Post #593211 by Cincy_Tiki_Craig on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 9:35 PM

Hi Jokeiii,

I think that you made a capital point about ingredients such as fruit (think pineapple) that needs to be broken down, such as for a Boo Loo or a Pina Colada. An immersion blender is simply not up to the task of breaking fruit down. Nor is an immersion blender up to the task of crushing ice, as you correctly pointed out.

When I recommended an immersion blender, I guess that I was thinking more about classic DTB-type drinks that call for ice that has already been crushed, such as a Navy Grog, Scorpion Bowl, etc, which call for "the 5 second blend". In drinks such as these, I think that an immersion blender is still the way to go (aside from an old fashioned top-down mixer, which is the best choice of course). A regular blender's blades will over-process the ice, crushing it into too small fragments which will melt too quickly in your drink. Your suggestion of the Oster "milkshake blade" is perhaps the perfect compromise between the top-down, immersion & traditional blenders for these types of drinks (the types that call for already crushed ice). Better still, if you can get the metal pitcher for your Oster blender, which chills just perfectly, plus the "milkshake blade", that's the real "Mai Tai - Roa Ae"!

Cheers,

Craig