How to build a slush that actually slushes
SlushLabs takes the guesswork out of frozen cocktails and alcoholic slushies. It calculates sugar content (°Brix), alcohol content (ABV) and estimated freezing behaviour live as you build, so your mix slushes properly without trial and error.
1. Set your machine temperatures
Enter the typical barrel temperatures for your slush machine, or pick a preset:
- Home machine (e.g. Ninja Slushi): about −5 °C in chill mode, −9 °C in freeze mode
- Commercial machine (e.g. SnowShock): about −6 °C chill, −11 °C freeze
Unsure? −6 and −10 are safe defaults.
2. Enter your ingredients
For each ingredient, enter the volume, the ABV (alcohol %) and the Brix (sugar %). Start typing an ingredient name and SlushLabs will suggest presets with typical values: simple syrup is about 50 °Bx, orange juice about 12 °Bx, spirits about 40% ABV. You can also save your own ingredients (with brand and nutrition-label Brix estimates) on the My ingredients page.
3. Read the live results
- Final ABV: should stay under 10% for most slush machines
- Final Brix: the sweet spot is roughly 13 to 15 °Bx
- Estimated freezing point: where your mix begins to freeze
- Slush point: where it will likely start slushing in your machine
- Suitability: a green / amber / red verdict on whether it will slush
4. Adjust until it’s green
- ABV over 10%? Reduce spirits or add non-alcoholic mixers.
- Brix under 12? Add sugar (syrup, juice, or coconut cream).
- Brix over 20? Dilute with water or juice.
- Slush point too cold for your machine? Reduce alcohol first; boost sugar only if ABV is already low.
Why the 10% ABV ceiling?
At 10% ABV a mix starts freezing around −5 °C, and only partially. As ABV climbs, the freezing point drops further and less water freezes, leaving a thin, soupy slush at best. Most machines chill the mix to 2 to 4 °C warmer than the barrel sensor, so if your drink freezes at −9 °C or lower, it won’t slush.
Tips for consistent slush
- Chill all ingredients first. Warm batches delay freezing and strain compressors.
- Use a digital refractometer for accurate Brix readings on juices, syrups and purées.
- Test small batches to validate before scaling up (the builder has a one-tap batch scaler).
ABV to Brix reference table
| ABV % | Optimal Brix (chill) | Optimal Brix (freeze) | Est. freezing pt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 15 | 17 | 0 °C |
| 1 | 14.75 | 16.75 | -0.4 °C |
| 2 | 14.5 | 16.5 | -0.8 °C |
| 3 | 14.25 | 16.25 | -1.2 °C |
| 4 | 14 | 16 | -1.6 °C |
| 5 | 13.75 | 15.75 | -2 °C |
| 6 | 13.5 | 15.5 | -2.4 °C |
| 7 | 13.25 | 15.25 | -2.8 °C |
| 8 | 13 | 15 | -3.2 °C |
| 9 | 12.75 | 14.75 | -3.6 °C |
| 10 | 12.5 | 14.5 | -4 °C |
| 11 | 12.25 | 14.25 | -4.4 °C |
| 12 | 12 | 14 | -4.8 °C |
| 13 | 12 | 13.75 | -5.2 °C |
| 14 | 12 | 13.5 | -5.6 °C |
| 15 | 12 | 13.25 | -6 °C |
| 16 | 12 | 13 | -6.4 °C |
| 17 | 12 | 12.75 | -6.8 °C |
| 18 | 12 | 12.5 | -7.2 °C |
| 19 | 12 | 12.25 | -7.6 °C |
| 20 | 12 | 12 | -8 °C |