tbs. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate shavings (made with a vegetable peeler)

Blend the milk, cream, cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a blender until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Add the ice and blend just until slushy. Transfer to glasses, top with the chocolate shavings, and serve immediately with spoons.

Chocolate Egg Cream

An egg cream is a frothy, indulgent drink that tastes similar to an ice cream soda. My dad made them for me all the time when I was a kid, and he showed me the right way to maximize the glorious foam head and was clear that you need a pretzel rod as an edible stirrer. I make my own simple chocolate syrup instead of using the traditional store-bought one.Visit our Drinks & Entertaining page for more icy cool drink recipies, including our Popsicles for grown-ups.

• 1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-1/2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. boiling water
• 1/2 cup very cold nonfat milk
• 1-1/2 cups seltzer water (not club soda)
• 1 pretzel rod

In a small cup, mix together the cocoa and sugar. Add the water and stir well until a paste is formed. Put the milk in a tall fountain glass. Slowly add the seltzer water. Stir gently. Drizzle the chocolate syrup in slowly, being careful to disturb the foam as little as possible. Stir gently with a tall spoon. Your drink should be two-toned, chocolate brown on the bottom with white foam on top. Serve with a pretzel rod.

Raspberry & Champagne Ice Cream Floats

This recipe, excerpted from the cookbook Dessert Express, is an elegant take on the ice cream soda, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a handful of raspberries floating in a glass of champagne.Searching for more refreshing beverages? Find what you're looking for in our Drinks and Entertaining Guide.

• 1 cup fresh raspberries, picked over
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
• 1/4 cup framboise or other raspberry eau de vie
• 2 cups chilled dry champagne or sparkling wine

Put 2 Tbs. of the raspberries in the bottom of each of 4 tall glasses. Top with a 1/4-cup scoop of ice cream. Drizzle 1 Tbs. framboise into each glass, then top with another 2 Tbs. of raspberries an danother 1/4-cup scoop of ice cream. Pour 1/2 cup of champagne into each glass. Serve immediately with a straw and a long-handled spoon.

Classic Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

An easy, healthy eye-opener to start the day on the right track.

• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 banana, peeled
• 2 heaping cups (12 oz.) individually quick-frozen strawberries

Put the orange juice, yogurt, banana, and 1 cup of the berries in a blender. Blend using the pulse option (or start at a low speed and gradually increase to high). Once blended, add the remaining berries one at a time through the jar cap’s fill hole while the machine is running. Blend until smooth.

Chocolate Egg Cream

An egg cream is a frothy, indulgent drink that tastes similar to an ice cream soda. My dad made them for me all the time when I was a kid, and he showed me the right way to maximize the glorious foam head and was clear that you need a pretzel rod as an edible stirrer. I make my own simple chocolate syrup instead of using the traditional store-bought one.Visit our Drinks & Entertaining page for more icy cool drink recipies, including our Popsicles for grown-ups.

• 1 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2-1/2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. boiling water
• 1/2 cup very cold nonfat milk
• 1-1/2 cups seltzer water (not club soda)
• 1 pretzel rod

In a small cup, mix together the cocoa and sugar. Add the water and stir well until a paste is formed. Put the milk in a tall fountain glass. Slowly add the seltzer water. Stir gently. Drizzle the chocolate syrup in slowly, being careful to disturb the foam as little as possible. Stir gently with a tall spoon. Your drink should be two-toned, chocolate brown on the bottom with white foam on top. Serve with a pretzel rod.