Summer in Oklahoma City is the season for road trips and lazy lake days, for ice cream cones and patios. It’s also high time for a frozen cocktail. As the temperature rises, so too does our appetite for icy drinks, and fortunately for us, OKC is teeming with crafty versions of the cold stuff. Here’s where you should be drinking — and what to order — this summer.
The Mont
As much a rite of passage for OU students as it is for bar-goers in need of refreshment, The Mont is the stuff of potable legend. Open since 1976, the Norman institution ticks all the boxes for a summertime staple: It’s got a massive, tree-shaded patio. It’s got nachos, burgers and guac. And most especially, it’s got a treasure trove of frozen drinks, including Blue Hawaiians, daiquiris and The Mont’s signature Sooner Swirl, a colorful blend of sangria and margarita.
OSO Paseo
With its airy, cacti-clad patio and tropical cocktails, drinking at OSO Paseo feels so much like a coastal vacation that you’d swear you could smell the sea air. Or maybe that’s just the ahi tuna tostadas. On the “Baja Tiki”-inspired drink list, many of said cocktails come frozen, including an orange-scented margarita; sangria made with blackberry brandy and raspberry puree; and the Polar Bear, wherein a frozen marg comes topped with Gran Marnier. These are vacation vibes, after all.
Mexican Radio
Mexican Radio may have relocated from the Plaza District to Midtown, and shifted to a counter-service model, but fear not: the frozen Dole Whip isn’t going anywhere. A calling card of the colorful cantina, the Dole Whip is essentially a Disney-fied frozen margarita, made with tequila, pineapple, banana liqueur, coconut cream, agave, lime and a Fruity Pebbles rim. It’s divine on its own, but even better when ordered as a frozen flight with a lime-y Cuba Libre, the Thunder-Rita with Blue Curacao and Flamingo Frozé with rosé, orange liqueur and grenadine.
BAR SEN
Noodles take top billing at the Plaza’s newly opened BAR SEN, but don’t sleep on the illustrious cocktails. For his anticipated follow-up to next-door Ma Der, chef Jeff Chanchaleune doubled down on drinks, offering a cocktail program that can hold its own alongside his Laotian noodles and pandan cinnamon rolls. Notably, there are a couple frozen libations that rank among the most distinctive in town: the bourbon-spiked Frozen Curry Coffee with yellow curry coconut cream and pecan-coconut cookie crumble, and the Southeast Side, a quenching gin tipple with vermouth, cucumber, Thai basil and aloe.
Truck Yard
At Dallas-based Truck Yard, a sprawling patio party of food trucks, live music and astroturf in Lower Bricktown, imbibers can lean into the quirkiness of it all with flask cocktails and oatmeal cookie shots. There are also several frozen options that are just as irreverent, like the Salted Caramel Mudslide, a Salted Watermelon Marg and the Drunken Leprechaun, flavored with coconut and key lime pie.
The Jones Assembly
A restaurant that loves icy cocktails so much that it annually hosts Frosé-themed birthday bashes, The Jones Assembly is well-versed in elevating the frozen form. That famed frosé is an evergreen menu staple, made with rosé, gin, lemon and strawberry — and is joined by a newer innovation: the Frotini, which blends local Prairie Wolf vodka with espresso liqueur, cold brew and oat milk foam for a crisp riff on an espresso martini.
Spark
For fast-casual refreshment, check out The Jones’ sister concept, Spark. Now with three locations, including the original in Scissortail Park, the eatery pairs burgers and crinkle-cut fries with several frozen Club Specials. Along with the classic, with vodka and lime, guests can try others flavored with peach, blackberry-sage, pineapple-jalapeño and grapefruit-lavender.
R&J Lounge and Supper Club
Retro Americana is the bill of fare at Midtown’s quasi-clandestine R&J Lounge and Supper Club, where classic — and often rare — cocktails are served in a dark, vibe-y space bedecked with funky art and cozy nooks. Among the rarities, like Sidecars and Harvey Wallbangers, bar-goers will find a pitch-perfect Grasshopper, essentially a boozy mint chocolate milkshake. There’s also a section devoted to tiki drinks, including Blue Hawaiians and Painkillers.
