Post #356403 by Tikimonkey is now Tiki Trader on Mon, Jan 21, 2008 7:00 PM

Okay, just finished round one. Admittedly, this is a very preliminary round, as I'm playing around with different cuts of ice as well (fine vs. coarse, machine vs. crank vs. hammer in a burlap sack, etc).

The Drink: Navy Grog
The Ice: Fine, Machine-grind
Technique 5-second count blend/mix
The Machines...
Blender: Oster Osterizer, Contemporary Classic Beehive Blender
Mixer: Hamilton Beach Number Thirty Drinkmaster, mfg. 1927

Initial results:
Use of the machine ground fine ice was a bit of a mistake, as the drinks were a touch watery, with a only about 1/4 of the glass containing ice in the served cocktail.

At first sip, the drinks were fairly similar, except for a bit of large bubbling on the top of the mixer-made drink. The visuals of the drink are noticeably different, in that the mixer made drink is slightly less transparent, and the ice has a more natural iceberg shape, with variations in the ice-chunk size. The blender made drink is more of a solid band around the top of the drink.

After 10 minutes or so, the drinks were becoming different. The blender made drink was a bit colder, with smaller condensation droplets, and seemed to be lasting in its initial flavors longer, not succumbing to the melting ice. For test two, I'll need to bring down a thermometer for more concrete data.

At the end of the drinks... well, 9 ounces of rum into a test (had to try out the mixer first... for fun), and see how well you fare. I'll have to make something different, and with a coarser cut of ice tomorrow evening. I'm considering Zombies. Any TCers in the Portland Area who want a free drink (tips welcome, encouraged, and graciously returned with a fancier garnish) send me a PM for an invite and directions.

So far, I'm concluding that the Drinkmaster has some superior connotations for a few reasons. The first, being that it gets hand-hurtingly cold, like a good Ramos Fizz, within SECONDS. The second being that instead of the specialized fitting and cleaning of the glass bottom-blender, even a standard shaker can be used in the Drinkmaster. It is also quieter, and if you can get the triple-capacity model (as at the Chin-Tiki), just looks damned cool behind the bar. The blender doesn't seem to be any bit more sluggish, I just have the natural fear that the difference of one second of the ice in those sharp blades can turn a Mai Tai into a blended drink within seconds (though, seriously, shake your Mai Tais).

I took pictures, which will be on the site soon, after tonight's recovery.