As an eternal optimist, I am always planning what I am going to do with my winnings when I win the Lottery, the drawing at a charity event, a door prize at a Company function, or a raffle at a school gala. Crazy as it may sound, I am always so confident I am going to win that this extensive planning process seems like a necessity! While the reality is that I pretty much always lose, I love to dream and plan for the best. So, this month when I learned that Reventals would be giving away a Margarita Machine from Centex Rentals, I went into full planning mode. I wanted to be prepared for a win with a list of new and different ways to use my prize.
Here is my list of my top 5 Things to Make in a Margarita Machine (besides Margaritas): Note: These are my favorite ideas but when it comes to making frozen drinks, there are no limits. Almost everything tastes better as a slushy, especially in the Texas heat.
1 – Wine Slushies
At the end of the day, nothing sounds better than winding down with a glass of wine. A frozen drinks machine can make this even more tempting. Simply blend some white wine with fresh strawberries and lime juice for an amazingly refreshing wine slushy. Or, for a slightly different (and sweet) twist, try this recipe for a Frosé…delicious!
Frosé (Frozen rosé) Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 750ml bottle hearty, bold rosé – a Pinot Noir or Merlot rosé works well
- 1/2 C sugar
- 8 oz fresh strawberries, hulled
- 2 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
Directions:
- Chill rosé
- Bring sugar and 1/2 C water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add strawberries, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes until syrup is infused with strawberry flavor. Strain using a sieve into a small bowl. Cover and chill until cold.
- Put rosé, lemon juice, and 3.5 oz strawberry syrup into a blender and puree until smooth
- Pour contents of blender into Margarita Machine
- Garnish with a strawberry and enjoy!
2 – Sparkling Raspberry Limeade
- 4 C fresh raspberries
- 1 C fresh lime juice
- 1/2 C white sugar
- 3 C cold sparkling limeade (non-alcoholic recipe can be found here – for an alcoholic version, simply replace the seltzer water with 2 C tequila)
- Fresh raspberries and lime wedges for serving
Directions:
- Combine raspberries, lime juice, and sugar in blender and blend until smooth.
- Strain through a strainer into a large bowl or pitcher. Use a wooden spoon to press the mixture through sieve. Discard any seeds.
- Stir in sparkling limeade and stir.
- Pour mixture into Margarita Machine
- Garnish with raspberries and lime wedges and enjoy!
3 – Frozen Gin & Tonic
If you aren’t looking for frilly or fruity frozen drinks, you can still enjoy a delicious frozen cocktail on a warm spring-summer-fall evening. A frozen Gin & Tonic is the perfect warm weather twist on a classic favorite.
Frozen Gin & Tonic Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 C of your favorite Gin
- 1/4 C fresh squeezed lime juice
- 3 C tonic water
- Lime wedges for garnish
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients except lime wedges together in a pitcher
- Pour into Margarita Machine
- Pour into glasses and garnish with lime wedges.
- Enjoy!
NOTE: This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. to serve a small party or a big crowd.
4 – Frozen Lemonade
Another slushy with endless options is frozen lemonade. Make it a virgin, add a splash of bourbon for a kick, or mix with your favorite fruit (think strawberries, peaches, mangoes, …) for a really cool and delicious treat. Whether you make the lemonade from scratch or from a can, you can’t lose with this one. Below is my favorite summer lemonade recipe.
Frozen Peach Lemonade
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe peaches peeled and chopped
- 12 oz frozen lemonade concentrate
- 24 oz water (fill the lemonade can up twice and you are there)
- Mint leaves for garnish
- Bourbon – optional
Directions:
- Place chopped peaches, lemonade concentrate, water, and a splash of bourbon (why not?) in a blender and blend until smooth
- Pour through Margarita Machine
- Serve and garnish with mint leaves
- Enjoy!
5 – Margarita Machine Milkshakes
There is nothing like home made milkshakes and with a Margarita Machine, you can make them for a crowd. For kids and adults, this is a great treat at a birthday party, And, remember, you can always mix this one up to make it a more adult-style beverage. Just be creative!
Simple Vanilla Milkshake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon half & half
- 1.5 gallons whole milk
- 60 oz sugar
- 9 tsp vanilla
- Garnishes – whipped cream, cherries, chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, cookies, etc.
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together
- Pour into margarita machine
- Serve with whipped cream, a cherry or your favorite garnish
- Enjoy!
For the Margarita Machine Purists
If you are a purist and just have to make margaritas in your Margarita Machine, see our blog on Healthy-ish Margaritas. And, if you have questions on how many drinks your margarita machine will make, you can check out our blog here.
For answers to this and other frequently asked questions, check out How Many Drinks Does a Margarita Machine Make?
Otherwise, what are you waiting for? Enter here to win a Margarita Machine for a day – we hope you get to enjoy some margaritas or try out a new frozen drink. The sky is definitely the limit!
