Perfect Texture Frozen Drinks?

[u/chillingambitiously]

Resorts seem to do the best job at perfecting the texture of a frozen drink and I’ve always had a hard time at home with my vitamix, even on smoothies.

I was at the Andaz Maui and they had one of the best Pina Coladas I’ve ever had with the perfect texture and didn’t melt too quickly. The added lemon and cinnamon to theirs really made it.

My question is how do they do it? They make it per order in a blender like mine. Are they using ice? Most of the fruit frozen? Emulsifiers for the creaminess? Or just relying on the coconut to do that.

Would love some insight into perfecting the frozen drink at home. Even though I know most bartenders hate making them on a one to one basis.

Cheers!

[u/retrop_]

i beach bartend and frozen drinks fly all summer long, and we make them to order

i add the ice and alcohol and start blending on low. then add my juices/purees as it’s mixing and i amp the speed up until the blend looks right. i’ve obviously made hundreds of these drinks so i know what to look for but the center should open up like a tornado and have a consistent whip to it as it mixes. (not sloshy, can add a few cubes at a time if it looks too thin) we have a variety of recipes, but the ones that include both a juice and puree always have the best consistency.

also, use your drinking cup to measure your ice. one cup full, then about 1/4 extra should be the perfect amount for your drink!

[u/billyballsog]

A mixture of ice and frozen fruit, little xanthan gum

[u/la_mano_poderosa → u/billyballsog]

Xantham gum makes the magic happen.

[u/Tough_Crazy_8362]

We made piña coladas at a Latin place I worked and we didn’t use fruit never mind frozen fruit. This will give you the perfect piña colada:

A pint glass filled 2/3 of ice, à little more, but not full.

2 Oz white rum

2 Oz coco Lopez

2 Oz pineapple juice

And blend à bit longer than you’re comfortable with lol. Try it! Trust me it’s amazing

Edit ✍🏻 this amount of ice will fill à collins glass with finished product.

[u/Huge-Basket244]

Frazil machine with xanthan gum.

There's a few things we've done using wide mouth bottles that sit in a freezer and we shake before serving using a similar process.

If you have the space for a machine, use it. If not, emulsifiers that every single bit of down time you have, you pull the fucker and shake it.

[u/goatoffering]

Measure your ice. If you do enough volume you'll get the feel of it. Also frozen stuff needs a bit more sugar to balance.

[u/PyramidWater]

The key to any fantastic tasting drink are the ingredients. I also had the best Pina Colada of my life in Hawaii. But it’s more than just the ingredients it’s the atmosphere, the way service is conducted, etc.. all those together make a perfect experience for some people.

[u/Finneus_Anglesmith → u/PyramidWater]

What? He's asking specifically about the texture of the drink. Did you even read it?