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Margarita Texas

Tips For Renting a Margarita Machine

By News

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Do you think all margarita machines are created equally? Think again. Save yourself the headaches for after the party instead of before by renting a margarita machine that will have your guests raving about your delicious frozen margaritas. We have personally used several of the brands available for rentals and for the most part they will all eventually produce the frozen margarita you desire but a few do it better than the others.

Typically, a company will list the type of machine they provide which is an extremely important piece of information. We personally recommend the Crathco Grindmaster 3311 or similar model. Some companies have a similar brand called the Frosty Factory Frozen Drink Machine which looks and functions like the Crathco. These are heavy duty stainless steel margarita machines that you will commonly see in restaurants. The ingredients are mixed into the top and feed down into the cooling chamber as drinks are poured. When the top portion hits a low level, it will remind you with an annoying screeching beep that it is hungry for more liquid. This creates a never ending flow of consistent frozen margaritas. The machine freezes quickly too, roughly 30 min, and we have tested it indoors and outdoors.

We have also rented the BUNN machine and Parrot Ice as well. The Parrot ice has similarities to the Cratcho and freezes quickly but has plastic coverings all over which makes it fragile and adds to the cleaning process. We recommend staying away from the BUNN unless used under optimal conditions. The plastic containers have thin walls so any increase in temperature can cause delays in freezing which already take over two hours when connected indoors. Using these outdoors is not recommended as you will just end up with cold liquid.

Another item to check on is if the rental company requires you to use their provided margarita mix which usually comes in an unnatural neon green color concentrate form. It is going to be a cheaper alternative but the quality of drink will suffer. Don’t rent a top quality machine only to put antifreeze looking margarita mix in it. All of our margarita recipes can be scaled up to fit the machine size but we would caution against throwing in fruit or solids as it could cause problems stopping up the moving parts and make cleaning a disaster. This is why the rental companies want you to use their product because they know it will not mess up their equipment.

Lastly, follow the rental companies guidelines for usage on power. If they do not provide this information, make sure you ask. Most require a dedicated electrical circuit so if you are running a margarita machine, lights, and a stereo off of one circuit,  you may have a hard time achieving a frozen drink or add hours to the time it takes to freeze.

Adding a margarita machine to your party is almost a guarantee for success. Hopefully, these tips for renting a margarita machine will help you avoid having your guests arrive only to end up pouring neon green somewhat cold liquid into their glasses.

Our video review of the Crathco machine:

If you  want more recipes:

Download a copy of our free eBook "Margarita Recipes Revealed" where restaurants reveal their secrets to making the best margarita and include previously undisclosed recipes.

Best Tequila For Margaritas

By News

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Best Tequila For MargaritasOne of the most common questions we are asked besides how to scale up a margarita recipe from a single serve to a 5 gallon margarita machine (our readers like to party apparently) is what is the best tequila for margaritas. If you have been to a liquor store recently, you may have noticed the incredibly large selection of tequila choices. Everything from blanco to anejo or bottles that are in the shape of Texas and even a Tommy gun. Where do  you start?

Most importantly, we recommend using a 100% blue agave tequila. We have touched on this in previous posts but its worth mentioning again. This type of tequila is made entirely with blue agave instead of a mixto which is 51% blue agave and 49% sugars. Trust us, you don’t want to wake up with a mixto hangover caused by the sugar addition and processes (definitely not by over drinking, right?). Labels typically indicate 100% blue agave (or 100% de agave) or just “tequila” for mixto. Also, we can’t think of any 100% blue agave tequila that comes in a plastic gallon container so it’s probably wise to steer clear of those.

Blanco and reposados are the most common 100% blue agave tequilas that can be found in a margarita. Blanco’s are not aged so you get more of the flavor of the agave coming through and sometimes a subtle sweetness.  We have found reposados can add another layer of complexity due to the oak characteristics from barrel aging. Anejo’s are usually more expensive and you would be better off experiencing them sipping from a snifter. We’ve had a margarita made with Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia anjeo tequila and while it was quite tasty (and expensive), the additions of a lime base and orange liqueur muddled all of the flavors that are so unique with this tequila.

We won’t judge you for what tequila you decide to use but if you are dumping 5 bottles of random plastic jug mixtos into your margarita machine, the party invitation you sent us mysteriously became lost in the mail.

Margarita Recipe

Here is our go-to margarita recipe. We used it to win first place at the Margarita & Salsa Festival in Waco, Texas.

– 4 oz Margarita Texas Mix
– 3 oz Blanco or Reposado Tequila (100% blue agave)
– 2 oz Orange Liqueur

Combine all ingredients into a strainer. Strain into glass. Serve on the rocks.

What are you favorite brands of tequila for a margarita? Do you prefer reposado or blanco?

if you enjoyed this article, we welcome you to: 

Download a copy of our free eBook "Margarita Recipes Revealed" where restaurants reveal their secrets to making the best margarita and include previously undisclosed recipes.