I thought my tiki cocktail creation skills were on point, but then I got the Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer and now I build tiki drinks like a boss. What did this little device do that made tiki better?
- I can build them faster.
- The aeration and foam is legit.
- I feel more like a professional with little skill improvement needed.
- I can double my output.
How does one make double the drinks? One uses a Boston Shaker while making the second within the Hamilton Beach 730C mixer that’s how!
The beauty of this Hamilton Beach 730C really lives in the elegance of the final product: the foam. Shaking aggressively will build a nice drink if you try hard enough, but the Hamilton just mixes it for you and really integrates the air, ice and liquids together. Because the stirring device is near the bottom of the tin it keeps those grenadines, falernum syrups, orgeats and other tiki mixes flying high and integrating more deeply into the beverage. As a matter of fact, sometimes I just bring this to the pool instead of my shaker tins and strainer; it’s just easy.
Looking more professional is cool but the honest output of the Hamilton Beach 730C even in your small home bar is fantastic. If you’re making drinks at a bar people are paying you to make them a cocktail, but at home? You’re doing it by sheer free will. I am sure many folks have hesitated making a more complicated cocktail build because of effort, and shaking does take a bit more effort! That means the Hamilton Beach 730C lowers the barrier to entry for those entitled to be lazy. And, it does all that for like USD $40.
The 730C comes with three pieces: the 28 oz tin, the spindle, and the 730C DrinkMixer ‘engine.’ The detachable spindle makes it easy to clean, especially if you plan to whip up egg whites for a proper eggnog cocktail.
Remember, this is a standard drink mixing machine, it’s not a tiki cocktail machine. That means you’ll find the Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster will produce milkshakes, fruit smoothies, eggnogs or anything that benefits from a bit of mixing.
When it comes down to ice, I’ve found the best solution is crushed ice. Crushed ice moves quickly through the system and keeps the flow moving while larger ice chunks are probably going to maintain stationary for most of the ‘mix.’ The Hamilton Beach 730C is not a blender, it’s a mixer, so you have to set it up to succeed. If your ingredients are liquid or small-style particles (herbs, pulp, crushed blueberries, etc.) you’ll find the system is fast and effective (we also use it to make guacamole!)
The Hamilton Beach 730C has two speed settings as well as a maximum capacity line on the tin. Those two things come in handy because a fast-speed mix with an overfull tin often leads to a bit of a mess. Don’t overfill and attempt to drive the thing at full speed as it will slowly rise until it reaches the top of the rim and begins to coat your tables, shirt and floor.
So, is the Hamilton Beach 730C Classic DrinkMaster Drink Mixer the best mixer on the market? Probably not in terms of total run time (longevity), warranty and support contract. But, if you’re a professional bar slinging a thousand tiki drinks a night I’d question why you think a $40 drink mixer is your solution. For everyone else? Hell yes. We got the suggestion from reading Martin Kate’s Smugglers Cove book where he mentions a few models from low tier to higher tiers.
Go get yourself one of these beasts if you’re ready to up your cocktail game while making life just a wee bit easier.
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January 15, 2019 -
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1 Comment
Stephane Foisy
January 11, 2019 at 7:49 pmThe style reminds me of the old(ya showing my age) milk shake machines the soda jerks were using back in the day. Looks like a great product for a home bar for quick drinks that a blender would be too aggressive. Add the summer milkshake (bourbon and vanilla ice cream smoothie… Just saying)