2024: How Many Drinks Does a Margarita Machine Make? - Reventals Event Rentals

The party rental experts at Reventals Event Rentals

2024: How Many Drinks Does a Margarita Machine Make?

Margaritas and summer are the perfect match, like peanut butter and jelly! Our frozen margarita machines are super popular—we get tons of requests about where customers can get a margarita machine rental. Since I get a lot of the same questions about them, I’ve put together this handy FAQ page. Welcome to your Complete Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Renting a Frozen Margarita Machine. Get ready to make your next summer party a hit!

How many drinks does a margarita machine rental make?

Most standard machines whip up 5 gallons—that’s 640 ounces! If you’re serving up drinks in an 8 oz margarita glass or a plastic cup, you’ll get about 80 servings out of each machine. Want to mix things up? Dual margarita machines let you play with two flavors, with each side holding between 3 to 5 gallons.

Just a heads-up: These numbers are based on making alcoholic drinks. If you’re planning to use the machine for slushies or other non-alcoholic frozen drinks, you’ll get about 60 servings from each batch. Perfect for keeping everyone cool and refreshed!

Margarita Machine

How many guests will one machine serve?

This is of course dependent upon how many drinks each guest will have and how long the party will be. Here are some general guidelines:
  • 1 machine for up to 100 guests
    • For up to 50 guests, you will use 1-2 mixes/batches
    • For 50-100 guests, you will use 3-4 mixes/batches
  • 2 machines for up to 200 guests
    • For 100-150 guests, you will use 4-5 mixes/batches
    • For 150-200 guests, you will use 5-6 mixes/batches
Note: this is based on the number of guests that will be drinking margaritas. If you are serving other drinks as well, only a portion of your guests will drink margaritas. So, look at our party drink calculator to learn more about how much alcohol to provide at your party.

How long does it take for a margarita machine rental to freeze?

This varies for each machine. Most machines take about an hour or two to freeze, but some machines can take up to 4 hours. You can speed up the process by having the ingredients already cold, but not frozen, before adding them to the machine. If you provide your party start time we can be sure your machine is set up in time to have frozen ‘ritas ready to go when the first guest arrives!

How can I make another batch without having to wait 2 hours for it to freeze?

To make subsequent batches, mix the ingredients together and put them in the freezer so that they are cold, but not frozen. Add this 2nd batch in slowly as the 1st batch is depleted.  That way the 2nd batch is freezing while you are serving the first batch. Note: don’t pour the 2nd batch all in at once – this will make the servings not optimally frozen.

How much does it cost to rent a margarita machine?

The cost of a margarita machine rental varies for each company, but typically starts at $149/day for a single frozen drink or margarita machine rental. We have one company who will provide two separate margarita machine rentals for $249/day and there is a double bowl margarita or granita machine rental for $129/day. Margarita machine rentals are our most popular party rental so we source from a variety of vendors and always do our best to get the best prices for our customers.
strawberry margarita

What does a margarita machine rental include?

This can vary, but typically, the rental company will provide the machine, the mix, cups, straws, a utility cart, and a specific power cord for the margarita machine. (Note: Do not plan to use your own extension cord. Let us know if you need to set it up far away from an outlet and a special extension cord can be added to your rental.) You will get to choose mix from a variety of flavors. Most frozen margarita machine rental companies have margarita, strawberry and pina colada. Some frozen margarita machine rental companies have other choices as well. You can also purchase your own mix. I personally love this organic one available on Amazon. And if you want to get fancy, you can make your own. See my healthy-ish (skinny margarita) recipe here.

What do I need to provide for a margarita machine rental?

You will provide the alcohol and a cool, shaded space for the frozen drink machine rental.

How much tequila or other alcohol is needed for a margarita machine?

Generally, a batch of frozen drinks in a margarita machine rental requires 3 liters of tequila and 1 liter of Triple Sec per batch. Your machine and the mix you use will come with instructions.

What is the best margarita machine recipe?

The margarita machine mix ratio is 3 liters of tequila and 1 liter of Triple Sec and water, along with the margarita mix provided by the rental company. Here are some other fun margarita machine recipes to consider.
Margarita recipe

Can I make other frozen drinks in a margarita machine rental?

Yes, depending on the machine you can make non-alcoholic slushies, strawberry daiquiris, piña coladas and many other drinks in your margarita machine rental. Check out these awesome recipes:

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 the limit!

How do you use a margarita machine?

Here is how a frozen margarita machine works. Many frozen margarita machine rental companies will deliver and set up the machine as part of the rental. However, not all do. Be sure to specify when you make your rental request if you prefer a company that provides this service. If you are setting it up yourself, here are the instructions from one of our vendors:
  • Follow the mixing instructions on the mix label.
  • Add the alcohol (if using)
  • Replace the lid.
  • Turn on all buttons and watch it freeze.

What other things should I plan for?

Make sure the rental comes with an electrical cord and that nothing else is plugged into the outlet (110v, 20amp circuit). Note: you cannot use your own electrical cord with the machine. Margarita machines can drip some water while running. It is best to be sure your margarita machine rental company is providing a cart that will accommodate this to keep your serving area clean and dry.

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Do you have other helpful tips?

The machine will work much better if it is in the shade instead of direct sun, especially for margarita machine rentals in Texas!

Also, these machines are extremely heavy, so pick out the spot you plan to locate it before the vendor arrives. It cannot be moved once they have it all filled up.

Finally, again due to the heavy weight, margarita machines can only be delivered to a multi-story building if there is a working elevator!

Margarita Party
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