Party safety for a frozen drink party

Party safety with a frozen drink machine comes down to five habits: label the adult and kid bowls, keep an adult at the margarita bowl, plan for heat, line up sober rides, and give the machine safe power. Add a water watcher if the party is near a pool.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. Texas law and TABC rules apply to every party, and your venue may have its own rules.

Label the adult and kid bowls

A two-bowl machine often pours a margarita on one side and a kids slushie on the other, and the drinks can look alike. Label both bowls so nobody guesses.

• Print our leaded and unleaded bowl labels: "leaded" for the bowl with alcohol, "unleaded" for the alcohol-free bowl.
• Pick colors that look different. Blue Raspberry or Cherry for the kids next to a Lime Margarita is easy to tell apart.
• Use different cups or straws for adult drinks if you can.
• Want zero risk? Make both bowls alcohol-free. Every mix is alcohol-free until you add alcohol.

Keep an adult at the margarita bowl

Guests serve themselves, so put one adult in charge of the machine while the margarita bowl is pouring. Take turns in 30 to 60 minute shifts.

• Set the machine where the kids' table and games aren't right next to the margarita side.
• Handle the alcohol yourself when you batch a new round, and store the bottles out of reach.
• Texas law sets penalties for adults who provide alcohol to minors. TABC's underage drinking page explains them. This matters most at graduation and family parties where teens and adults mix.

Hydration and heat

Central Texas heat makes guests sick fast. The National Weather Service heat safety page notes that young children, older adults, and people with chronic health conditions are most at risk, and that you never leave a child or pet in a car.

• Put out water in every spot where you serve frozen drinks, and encourage a glass of water between margaritas.
• Give guests shade or air conditioning to step into.
• Know the warning signs. The Austin Fire Department lists heat exhaustion signs like cool, clammy skin, dizziness, and nausea. For heat stroke signs like confusion and hot, red skin: move them, cool them, and call 9-1-1.

For more on timing and shade, see our rain and heat plan.

Rideshare and designated drivers

Plan the ride home before the first pour. TxDOT's sober driving campaign says to arrange a sober ride ahead of time if you might drink at all: a taxi, rideshare, public transit, or a sober friend.

• Put a rideshare reminder on the invite and near the machine.
• Name designated drivers and keep the kid slushie flavors flowing for them too.
• If a guest has been drinking, encourage them to get a ride or stay put until they're sober.
• Turn the margarita bowl off an hour or so before the party ends and switch to an alcohol-free flavor.

Electrical safety

A frozen drink machine runs for hours, so give it clean, safe power.

• Plug each machine into a standard 110 volt outlet on its own circuit. Keep microwaves, refrigerators, and space heaters off that circuit.
• Don't daisy-chain. Austin Energy's home safety page says not to plug extension cords or power strips into each other, to use cords rated for the load, and to use only outdoor-rated cords outdoors.
• Use GFCI outlets outside, and tape cords down or route them away from walkways.
• At a park, you need a generator of at least 3,500 watts per outlet. Austin Energy says to connect appliances to a portable generator only with heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords.

See power for a frozen drink machine for setup details.

Food safety in the heat

Frozen drinks stay cold in the machine, but the food table doesn't. FoodSafety.gov says perishable food is safe outside for two hours, and only one hour above 90 degrees.

• Keep cold food in a cooler at 40 degrees or below, and put coolers in the shade.
• Put drinks in a separate cooler from perishable food, since drink coolers get opened more often. An ice chest rental works well for canned drinks.
• When in doubt, throw it out.

Pool safety

If the party is near water, the Pool Safely campaign recommends an adult Water Watcher whose only job is watching kids in and near the water, with no phone and no bartending.

• Switch watchers on a schedule and hand off out loud.
• Keep the pool gate closed and latched when swim time ends.
• Keep the machine, cords, and other electronics at least 10 feet from the pool, as Austin Energy recommends.
• Serve frozen drinks in plastic cups only, never glass, around the pool.

Quick safety checklist

More official links live on our party resources page.

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