Post #548927 by Koitiki on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 8:58 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone. We experimented first with small quantities in our blender. We tried several dacquiris, but couldn't get them to taste as good as they do at the Mai Kai, but really, do they ever? Missionary's downfall was tasty, but the procurement of large quantities of mint posed a problem, as everyone's mint plants died last winter. Small bunches at my grocery were pricey. I've since heard it can be found cheaper at Asian markets. Also there was some concern over the bulk of the plants in the machine. We heard that pulp can screw up the machine.

We ended up filling one side of the machine with Lei Lani Volcano from Beachbum's Remixed. We made the recipe as written and straight multiplied it for the quantity desired. Then we added 1/4- 1/3 again as much water to create the slushy ice. They came out excellent! The Lei Lani is on the sweeter side with the guava. Against my advice the other side of the machine was filled with a Hurricane machine mix doctored with some fruit juice. It wasn't heinous, but was an unearthly color of red and of course not as good as the other.

The machine we used was a commercial machine. These take longer to freeze, but keep the mix a more consistent consistency. Many of the party rental types will freeze faster, but sometimes let the drink become almost solid. I recommend asking a lot of questions. Also quanity of liquid, amount of alcohol and room (or outdoor) temp affect the freeze time. When we did a batch of about 6 drinks, it only took about 20 minutes. When filled it took more than 5 hours. This was outside in 100 degree temps. Supposedly it speeds up the process if you chill the ingredients before pouring them in the machine.

Happy slushy-ing!

[ Edited by: koitiki 2010-09-13 17:59 ]