Frozen beverage?

So for Christmas I asked my wife for a Euro-Pro Professional Slushie Maker...and she got it for me! I've always wanted one of those restaurant quality machines to create margaritas or hurricanes to serve the masses at my house (well...not really...but to serve me at least). Here's the write-up on this thing...

"Make perfect slushies and frozen drinks in minutes with this professional slushie maker. Great for children's parties, family picnics, summer barbecues and much more. The one-liter capacity canister features a patented center metal cooling chamber filled with ice, which provides direct freezing action for the fastest possible results. The unique dual direction agitator provides the most efficient dispensing results. After liquid is chilled to the ideal temperature, the agitator blade changes directions and scrapes the ice crystals off the canister for a perfect frozen slushie mixture. The easy flow pour spout releases the smooth icy drink in a perfect consistency - no ice chunks or unblended spots."

Now, I tried this yesterday and was quite disappointed. The first slushie I made (non-alcoholic) turned out alright. Not as "slushie" as I had hoped. The next few I tried to make failed and I believe it was due to the alcohol. Not my drinking alcohol, but my using alcohol in the mix. The instructions advise against using alcohol until near the end, but that just seems weird since you'd end up watering down your slushie if you added booze later.
What I really want is the huge monstrosity (to the left) loomin' in my kitchen (or better yet, the bar I don't have yet). Tough to find room for this in a small kitchen and at a price tag at nearly $2,000...that's a lot of dough for drinks!

Well...I can dream can't I?



Mark Harvey
Margarita Dreamer