If you ever wanted to make a frozen margarita as good as Mesero’s or a Coca-Cola Slurpee without leaving your home, now you can get close. The Ninja Slushi is a highly popular slushie maker that sold out quickly when it launched last summer and accumulated a waitlist of 100,000 people.

The Ninja Slushi Frozen Drink Machine still sells out rapidly, but we found ample stock at a local retailer and on the company’s website. Not wanting to miss out again this summer, we plonked down $299 and ordered one from Amazon. Part of Slushi’s appeal is its price tag, which is significantly lower than commercial models that cost hundreds of dollars more. Now that we have a few frozen margaritas under our belt (and on our waistline), we love that the machine delivers exceptional performance, is easy to use and is straightforward to clean.

The Slushi freezes liquids into slushies by rotating paddles around a super-chilled canister, which continuously stirs the liquid inside a clear plastic chamber. This design mimics the technology behind frozen margarita and Slurpee machines, ensuring that beverages are quickly cooled and evenly mixed. A compressor keeps the canister icy while paddles tumble the liquid into a slurry. The machine can whip up slushies and frozen cocktails in as little as 15 minutes, which is ideal for your kitchen, backyard or impromptu poolside gatherings.

Setting up the Slushi is easy. Simply add your ingredients, then push start. Make sure your drink recipe contains the right amount of sugar and alcohol (the recipe book offers a guide) so it can freeze properly—otherwise, it won’t slush. The machine can handle as little as 16 ounces or as much as 88 ounces to turn into a perfectly frozen slush. A microprocessor adjusts the blending electronics so you get the best results every time. Cleaning up afterward is also simple with the Slushi’s built-in rinse setting and parts that you can wash in the dishwasher.

Of course, your kitchen is not Mesero’s bar, so there’s a learning curve to this mixology magic.

Drinks need some sugar or alcohol to achieve a proper slush texture. Sugar-free drinks sweetened primarily with aspartame, monk fruit or stevia don’t slush well. And there’s also a boozy sweet spot (below 14% alcohol by volume), since high alcohol concentrations don’t freeze well either. Regular soda, wine and juice are good to go; diet soda and martinis, not so much. The Slushi knows you’ll push its limits, so the machine flashes a warning if its sensors detect that your drink lacks the right amount of sugar. Add a glug of simple syrup, honey, agave or maple syrup, and you’re back in business. It also knows when you’ve used too much alcohol, prompting you to dilute it with water.

Inspired by Dallas’s frosty drink legacy—the birthplace of the frozen margarita and the headquarters of 7-Eleven’s Slurpee—this device is 10/10.

You’ve heard us crow about other Ninja products before. Now we’re making space for the Slushi, too.