Choosing a slushy mix in the US can be difficult if you’re new to it. This guide explains the differences to help you decide which non-carbonated slush mix to buy.
From which flavor to how much to spend, to the recipe are all factors to take into account.
Choosing slushy Mix Flavours
Slushie has been around since the 1950’s and really got going in the 1970’s since then Blue Raspberry has been a strong favourite, largely due to it’s vibrant colour and that famous ‘blue tongue effect’ that excited us as kids and has a special place in everyone’s hearts. For over 50 years Blue Raspberry has been the essential flavour for sellers of slushie and we can’t see that changing anytime soon!
Classics
In addition to Blue Raspberry the other classic favourites to delight your customers are Cherry, Lemonade, Strawberry & Cola.
Modern Favourites
When choosing a slush mix some modern flavors include Apple & Mango, Tropical, Watermelon and Exotic Fruits are a welcome change from the norm and have more appeal to adults. If you have a 3 flavor machine, one of these is a great third choice.
Sour Flavors
Following the rising popularity of sour candy such as Warheads, the slushy market has followed and sour slushy flavours can be great sellers, try Sour Apple or Sour Cherry and watch your customers enjoy the sharp, tangy, sour hit.
Options
In 3 flavor machines a good starting range would be: Blue Raspberry, Sour Apple and Watermelon. Over time keeping Blue Raspberry and alternating through the other flavors could be a really good approach to keep the interest of your customers. Think about colors too, people buy with their eyes and slush machines look great with a nicely contrasting colors.
Cocktails & Mocktails
There are many options for creating slushy cocktails & mocktails. It’s easy to get creative when using colorful and exciting slushy flavours as your base. By adding pieces or fruit, topping syrups, cream, candy, funky glasses and straws, you can really capture the hearts of your customers. Obvious choices for you slushy base include Pina Colada, Margarita, Mojito, but any fruity flavored slush can be used.
Which recipe / ingredients slushy mix to choose
Premium slushy mix
Premium non-carbonated slushy mix is often made with real sugar or will be sugar free. The best manufacturers will spend a lot of time refining their color / flavor combinations, whilst others don’t. Trial and error will reveal the best ones. If you want your customers to keep coming back for more, we highly recommend you choose premium slush mix. We are proud to tell you that all Slushymart slush mixes are premium and have the very best flavors & colors. Slushymart slush mixes are guaranteed to sell great and make you the highest profits. With this type of slush, monthly cleaning of your machines is usually recommended. The prices for premium slushy mix will be in the mid range.
Budget slushy mix
Budget non-carbonated slush mix is usually made with high fructose corn syrup and a sparse use of lower quality flavors and colors to keep the cost down. Budget slush mixes are of course cheaper and they are designed for the price sensative market. Flavour and color won’t match up to premium slush mixes. If your looking for one off impulse sales this could be for you. However if you are looking to encourage repeat custom from your regular customers we can’t recommend using value slushy mixes. For every $1 you save on a gallon of slushy mix you are only saving around 2 cents per drink! If your customers don’t like it, your quickly out of pocket if they don’t come back! Budget slushy mix will be in the lower price bracket.
Ultra Premium slushy mix
Ultra premium slushy mix contains real fruit purees or juices. These are brilliant for cocktails and mocktails, where a higher quality product is needed. These don’t make great slushies for everyday drinking. Whilst they are very tasty, they are heavier to drink and slightly less refreshing as well as sometimes overly sweet. From a practical point of view fruit based slushies don’t usually look great in the slush machine. They can look less vibrant and leave tide marks around the bowl which can be off-putting. Using real fruit means that the slushy machine needs to be emptied and cleaned more regularly, we would advise twice a week. Ultra premium slushy mix will be higher priced than the others.
Conclusion
Premium slushy mix is the better option for everyday use in most outlets, it’s probably best to avoid budget slushy mixes. Cheaper slush mixes can save money, but can cost money in lost sales if your customers don’t like it.
Ultra premium slush is best for high quality cocktails, for more standard cocktails premium slushy mix is good too.
Remember every $1 spent on slush mix equals around 2 cents per 12oz drink.
Look out for delivery costs, they vary and need to be accounted for when deciding which brand to buy.
Read our other helpful articles:
Simple guide to choosing a slushy machine
What’s wrong with my slushy machine?
Searching the internet when things go wrong is one way to get help with your slushie machines, such as this article. It’s very long winded. To get immediate help with your slushy machine – visit our Slushy Machine Help Page.