MargaritavilleTahiti Margarita Machine, 24 Oz, Ivory

So far, so good! We've used it for three parties in the last 6 weeks, and it has been great, working flawlessly... unless a 3 inch blob of ice gets caught in the hopper. It can't deal with anything larger than a regular ice cube, and note that we always use the bagged ice and let it get a tiny bit melty as suggested in the instructions. My dear hubby was hesitant about buying such an expensive item, but is now a convert, not just because the machine keeps the party flowing with drinks, but also because it is a showstopper and great conversation starter. The funny thing is, the men gather around it like it is a shiny new Corvette and ooh and ahhh over it.... You can see the glazed look in their eyes as they watch it whip out batch after batch of frozen concoctions. I almost expect them to start grunting and waving cave man clubs in the air. (Just kidding, guys!) But suffice it to say that the Tahiti Frozen concoction maker has been a hit here! The guys have renamed it "That Tsunami Margarita maker!" One thing I have to warn you about... (and many thanks to the other posters for the heads up)... do NOT just think you can use the recipes in the recipe book and find satisfaction! Au Contraire! We tried the Margarita recipe exactly.. UCK! too tart, just awful.... took us 5-6 tries to get it right. (But it was fun practicing!) Finally involved a combo of Minutemaid limeaid, Masters of Mix Margarita mix, Triple Sec, Tequila and just a tiny dash of OJ. The Mojito recipe and Daiquiri recipes in the book also required major tweaking. Also, you will need to PRACTICE before you do it for a party... So glad we read the reviews and did so, because it would have been rather embarrassing otherwise. It isn't hard to operate, its just a little different from a standard blender. And you have to remember to take the "lid" off before you try and pour. The function of being able to add more shaved ice and reblend is a great help. In hot sun, it only takes a few moments for any drinks left in a pitcher to separate, but a quick shave of more ice and a quick blend brings it back to par. Also, be warned... SERIOUSLY! It says it in the warning info several times... DO NOT STICK YOUR HANDS NEAR THE BLADES! I didn't think and was trying to get the last of some shaved ice out of the pitcher with my finger, and discovered just how RAZOR SHARP those blades in the three pitchers really are! ( No worries, all healed, now!) BUT be careful with them! Another thing you need to account for... you can't over fill the pitcher and get a bigger batch. When it blends, it is very powerful, and the level rises significantly. That said, once the ice is in, a pitcher of drinks yields about 24 oz, and will generally provide 3.5 drinks per pitcher. No biggie if you only have 8 people standing around, but if your party lends itself to a larger guest list, say 25-30, you'll have to hustle to get those drinks out. At least the first round. Our answer to this problem was to premix the "batches" of drinks. We used the SCREW ON TOP FOOD CONTAINERS by rubbermaid/glad or whoever, because I have found they DO NOT LEAK, and kept them in a cooler. Once you get your recipe to your satisfaction, you should end up with about 1.5 cups of "mix" (That is the flavored mix ingredients plus the alcohol. If you add fresh or frozen fruit, it will be closer to 2 cups.) We labeled the containers... about 10 of each...Mojito..."Rita"... Daiquiri...then we froze them until the morning of the party. We kept them in a cooler under the bar. They were NOT frozen when we put them into the blender. Making these up ahead of time eliminated error, and standing around measuring things into the pitcher. Big time saver! Any "batches" unused went back to the freezer for the next event. Note we did not find any single bottled mix that really did the trick alone when mixed with the spirits. All bottled mixes just seemed to be missing something. Be aware that if you make "Virgin" non-alcoholic drinks, you will need to use water to replace the spirits in a double amount. i.e if your recipe calls for 2 jiggers of spirits, the non-alcoholic recipe will likely need 4 jiggers of water. That's because the spirits really melt the ice. Without it, the drink is quite thick and hard to pour. So, if you are thinking about taking this plunge... go for it if it is in your budget. We haven't regretted it and would surely buy it again. Just be sure to perfect your recipes, practice, and prepare enough pre-mixed "batches" in advance. ;-)

Love, love, love this machine! I had my first trip to Margaritaville in Jamaica at age 25 and have been a Jimmy Buffett fan ever since. Seeing the machine reminds me of great weather, ocean views, and relaxing island life and time. The machine is very easy to use. The instructions aren't super clear on how it works, but you add your mix ingredients in the pitcher, select your mix option (Smoothies, Mojitos, etc.), hit the start button and the machine does the rest. I usually hit the blend option a few more times to thoroughly mix the drink.The instructions are also unclear on using the 2 pitchers on the sides. Follow the same instructions as you would the mixer in the middle and the machine top automatically rotates to fill the pitchers on the side.I'm looking forward to many years of making mixed cocktails and smoothies with my Frozen Concoction Maker (I also love this name)!Also, I leave it outside unplugged even during rain storms. It's under a roof so doesn't get direct rain but if there's a storm and rain comes through the sides and it gets wet, it's fine. Just wipe it off thoroughly and get to mixing!

The Best

I just love this machine. It makes great frozen cocktails. So far I've made Frozen Strawberry Margarita, Frozen Pina Colada and Frozen Mudslide. But have only had the machine a few days. It's only been me at the moment and I can't drink a blender full so I put the excess into a container in the freezer for another day. It's still good when I take it out. I'm so thrilled with the machine. Can't wait to have my friends over for a cocktail party.

It’s a game changer for our lake house. All ages can enjoy a treat! Yeah it’s more than most would want to pay, BUT it’s a great quality machine that will definitely up your bar and hosting game.

It automatically makes 3 drinks to my specs. Very cool. It is noisy though.

Everyone LOVED it! Used it for the 1st time at our pool party. I love that you can make 3 different drinks at once and its fun to watch. So glad my husband upgraded to this one. For Mothers Day, he would walk around with the pitchers just topping our drinks off. So much fun!