It's 7/11! I might suggest heading to your nearest convenience store for free slurpees, but I won't, because if you are really jonesing for a slushy, I've got a better option right here.

Have you ever seen what is really pumped into those slushy machines in convenience stores? I hadn't, until last summer in Wyoming when an open door gave me a glimpse under the hood, so to speak. It was a massive beast of pumps and tubing, the size of the entire closet and filled with neon colored sugar water that was siphoned off through the walls to be pushed out frozen from the slushy machine. It was truly horrifying, and I'm pretty sure I'll never ever buy another slush again.

Luckily, I don't have to, because my Grandmother has been making a homemade version of slush for decades that is so much better than the convenience store version. It also takes some focus and a little bit of effort before you can drink it, which makes for a refreshing, leisurely break on a hot July day.

Her original recipe also makes for a very sweet result, so I tweaked it a bit to cut down on the sugar and make use of more whole ingredients where I could, like fresh squeezed orange juice instead of concentrate and a higher quality ginger ale. I think I got pretty close to what she's been serving up all these years!  I can almost imagine I'm sitting by a river in Virginia with my feet propped up on a deck, sipping spoonfuls of my slush while I wait for the lighting bugs to come out.

Fruity Ginger Slush

Makes 2 Slushies

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/6 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup pineapple juice (from one 20 oz can pineapple)
• 1/2 banana
• ginger ale, for serving

1. In a small saucepan, boil water and sugar together for a minute or so, until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add sugar water to the orange juice and pineapple juice. Mash banana until smooth and then stir into the juice mixture. 
3. Pour mixture into ice cube molds and freeze until solid.
4. When ready to serve, divide slush cubes between two tall glasses and top with ginger ale. Mash the frozen cubes up a bit with a spoon to combine into a slush and serve immediately.