Margaritaville DM1000 Frozen Concoction Maker
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List Price: Our Price: $237.69 You Save: $187.31 (44%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $189.99 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Margaritaville DM1000 Frozen Concoction Maker
Customer Review: LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
Summary: 5 Stars
Because of the price, I debated for two months before I finally purchased this machine. No regrets now other than that I waited so long. I can make a professional margarita in no time flat! Put on that Jimmy Buffet music and take me away!
The machine is really beautiful to look at too. It has a pearlized (metallic/glittery) pearl finish with real stainless, plus heavy duty lime green plastic/rubber, and a heavy glass blender bowl. Besides the palm tree Margaritaville logo, there are marine details like shark fins for lights, and water and shark fins are also imprinted on the ice bowl and water reservoir. There is even a stylized compass design on the stainless area behind the blender. I really don't think the pictures do it justice. I WANT my machine to set out on my mini-bar--that way it can be seen--and used whenever I want.
I had no trouble making a one serving margarita--but I suggest going ahead and making two--after the first one, you'll want another anyway!
The drink consistency is so outstanding that it doesn't compare with a regular blender. No more chunks of ice or overly mixed drinks. Also, since it makes 3 drinks at a time there is very little waiting. I thought it was quieter than other blenders I've had--and it definitely doesn't jump around like the lighter ones do. It's super fast also. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I have since ordered the travel bag because I know other party givers will invite my Margaritaville FCM over.
I worried about cleaning this machine--but it really is a snap and there was no problem putting it back together--and I'm not mechanically inclined!
If you love frozen drinks, then you will love this machine.
I think that if you just use the ice shaver switch you could make snow cones--just shave the ice into the blender, then pack it into paper cones, and pour on colored, flavored syrup (make your own by stewing cherries or strawberries in sugar over the stove and cooling in freezer) or check grocery stores for pre-made snow cone syrup. The kids will love the recipe book for virgin drinks.
It comes with a great party idea book with drink recipes, a shot glass with the Margaritaville logo on the bottom and a round tin with coasters and four little silver drink identifiers. You can use the tin to fill with salt so that you aren't looking for that "lost shaker of salt."
I highly recommend this product!
Customer Review: I was skeptical...
Summary: 5 Stars
I distinctly remember making fun of the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker when I first saw it advertised in the Front Gate catalog. ("Who's going to buy a three hundred dollar blender on steroids?!? Hah-hah-hah...") Imagine my horror when my wife announced that she wanted one for her birthday. Looks like that "who" was going to be "me".
The vast majority of positive reviews on Amazon calmed my fears a bit and I ordered one up. As usual, Amazon delivered quickly and it was unpacked and setup in a couple minutes.
Exactly true to its claims, the thing actually makes perfect consistency margaritas and any other frozen drinks you can think of. I think I like it more than my wife. It has a "power tool" vibe to it that guys appreciate. Spinning blades and high speed motors. What could possibly go wrong?
There's a few things/tips to be aware of:
1) It's BIG. It just barely clears the front of our kitchen cabinets and is too tall to go under them. Pretty heavy to lift onto a high shelf too.
2) It does a more consistent job making a "full" pitcher than just a single drink. Having a lot of ice in the hopper works best; putting a single glass full of ice in will be too watery if you use the automatic cycle. To compensate, for a single drink I manually hold the "shave" switch on for ~4-5 seconds prior to starting the automatic mix cycle. Works great.
3) The shaved ice melts faster than cubes when it touches glass, so I've taken to icing the pitcher to keep the glass cool (or at least filling it with cold water for a few seconds) before adding the liquid ingredients. Unlike plastic pitchers on commercial drink makers, the glass (thick glass at that) can transfer a lot of heat. Popping it straight out of a hot dishwasher onto the stand will give you a mighty runny margarita.
4) Although "dishwasher safe" the lid to our pitcher turned a funny mottled brown/green color after one cycle in the wash. Not sure if it was the heat or the detergent or what, but after that it was slightly brittle and generally "weird". A call to the 800 customer service number yielded a free replacement which we just hand wash now.
All in all, it works as advertised and is a real crowd pleaser at parties. A good gizmo.
Customer Review: You don't need this...
Summary: 1 Stars
The texture is no better than what a powerful, modern blender with "Ice Sabre" blades is capable of. There also seems to be more melting of the ice and diluting of the drink with this product... Both reliability and availability of replacement parts seem questionable.
Check out the Hamilton Beach Classic Chrome Blender and save over $200.00 for something that works better, has a 3-year warranty, easy availability of replacement parts and is more easily portable. You won't be sorry.
Super-easy and super-delicious frozen margarita recipe...
Frozen Margaritas
Ingredients:
6 ounces of frozen limeade concentrate. A 6 oz can or ½ of a 12 oz can.
2/3 cup Tequila, preferably silver (clear)
1/3 cup triple sec
Around 5 cups of ice cubes
A couple limes for garnish slices and salting the glass rims if desired
Margarita salt for the glass rims if desired
POWERFUL blender
To make:
Blend 2/3 cup tequila, 1/3 cup triple sec and 6 oz limeade concentrate in blender.
Add ice cubes to fill a 5-cup blender jar
Blend at high, "icy drink" speed until slushy. Add a little more ice if not thick enough. You can store unused portions in the freezer for awhile. You may have to stir with a spoon and scoop it into glasses to serve. It will melt and be more easily drinkable pretty quickly.
Use a lime wedge to wet the rims of glasses and dip the rims into a plate of margarita salt before filling if desired. Serve with a lime slice garnish.
This is the best frozen margarita recipe I've tried (and I've tried a few)... and conveniently, the simplest as well! I've been adding a splash or two of water to the recipe and tipping the tequila / triple sec balance just a touch more to the tequila side lately. I found the drinks to be just a bit on the "sweet and sticky" side before that. Now, they taste "cleaner", more balanced and more refreshing IMO.
Customer Review: Great Item, Pricey, but works great in our bar!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, two things. I just read the review from the fella that says he makes lot's of Margarita's, and lives in Texas. He says that it's not much better then a $30 blender. Hmmm. The one I bought for my wife works wonderfully. And it does make the slurpy style Margarita! Not chunky at all!! Me thinks you got a bad one, or you are doing something wrong Tex. I hope you get yours fixed or something, because ours works, great! However, I do agree that if you follow the recipe, as he says, you do get the water downed version. I am presently going to work on that. But I think as he eluded to, you might have to change some ingredients around a bit to get what you want there. More booze, less mix, I don't know. Have to experiment. Can't blame that on the machine. The machine appears to, in my opinion, do exactly what you would expect it to do. The best part is that it isn't a cheap blender. It's a hefty addition to your bar. You won't knock this puppy over. It's solid. That just gives you a good feeling about it right there. It does not take long for it to make it's magic either! We followed the instructions to the letter, and Wham Bam, thank you Mam! Three perfect consistency Margarita's were mixed and ready for us to enjoy. Honest, it worked fine.
I also agreed with the fella that said he laughed when he thought: "Who would buy a $300 blender!" That was me also. After I read his review, well, I bit my lip, paid the dough, and hoped for the best. Well, I am here to tell ya, we are not disappointed in ours. Not one bit. Is it worth $300? I don't think so. That sounds contradictory, I know. Let's face it. $300 bones is a lot to cough up. But if you have an in home bar, or you just want to make great Margaritas and frozen drinks at home, this really is a good item. And $300, is still... a lot of money. I think $200 would be a much fairer price. But I'm a cheapo. (My wife loves her birthday gift, that made all the difference to me!) :-) Get one. You won't regret it.
Customer Review: Wasting Away in Margaritaville DM1000
Summary: 5 Stars
At first I was concerned that this was just a glorified blender. Its not. A blender chops up the ice and you tend to end up with watered-down drinks.
The Margaritaville DM1000 shaves ice from the reservoir on top and creates more of a coarse snow. Any water created in the shaving process drains into a tank in the back instead of down into your mix.
Be warned that this thing is very large though. When I put in on my kitchen counter I can't open the upper cabinet doors, so it will probably end up getting moved around alot if you don't have a designated bar-type area for it.
What I really like is the fact that all of the mix and blending goes on inside the jar, so there's really nothing else to clean when you're done. Just wash out the jar and empty the water tank in the back after the ice has melted. That's it.
I'm still playing with the recommended Margarita recipe. I've found that adding a splash of Sprite and a dash of sugar to the recipe in the Quick Start pamplet makes them taste more like what you'd expect in a typical Mexican restaurant. I've also started using the mix with all of the liquor and juice mixed in with pretty good results. Instead of measuring using the little shot glass, I've found that just filling up the jar with the pre-made mix until its about a quarter-inch above the blades at the bottom and then setting the number of drinks to 3 seems to give a pretty good consistency.
The only thing that you might want to keep in mind is that the blending jar is kinda small. I've found that setting the number of drinks to 3 (the maximum) fills two standard Margarita glasses, so be prepared to be making a lot of batches if using this for a party.
If you like Margaritas to start off your weekend but don't like spending $7 for each one at the Mexican restaurant I would definitely recommend this.