← Back to Recipes

Blackcurrant & Assam Iced Tea Slushie

By • Updated August 2026
Jump to Recipe ↓

This slushie combines the malty backbone of Assam tea with sharp British blackcurrant cordial, churned to an icy consistency that's perfect for clearing August heat. A slushie maker transforms what would be a simple iced tea into a proper frozen drink—thick, scoopable, and intensely refreshing. It's a brilliant way to use up summer berries and celebrate British fruit seasonality, without the fuss of a blender-and-strain routine.

The method is straightforward: brew strong Assam, sweeten lightly, stir through blackcurrant cordial, then pour into your slushie machine. Within 20 minutes you'll have a glossy, spoonable slush that holds its texture far better than crushed tea ice ever could. It's practical summer drinking, grounded in British fruit and robust tea.

Blackcurrant & Assam Iced Tea Slushie
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Servings2 large slushies
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 500 ml water
  • 3 tbsp loose-leaf Assam tea (or 4 strong Assam teabags)
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar (or to taste)
  • 75 ml blackcurrant cordial (undiluted; use a good British brand like Ribena or homemade)
  • Ice cubes for the slushie maker chamber (check your machine's instructions)
  • Fresh blackcurrants or mint sprigs to garnish (optional)
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 95
Fat: 0g
Sugar: 22g
Protein: 0g

Instructions

1
Brew: Bring 500 ml water to a rolling boil, pour over the Assam tea and steep for 5 minutes to extract a strong, malty base. You want intensity here—tannins are your friend in a slushie, balancing sweetness and fruit.
2
Strain & sweeten: Strain out the leaves (or remove the bags), then immediately stir in the caster sugar until dissolved. Let the tea cool to room temperature—you can speed this by placing the jug in a shallow ice bath for 5 minutes.
3
Add cordial: Once cooled, stir in 75 ml blackcurrant cordial. Taste and add an extra splash if you want more berry punch. The mixture should be sweet and fruity but still noticeably tea-forward.
4
Chill in slushie maker: Pour the blackcurrant-Assam mixture into your slushie maker bowl and switch on. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for ice or freezer-chamber prep. Most countertop machines will churn this to a thick, scoopable slush in 15–20 minutes.
5
Serve: Spoon the slush into chilled glasses, garnish with fresh blackcurrants or a sprig of mint if you like, and serve immediately with a thick straw or long spoon. The texture is best within the first 30 minutes.

🫖 Equipment You'll Need

A slushie maker (also called a frozen-drink machine or granita churner) keeps the ice crystals tiny and evenly distributed as the mixture freezes, so you get a smooth, spoonable texture rather than a block of ice or watery crush. Countertop models with a pre-freeze bowl or compressor work brilliantly for tea-based slushies, where clean fruit flavour and Assam's malty tannins need to shine without being masked by blender froth or diluted by melting cubes.

See our slushie maker picks →

Expert Tip: No Slushie Maker?

Pour the cooled, sweetened tea-and-cordial mix into a shallow metal baking tin and freeze for 3 hours, scraping with a fork every 30 minutes to break up ice crystals. You'll get a rougher granita texture, but it's still delicious—and the manual scraping method lets you control sweetness on the fly.

Continue Your Journey

Affiliate disclosure: TeaTrade is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn commission by linking to Amazon.co.uk. We may earn a small commission if you buy through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices and availability shown on Amazon are current at the time of click.

Comments