Everywhere I Go Is Now Margaritaville Thanks to the Ninja SLUSHi
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While I managed to resist the call of theNinja CREAMi, I immediately folded for the Ninja SLUSHi. Protein ice cream just doesn’t excite me the way on-demand frozen margaritas do. So far, I’ve taken it with me to a going-away party in a Bed-Stuy backyard, a pool party on Long Island, and a Fourth of July barbecue. I’ve made mango and passion-fruit margaritas, fresh watermelon slushies, and frozen lemonade. While outdoor hosting has been a bit brutal this summer between the humidity, heat waves, and freak storms, the SLUSHi has been a reliable crowd-pleaser every single time. As Jimmy Buffett would remind us all, “But there’s booze in the blender / And soon it will render / That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.”
While I am no stranger to operating ablenderat a backyard bash, the drinks always end up half melted. Plus it’s a pain to be tethered to my Vitamix every time party guests require another round. The SLUSHi, though, is just a shrunken version of the commercial machines you’d find behind a professional bar or at a 7-Eleven. It requires no ice, so the flavors of the drinks don’t get diluted. And I love the ability to set it up and return to regular hosting duties — it just keeps churning away until it’s time to make a fresh batch.
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According to Ninja, the machine needs up to 30 minutes to slushify your drinks, but I found it very efficiently churned them out closer to the 15-minute mark. Pro tip: If your liquids are already chilled before you add them to the machine, it goes even faster. But even when I didn’t have time to prechill, it still took only about 20 minutes to finish — and that was on an extremely hot, humid afternoon in the middle of our most recent heat wave.
The Twist is the latest model in the SLUSHi lineup and features two chambers instead of one so you can make two flavors at the same time. Together, they can make up to 96 ounces, or roughly 12 drinks depending on the size of your pour. And as the name would suggest, you can twist the two flavors together into one cup or dispense them separately. This feature came in handy when I wanted to make a nonalcoholic option for kids and sober party attendees alongside a boozy slushy.
Unlike some prior models, the Twist has a Slush Assist button, which uses a smart sensor to dial in the temperature for the perfect texture every time. And if you prefer your slushy on the thicker or thinner side, you can easily manually adjust. For the machine to work, you do need to have the right ratios of sugar and alcohol. While that sounds complicated, it’s pretty intuitive. Basically, you can only make slushies with no more than 20 percent alcohol — I like to keep my spirit of choice next to the machine so those who like theirs a little stronger can add a float on top — and no Diet Coke slushies. Luckily, the machine also features an Add Sugar and Add Water button if you mess up. It’s also easy to take apart and clean.
I will be bringing it along to every other event I have this summer. Next on the schedule are an apartment warming, a graduation party, and a bridal shower. But sweaty social engagements are a lot easier to deal with as long as I have a slushy in hand.
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