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  • An adult snow cone with passion fruit puree and tequila,...

    Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant

    An adult snow cone with passion fruit puree and tequila, from Harlan Brasserie in the Goodwin Hotel.

  • The original "Merlita" wine slushie from Sunset Meadow.

    Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant

    The original "Merlita" wine slushie from Sunset Meadow.

  • A red and white swirled wine slushie and the sangria...

    Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant

    A red and white swirled wine slushie and the sangria of the day (a cucumber watermelon variety is pictured) from Brignole's.

  • Chango Rosa's Pink Monkey, with strawberry-infused Angostura rum, rhubarb and...

    Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant

    Chango Rosa's Pink Monkey, with strawberry-infused Angostura rum, rhubarb and lime, comes out smooth and icy from a slushie machine.

  • Any of Savoy's signature cocktails can be served in snow...

    Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant

    Any of Savoy's signature cocktails can be served in snow cone form, but the staff has been experimenting with flavors like watermelon crush (with watermelon vodka and seasonal rum punch); and the ZoCone featuring Zima, with blue curaçao and grenadine.

  • 50 West's Bistro Bramble: gin, simple syrup, lemon and black...

    Suzie Hunter/Hartford Courant

    50 West's Bistro Bramble: gin, simple syrup, lemon and black currant liqueur over crushed ice.

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Imagine if the ice cream truck sold booze. This summer, we’ve noticed a few local restaurants and bars are remixing some nostalgic treats into cocktails: liquored-up snow cones, slushie machines filled with wine and rum, and ice pops that play nicely with bubbly. (Just beware of brain freeze.)

Chango Rosa's Pink Monkey, with strawberry-infused Angostura rum, rhubarb and lime, comes out smooth and icy from a slushie machine.
Chango Rosa’s Pink Monkey, with strawberry-infused Angostura rum, rhubarb and lime, comes out smooth and icy from a slushie machine.

Chango Rosa

Cocktails at Chango Rosa, the new Latin American-inspired restaurant by Bear’s Smokehouse owners Jamie and Cheryl McDonald, feature tropical-influenced flavors like coconut, passion fruit, acaí and kiwi. The eponymous Pink Monkey frozen drink, with strawberry-infused Angostura rum, rhubarb and lime, comes out smooth and icy from a slushie machine. $9.

Chango Rosa, 1 Union Place, is open Sunday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The bar remains open until midnight. 860-479-6662, changorosa.com.

Any of Savoy's signature cocktails can be served in snow cone form, but the staff has been experimenting with flavors like watermelon crush (with watermelon vodka and seasonal rum punch); and the ZoCone featuring Zima, with blue curacao and grenadine.
Any of Savoy’s signature cocktails can be served in snow cone form, but the staff has been experimenting with flavors like watermelon crush (with watermelon vodka and seasonal rum punch); and the ZoCone featuring Zima, with blue curacao and grenadine.

Savoy

The bar staff at Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar in West Hartford has been having fun with crushed ice, spirits and flavoring this summer, experimenting with snow cones ($5 to $7.50) in varieties like watermelon crush (with watermelon vodka, fresh watermelon juice and housemade basil syrup) and seasonal rum punch. The ZoCone features Zima, the throwback ’90s-era cult malt beverage enjoying a limited-time resurgence, with blue curacao and grenadine. Any of Savoy’s signature cocktails can be served in snow cone form, says managing partner Dante Cistulli, priced accordingly.

Savoy, 32 LaSalle Road, is open Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. (Bar stays open until last call.) 860-969-1000 and savoypizzeria.com.

An adult snow cone with passion fruit puree and tequila, from Harlan Brasserie in the Goodwin Hotel.
An adult snow cone with passion fruit puree and tequila, from Harlan Brasserie in the Goodwin Hotel.

Harlan Brasserie

Who said you had to stop enjoying snow cones when you reached your adult years? At Harlan Brasserie, the new restaurant within Hartford’s recently renovated Goodwin Hotel, the childhood favorite is reimagined for the 21-plus crowd, with liquor, simple syrup and fruit puree drizzled over shaved ice in a paper cone. Recent flavors have included wild blueberry with vodka and passion fruit with tequila. $5.

The Side Bar lounge at Harlan Brasserie, 1 Haynes St., is open Tuesday through Saturday starting at 3 p.m. 860-904-7292, harlanbrasserie.com.

Butchers And Bakers' strawberry prosecco popsicle cocktail is a housemade strawberry ice pop submerged in a glass of sparkling wine.
Butchers And Bakers’ strawberry prosecco popsicle cocktail is a housemade strawberry ice pop submerged in a glass of sparkling wine.

Butchers & Bakers

Carefree childhood memories meet adult indulgences with Butchers & Bakers’ strawberry prosecco popsicle cocktail, featuring a housemade strawberry ice pop submerged in a glass of sparkling wine. Make it a weekend brunch treat out on the patio, with coal-fired Dutch baby pancakes or “Elvis” French toast with peanut butter, banana and creme anglaise. $9.

Butchers & Bakers, 270 Farmington Ave., Farmington, is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. 860-470-7414, butchersandbakers.com.

50 West's Bistro Bramble: gin, simple syrup, lemon and black currant liqueur over crushed ice.
50 West’s Bistro Bramble: gin, simple syrup, lemon and black currant liqueur over crushed ice.

50 West’s Bistro Bramble

After four months as the Asian-inspired Bob Ramen, the original 50 West is back, but has adopted the “laid-back rock ‘n’ roll vibe” of its predecessor, owner Patrick Miceli told The Courant in June. The refreshing Bistro Bramble ($9) is a take on a previous Bob cocktail, with gin, simple syrup, lemon and black currant liqueur over crushed ice, and 50 West also offers a “whimsical and fun” tiki drink menu (all $8) for patio sipping.

50 West, 50 W. Main St., Plainville, is open Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m. 860-351-5066, facebook.com/50WestCT.

The original “Merlita” wine slushie from Sunset Meadow.

Sunset Meadow

You could say Sunset Meadow was years ahead of the frosé trend. At the Litchfield Hills winery, which opened its tasting room in 2008, guests eagerly await warm weather for the appearance of its popular “merlitas,” or wine slushies. The tasting room recently added a “Cayuga Colada” white wine variety to complement its original merlot-based flavor. $5.

Sunset Meadow, 599 Old Middle Street in Goshen, is open Sunday, Monday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 860-201-4654, sunsetmeadowvineyards.com.

A red and white swirled wine slushie and the sangria of the day (a cucumber watermelon variety is pictured) from Brignole's.
A red and white swirled wine slushie and the sangria of the day (a cucumber watermelon variety is pictured) from Brignole’s.

Brignole Vineyards

When the temperature rises, Brignole Vineyards in East Granby also turns on its slush machines, churning its wine and juice into frosty, thirst-quenching coolers. Choose from red or white varieties, or swirl the two for the best of both flavors, and soak up the sun on the winery’s large outdoor deck overlooking rows of vines. $12.

Brignole Vineyards, 103 Hartford Ave., is open Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Summer hours may be extended. 860-653-9463 brignolevineyards.com.

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