There’s nothing quite like a frosty cold treat on a hot day. Cactus Cooler Frozen Treats are super easy to make and will definitely hit the spot. Make them for your family soon!

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Cactus Cooler Frozen Treats

Back when David and I were in our early dating years, we would occasionally visit his mom and sister when they were living in San Clemente. We would head to the beach on a Friday after school in his ’66 Mustang, listening to The Beach Boys, Steely Dan, Kansas or one of a handful of other 8-tracks David owned. With the windows down because there was no air conditioning in the car, we enjoyed the gradually cooling air as we got closer to the beach.

In the evenings, the four of us often played Scrabble and enjoyed a special treat his mom made for us – Cactus Coolers. Ah…those simpler days of the late 70s!

When David and I were in California recently, we picked up a couple of cartons of Cactus Cooler, a pineapple-orange soft drink, so I could recreate these special memories. And I want to share it with you!

Two ingredients…that’s all it takes! And please ignore the smudged switch plate in the background.

Cactus Cooler Frozen Treats

Ingredients

3-4 scoops rainbow sherbet
1/3 to 1/2 can Cactus Cooler pineapple orange soda

Instructions

Place 3-4 scoops of rainbow sherbet in freezer safe beverage container.
Slowly pour 1/3 to 1/2 can of soda over sherbet, leaving about 3/4 inch space to top of container.
Place beverage container in freezer and chill for 30-60 minutes.
Pour additional soda over frozen treat if desired. Serve with long handled spoon and straw.

These are the tumblers I use for this treat:

You can also use tempered glasses but use caution. Make sure you don’t cover the tops and only leave them in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes. I once had some heavy glass mugs that were safe for the freezer but honestly, if you’re going to purchase something for frozen drinks I’d stick with stainless steel. In addition to being unbreakable, they are lighter weight and safe for kids.

Plus, you can just leave them in the freezer empty and use them for any drink you want to have extra cold and frosty. My grandfather had a set of large, stainless steel mugs with handles that he always kept in the freezer. My parents ended up with a couple of them and did the same. My dad really enjoyed drinking Diet Pepsi from these.

Substitution for Cactus Cooler:

Unless you live in Southern California or perhaps a nearby area, you’ve likely never seen Cactus Cooler in your stores. It’s definitely a regional thing. You can buy a case from Amazon but it’s ridiculously expensive. Instead, you can substitute orange soda, pineapple soda (Fanta makes one) or preferably a mix of the two.

While the “original” version uses rainbow sherbet and Cactus Cooler, you can certainly switch things up with other combinations. Try lime sherbet and ginger ale, for instance. And don’t forget the Scrabble game!

Scrabble: Retro Series