Without Frozen Juice Concentrate, Will Newfoundland Christmas Slush Survive?

If you’re familiar with the holiday tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador known as Christmas slush, you may know some of the fun specifics of its preparation: This frozen batch cocktail is made in a salt beef bucket with frozen orange juice and lemonade concentrates, sugar, pineapple juice and a cheerful amount of amber rum, then it’s  left out overnight on the porch to freeze. Finally, it’s topped with Sprite or 7-Up before it’s scooped and served.

You may also know how beloved Christmas slush is: “When people think of slushy cocktails, most bring to mind visions of warm ocean breezes, swaying palm trees and colourful little umbrellas,” food writer Gabby Peyton wrote for Chatelaine a few years ago. “But in Newfoundland and Labrador, slush means one thing: Christmas.” We’ve since come to learn this, too: Gabby’s Newfoundland Christmas slush recipe has consistently been one of our most-searched-for recipes.

So when we learned earlier this week that Minute Maid’s parent company Coca-Cola plans to halt its production of frozen juice concentrates—two of Christmas slush’s main ingredients—we wondered what would become of this beloved recipe.

For context, the availability of frozen juice concentrates—those bright syrupy tubes of ice many nostalgic millennials and Gen Xers will remember having a dedicated pitcher for—has slowly been declining. Minute Maid was the last Canadian producer of frozen concentrates since Quebec-based Lassonde Industries halted its own production last year. Both companies cite declining consumer demand as the reason they discontinued these products.

Simply replacing the frozen concentrate with a bottle of the freshly squeezed stuff isn’t an option, says Heather Brown, a Newfoundland-based cookbook author and recipe developer who shares her viral regional recipes on TikTok and Instagram under the handle Mrs. Brown’s Kitchen. When I spoke to Brown, it was immediately clear the lack of this ingredient was going to be a problem: within hours of Coca-Cola’s announcement, local news stations had already contacted her about what was going to happen to the beloved Christmas slush.

“My first instinct was to go to a grocery store to put some in the freezer,” she says. Frozen juice concentrates, she explains, have a particular flavour and sugar content that gives Christmas slush its signature texture and taste. Freshly squeezed orange juice and lemonade are more likely to freeze into ice blocks. Moreover, the ritual of making it is part of its joy. “There's no replacement for Newfoundland slush made in a salt beef bucket,” says Brown. “It's a vibe, it's an experience.”

Her first thoughts on ingredient swaps? Getting as close to frozen concentrate as possible out of the package. “I'd definitely go for lower-quality orange juice that's not fresh,” she says. “I'd start with Tetra-pack orange juice, and maybe a little less water.” It’s barely been a day since this news has been announced; Brown is planning on getting to work developing alternative recipes. "It'll be different next year, but Newfoundlanders will find a replacement," says Brown.

We’ll be looking forward to what she comes up with! And, of course, we will keep you posted (and look to update our own recipe accordingly). 

Read more from Gabby Peyton on the history of Christmas slush.