FAQs

How many mixes will I need?

Each one of our frozen mix concentrates yield 5 gallons (71 nine ounce servings). A good rule of thumb is to purchase a mix for every 20 to 25 drinking guests. There are a few factors to consider, so if you would like a more accurate estimate please fill out and submit the “Get A Quote” form.

Does Margarita Masters provide the alcohol?

No. All of our mix concentrates contain NO alcohol. It is your responsibility to provide all alcohol as needed. If you want our delivery personnel to prepare the mix for you, the alcohol must be at the delivery location upon our arrival.

How much alcohol is needed?

Listed below are the alcohol requirements for our most popular mix flavors:
Margaritas … Two 1.75 liter bottles of tequila per mix (triple sec already in mix)
Daiquiris, Pina Coladas, Mai Tais … Two 1.75 liter bottles of rum per mix
Bellinis … Eight .750ml bottles of champagne and one liter of rum per mix
Hurricanes … One liter of rum, one liter of vodka and one liter of tequila per mix
Frozen Sangrias … Two gallons of burgundy wine per mix
If your mix flavor is not listed, just give us a call or send an email and we will provide you that information.

Do your machines make non alcoholic drinks or slushies?

Yes! You can serve any of our mixes with or without alcohol. The frozen slushies are always a big hit at children’s parties. We can also do frozen cappuccino or frappuccinos. If you have a special mix request, just let us know. We have been known to customize flavors!

How much ice do I need to provide?

No ice is necessary. The machines freeze the product.

What type of electrical requirements are needed?

The margarita machine requires a minimum 15 amp dedicated circuit. The machine needs to be plugged directly into a 110v outlet. Extension cords are discouraged as they can cause damage to our machines. Margarita Masters is NOT responsible for blown circuits. If the circuit is blowing when you turn the machine on there is either an overload on the circuit or the circuit is not big enough.

When will my machine be delivered and picked up?

We schedule all of our trucks the day prior to delivery. We will call you the day before your reservation and give you a two hour range for your delivery time (making sure we allow time for the machine to be set up and frozen by your scheduled party time). We will pick the machine up the following day and will arrange a pick up time with you upon delivery.

Margarita Masters: Information on the first frozen Margarita machine and
FAQ: Margaritas

World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine

The world’s first frozen margarita machine, invented on May 11, 1971 by Dallas restaurateur Mariano Martinez. More than 30 years ago, Martinez modified a soft-serve ice cream machine into the first frozen Margarita machine, which created a mass-produced and consistent beverage. Prompted by increased customer demand, the young restaurant owner was inspired by a frozen drink machine he saw at a local convenience store. Frozen Margaritas have been around since the invention of the blender in the 1930s but bartenders were often overwhelmed when demand was high, and the blenders produced Margaritas of varying quality and consistency.

“Improved consistency, overall better product and ease of use due to the frozen Margarita machine, made the drink so popular that it brought bars in Tex-Mex restaurants front and center,” said Martinez. “People came to Mariano’s for that frozen Margarita out of the machine.”

Martinez continued serving his famous Margaritas for the next 34 years, eventually retiring the original machine in favor of the new mass-produced machines. Exerpts from The Smithsonians National Museum of American History, Valeska Hilbig and Laura Duff.
The Margarita

The margarita has quietly and steadily become an international phenomenon, and according to Gourmet magazine, it is the now most popular cocktail in the United States.

Margaritas

Where did they come from?

No one knows for sure, but there a few different stories, so take your pick…

• In the early 1930’s, it was created at the Caliente Race Track in Tijuana.
• In 1936, Danny Negrete invented this drink for his girlfriend, Margarita, while working at the Garci Crespo Hotel.
• Margarita Sames, a wealthy Texan, came up with the drink at a party in 1938. She enjoyed experimenting behind the bar and came up with a drink that was 3/4 Tequila and 1/4 Cointreau with a lime. Since it was “her” drink, it was called a “Margarita“.
• Sometime in the 1940’s, Enrique Bastante Gutierez created this drink for Rita Hayworth, who’s real name was Margarita.
• In 1942 at Rancho del Gloria Bar in Rosarita Beach, Mexico, Marjorie King asked the bartender, Danny Hererra, to mix her a cocktail because she was “allergic” to straight alcohol. The drink Hererra came up with was Tequila over shaved ice and Triple Sec. In Spanish, Marjorie translates into “Margarita“, hence the name of the drink.
• On the 4th of July,In 1942 at Tommy’s Place in Juarez, Mexico, bartender Pancho Morales couldn’t remember how to make a “magnolia” when a customer asked for the drink. Morales knew that a “magnolia” included Cointreau, so he added in Tequila and called it a “Margarita“, after the word for “daisy” in Spanish.
• In 1948 Margaret Sames created this drink for a party she was holding in Acapulco.
• In 1948 it was created in Galveston, Texas by Santos Cruz. Who mixed it up for singer Peggy Lee.
• In the early 1950’s It was created at the “Tail o’ the Cock” restaurant in Los Angeles in order to find a way to introduce Jose Cuervo Tequila into the market.

…. And there are of course countless others as well.

Bar Fact

In 1969, an estimated 45 million Margaritas were sold in the United States. By 2000, that number had increased to 800 million.

The Margaritas phenomenal popularity has made it the country’s most frequently requested cocktail during warm weather, and second only to the martini when there’s a chill in the air.

Keys to a magnificent Margarita

Tequila, a product made from Mexico’s blue agave plant, is the centerpiece of this cocktail. The truest to the blue agave flavor is the silver, un-aged Tequila that we recommend for all Margaritas, not because of its lower cost, but for its robust and vibrant character. Silver Tequilas are exuberant and add a vitality to the Margarita that the more reserved, aged Tequilas don’t quite manage.

Classifications

Beyond the two basic designations of Tequila agave and mixto there are four categories:

Silver or Blanco/White Tequilas are clear, with little (no more than 60 days in stainless steel tanks) or no aging. They can be either 100% agave or mixto. Silver Tequilas are used primarily for mixing and blend particularly well into fruit-based drinks.

Gold Tequila is unaged silver Tequila that has been colored and flavored with caramel. It is usually a mixto.

Reposado (“rested”) Tequila is aged in wooden tanks or casks for a legal minimum period of at least two months, with the better-quality brands spending three to nine months in wood. It can be either 100% agave or mixto. Reposado Tequilas are the best-sellingTequilas in Mexico.

Añejo (“old”) Tequila is aged in wooden barrels (usually old Bourbon barrels) for a minimum of 12 months. The best-quality anejos are aged 18 months to three years for mixtos, and up to four years for 100% agaves. Aging Tequila for more than four years is a matter of controversy. Most Tequila producers oppose doing so because they feel that “excessive” oak aging will overwhelm the distinctive earthy and vegetal agave flavor notes.

Tequila bottles do not contain a worm, only some Mezcal bottles.

If you are looking for Tequila with a worm, don’t. Only Mezcal is bottled with a worm. Mezcal is not the same as Tequila, the two should never be confused. Tequila is made exclusively from the blue agave plant, whereas Mezcal can be distilled from blue agave, as well as other varieties of the maguey plant.

The use of the worm, is exclusive to Mezcal, since the Mexican standards authority, prohibits adding insects or larvae to Tequila. It seems to be a rite of passage for many to take that first shot of Mezcal or to eat the worm at the bottom of the bottle. When you drink a bottle of Mezcal with a worm, what you actually have in your bottle is the larva of one of two moths that live on the maguey plant. It is a mariposa worm, which feeds on the agave plant, from which Mezcal is made. There are two types of worms found in Mezcal. The red, gusano rojo considered best because it lives in the root and heart of the maguey plant, and the less prized white or gold, gusano de oro, which lives on the leaves. In order to tell which worm is in your bottle, check out its coloring. The red gusano turns pale in the Mezcal and the gold turns ashen gray. While shopping for Mezcal, you may also come across a Mezcal bottle with a small bag of worm salt and chile powder tied to it. Keep in mind, that as a rule, top-quality Mezcals do not include a worm in the bottle.

Are you wondering if you’re supposed to eat the worm in Mezcal? Yes, in fact, it’s quite well pickled and free of pesticides as the worms are often raised just for use in Mezcal, Cooked and pickled in alcohol for a year. Aside from its use in Mezcal, the maguey worm is considered a delicacy in Mexico. The larvae are commonly eaten as food. They can be found on some restaurant menus and are sold in markets. The worm is harmless to consume and it is believed in certain traditions that doing this is beneficial to the spirit and locks in the vigor of Mezcal.

Today the urban legend of the Tequila worm continues to survive and eating the worm has become a rite of passage for many. You may wonder how the legend got started. Back in the 1940’s, some American bottled brands of Mezcal came up with a marketing ploy. Stemming from the myth that the worm has magical and aphrodisiac properties, they decided to put a worm in their bottle to impress the gringos and boost sales.

Although, the truth about the Tequila worm has been acknowledged and exposed for years, the legend continues to thrive. The truth is that even though the worm can soak up a little of the alcohol, eating the worm has no noticeable effect on people.

In addition to using the worm as a marketing strategy, there is another reason claimed for adding the worm to the bottle of Mezcal. The claim is that the worm serves as evidence of the high proof of the Mezcal, as the percentage of alcohol in the spirit is high enough to preserve the pickled worm. This declaration is debatable.

The worm spiced Mezcal is a novelty item and has worldwide appeal. Whether it is, the imagery and legends of the worm that appeals to macho men or the belief that the worm is an aphrodisiac, the worm at the bottom of a bottle of Mezcal makes this spirit more than just another bottle of booze.

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.

– Henny Youngman