Green Margarita Blues

I have clocked up several hours testing and experimenting with the slush machine. It freezes ginger beer and tonic water perfectly, but I can't get the mix right so it'll freeze margarita :( v.sad about this.

The party went swingingly (the four HorseMen of the poke a' lips were there, as was the 'Grudge' - More of the party later perhaps) but the margeritas were 'cool' rather than lovely slush. Of course, the guests gratiously drank it and didn't grumble (just enquired regularly "is it working?"), but I think that filling the machine to the max and adding a litre and a half of tequila before I'd tried the recipie was a mistake.

The kitchen is now full of plastic bottles of decanted margarita-ish mix so I can test recipies in the machine.

Discovered that the markings on the machine are for TWO litres, not one. This would explain the need for cartons and cartons of fruit juice on Saturday to fill the thing.

Apparently I need lots of sugar syrup to make sure the slush will form properly. The tequila probably doesn't help the process, but I'm determined to make it happen.
The mix has to be a specific gravity so I need a widget to measure that.

(Note: beware of shopkeepers telling you they have 'a wide variety' of technical widgets in stock. I fell for that one, made a 40 minute trip, got to the shop to be met with blank looks and "ooooooh! I thought you meant a thermometer!" Grrrrr)

The margarita excitement has worn off a bit. And the machine squeeks. Particularly annoying when I'm sitting hawk-eyed to spot any flakes of slush.

Ho hum. I have a week before bonfire night to test it or buy in some bottled margarita mix. All the syrups for machies seem to be fruit flavours, but no lime. (Had to have orange margaritas on Saturday, and not lovely lime green ones, as lime juice doesn't come in 1.5 litre bottles the same way orange does.)

Discovered 'Zilch' website last night ...

"Put the fun back in to your diet!
0 carbs, 0 calories, tastes great!"

The "tastes great" bit worries me slightly. That's the culinary equivalent of "L@@K!" and "authentic."


It seems to be full of nothing except VitC! Fantastic - get healthy while having Margaritas!

However, I'm desperate so I'll try anything. Need to check if it can be used in machines, and not just mixed in with ice shavings. Hopefully I'll be able to order some from the US.

Oh-oh. On further reading "Zilch's taste is as authentic as the real thing"

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Number of car park enquiries so far today: 2