Category Archives: All About Snow Cones

National Margarita Day

Delicious Margarita Recipes to Try on National Margarita Day!

Here is a creative menu of delicious margarita recipes to try on this National Margarita Day! Whether you like your margaritas with or without tequila, flavored, or in a baked good, we have three fun recipes for you to try!

Three Delicious Margarita Recipes: 

1. Cucumber Lime Sparkler

Ingredients: 

Instructions:
Here’s a video to watch step-by-step instructions:

  1. Muddle the diced cucumber, mint leaves, and lime juice together
  2. Once muddled, add the Jell-Craft Lemon-Lime Margarita Concentrate and the Vodka. 
  3. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty.
  4. Put ice into four glasses and strain the drink over the ice
  5. Top each drink with 3 oz of Prosecco (or to your liking)
  6. Garnish the drinks with extra cucumber, lime, or mint sprig!
  7. Serve and Enjoy!

2. Margarita Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1-14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk 
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/4 Cup of Jell-Craft Margarita Concentrate
  • 1/3 Cup of Vanilla Yogurt
  • Juice from 2 Limes
  • 1 large Graham Cracker Crust, or 12 mini pies
  • Whipped Cream – Optional
  • Sea Salt – Optional

Instructions:
Here’s a video with instructions!

  1. Preheat the over to 350
  2. Mix the milk, eggs, margarita concentrate, yogurt, and lime juice until fully combined.
  3. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake mini pies for 15 minutes, full size for 25 minutes, or until custard is set. There will be a slight juggle when it’s done.
  4. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving, and top with whipped cream it you would like!

3. Yoda Margarita Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 5 oz of Jell-Craft Lemon-Lime Margarita Concentrate
  • 6 oz of Tequila
  • 28 oz of Triple Sec
  • Ice – up to the 48 oz mark on the pitcher
  • 8 Blueberries for the eyes
  • 4 Toothpicks for the blueberries
  • 8 Lime wedges for the ears 
  • 4 Brown clothes for the cape to go around the bottom of the 4 glasses
  • 4 Toothpick Swords for the Lightsaber

Instructions:

  1. Pour Margarita Concentrate, Tequila, and Triple Sec in a blender and add Ice until you reach the 48 oz mark in the blender.
  2. Blend the Margarita Concentrate, Tequila, Triple Sec, and Ice well. 
  3. Pour the frozen margarita into 4 glasses, and stick one lime wedge on each side of the glasses for Yoda’s ears.
  4. Add blueberries spaced out on the 4 toothpicks for Yoda’s eyes. 
  5. Add a brown cloth around each glass for his cape, and add the toothpick sword for his lightsaber!

*Check out Pinterest for all the different ways you can dress up your Yoda Margarita!

**If you need to grab Jell-Craft Lemon-Lime Margarita Concentrate, go here


Halloween Drink Recipes

Trick-or-Treat!

We don’t have a trick, but we have a treat for you this year for Halloween!

We created three recipes for Halloween drinks (kid-friendly) for you this year to impress your Halloween guests! They are simple, affordable, and delicious!

The best thing is, if you have leftover sno-cone syrup from the summer, you can use it for these Halloween drinks! Halloween Kid Friendly Recipes

They are:

  1. Ghoul-Ade

  2. Jack-O-Lantern

  3. Vampires Kiss

If you need to go buy Jell-Craft products, head to Ace Mart Restaurant Supply, Katok Restaurant Supply or Restaurant Depot! Check Where to Buy for more options!

Okay, let’s get started with our recipes! 

 Let’s start with Goul-Ade:

Ghoul-Ade

Ingredients

Yields ½ Gallon

  • 40 oz of water
  • 8 oz of Jell-Craft Lemonade Concentrate
  • 16 oz of Jell-Craft Grape Sno-Cone Syrup
  • 1 Frozen Hand (optional décor)
  • 1 pack of eyeballs (optional décor)

Instructions:

  1. Mix the Jell-Craft Lemonade concentrate with the 40 oz of water
  2. Measure out 16 oz of Jell-Craft Grape Sno-Cone Syrup
  3. Combine the Lemonade and Grape Sno-Cone syrup in a festive serving bowl
  4. Add the eyeball and frozen hand before serving to your guests

*If you need a quick way to make this drink, you can substitute the lemonade concentrate and water and use a ready-to-drink lemonade mix

Jack-O-Lantern

Ingredients

Yields: 1 Gallon

  • 16 oz of Jell-Craft Mango Sno-Cone Syrup
  • 32 oz of Orange Juice
  • 46 oz of Pineapple Juice
  • 2 Liters of Lemon-Lime Soda (can also use Orange or Pineapple soda)
  • 1 quart of Orange Sherbert
  • Clear cups and a sharpy to decorate to look like Jack-O-Lanterns (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Measure of the Jell-Craft Mango Sno-Cone Syrup and dump into the bowl
  2. Add the 32oz of Orange Juice to the Mango Sno-Cone Syrup
  3. Add the 46oz of Pineapple Juice
  4. Add the 2 liters of the soda of your choosing
  5. Drop scoops of orange sherbet
  6. Serve in your DIY Jack-O-Lantern cups

Vampire’s Kiss

Ingredients

Yields: 1.25 Gallons

  • 1 quart of Jell-Craft Strawberry Sno-Cone Syrup
  • 16 oz of Orange Juice
  • 24 oz Pineapple Juice
  • 2 Liters of Lemon-Lime Soda
  • 1 bag of Candy Fangs and Plastic Vampire Teeth (optional décor)

Instructions:

  1. Measure out your sno-cone syrup unless you have a full quart and pour it into a pitcher
  2. Add your 16 oz of Orange Juice
  3. Pour the 24 oz of Pineapple Juice
  4. Add the 2 liters of Lemon-Lime Soda
  5. Decorate the cups with the candy fangs and plastic vampire fangs
  6. Serve and enjoy!

Let us know what you think on our Social Media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!


Five Tips to Start a Sno-Cone Stand for Kids

Five Tips to Start a Sno-Cone Stand for Kids

Five Tips to Start a Sno-Cone Stand for Kids

What better way for your child to pass the long summer days than starting their own sno-cone stand? They can earn their own money while developing skills to set them up for their future! I recommend the information below for the kids to do with the help of their parents. This is a great way to bond with your child while teaching them entrepreneurial skills!

Five Tips to help get your child started. DIY Sno-Cone Stand

  1. Ice – You can choose to blend your own ice or go somewhere with your own ice chest such as Pure Party Ice and purchase Sno-Cone Ice (Snow Ice)! At Pure Party Ice they will fill up your ice chest and you will purchase based on bulk or your ice chest size.
  2.  Sno-Cone Syrup–The cost of Jell-Craft Sno-Cone Syrup ranges based on bottle size and quantity. You can purchase Jell-Craft Syrups here. Jell-Craft Sno-Cones have an extensive list of flavors to choose from, and for most kids, it’s all about the color!
  3. Supplies – Gloves for serving, Cups, Spoons, and/or straws for eating––That’s all you need to supply to eat Sno-Cones! You can pick these items up at any of the places you buy Jell-Craft Sno-Cone Syrup from, or even your local grocery store.
  4. Sign – Your child can come up with a creative Sno-Cone Stand name and use Canva to create a sign!
  5. Cart – Grab a cart or use a stand and start selling Jell-Craft Sno-Cones!

Whether they choose to keep the proceeds or donate them to a charity, this will be a fun and unique way to spend time with your child this summer! 


Valentine's Day Sno-Cone Syrups

Valentine’s Day Sno-Cone Syrup Bouquet

Which one are you? Are you the person who starts planning for Valentine’s Day way in advance for your special loved ones? Or do you wait until the very last minute to shop, maybe even on Valentine’s Day? Whichever category you fall under, we are here to help you this year! 

What shows your someone special that you are thinking of them? Traditional flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, and balloons are usually the way to go. We say start by thinking outside the box with a delicious, creative Valentine’s gift that won’t break the bank. 

A Jell-Craft Sno-cone Syrup Bouquet is the way to go!

In fact, you can beat the store’s madhouse of Valentine’s candy, balloons, and flowers by heading to Ace Mart Restaurant Supply to pick up a variety of Jell-Craft sno-cone syrups! This is an excellent treat for all ages!

Choose from flavors such as Bubble Gum, Cherry, Coconut, Lime, Pineapple, Watermelon, and more! For a complete list of sno-cone flavors, go here

Once you choose your flavors, bundle the sno-cone syrups up like you would do with flowers and tie a ribbon around them. 

With Jell-Craft sno-cone syrups you have options to make many other sweet recipes with the sno-cone syrups such as:

There are many more recipes on the Jell-Craft website!

So, this year, give your special someone a unique and out-of-the-ordinary gift for Valentine’s Day. A bouquet of Jell-Craft sno-cone syrups!

Let us know below what you think of this gift idea. If you have other gift ideas using sno-cone syrups, we would also love to hear them in the comments below! 


Margarita Recipes

¡Margaritas, Por Favor!

Who Developed Margaritas?

Margaritas…were they invited in 1942 by a man named Pancho Morales or by Johnny Durlesser? Better yet, let’s throw more names into the mix of possible Margarita creators such as Carlos (Danny) Herrera, in 1938? However, the Texas socialite Margaret Sames claimed she mixed the first drink at a house party in Mexico in 1948. Let’s not forget about Rita Hayworth (whose real name was Margarita Casino) who could have been the margarita inventor in the 1940s!

It’s hard to say exactly who the margarita originated from, but what we do know is that it’s a delicious, tasty cocktail!

The Original Margarita Recipe

There are several ways to make margaritas and so many flavors to choose from! You can have it frozen or on the rocks. Name any flavor, and it can probably be turned into a Margarita! But the original margarita recipe was made with Tequila, Lime Juice, Orange Liqueur, and a splash of soda, served in a glass with rimmed salt.

Jell-Craft’s Margarita Lemon-Lime Concentrate is a replica of the original margarita, all you need to add is Jell-Craft’s Triple Sec, tequila, and salt. Jell-Craft’s Margarita Concentrate can be made frozen or on the rocks, whichever your preference is.

Virgin Margarita:

In fact, skip the tequila altogether and enjoy a virgin margarita! Follow the direction on the side of the Jell-Craft Margarita Concentrate label and eliminate the tequila. Feel free to modify by adding in more mix, water, or ice to dilute the concentrate to your liking.

Cinco De Mayo Margarita Gift:

So, our gift to you this Cinco de Mayo is how to think outside the box with Margaritas, and how you can use any of Jell-Craft sno-cone syrups to make a margarita! How about having a margarita bar at your next event?

Sno-Cone Margarita Recipe

Viva Fiesta San Antonio!

Chicken on a stick Fiesta San AntonioWhat do Margaritas, Raspas, Chicken-on-a-Stick, and parades all mean? It’s time for Fiesta!

For those of you that don’t live in San Antonio, this is a city tradition that usually occurs every April! From big city events such as the Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA), to colleges hosting events such as Fiesta Oyster Bake by St. Mary’s University all the way to local grade schools celebrating with shoebox float parades, Fiesta is an event that San Antonio natives all recognize!

In fact, there is even a school holiday for the Battle of Flower’s parade which occurs the last Friday of Fiesta.

History of Fiesta

Fiesta started in 1891 as a way to honor the memory of the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. It has now grown into a celebration of San Antonio’s rich and diverse cultures! It’s a week-long celebration with parades, festivals, and delicious drinks and food!

Since food is such a big part of the Fiesta celebration, a lot of unique and specialty items are made! During the COVID pandemic, restaurants started to get creative by making these foods during the time Fiesta would have been so San Antonio locals could bring Fiesta to their home.

Margaritas and Raspas

Since our beginnings, Jell-Craft has always partaken in Fiesta events whether it’s working at Oyster Bake selling Margaritas or producing the Raspa syrups for the events. When the orders start coming in, in February, we know that San Antonio is gearing up for Fiesta!

Some of our most popular Raspa flavors for Fiesta are Mango, Sal-Y-Limon, Leche, Tamarindo and Chamoyada! These flavors encompass the diverse culture of San Antonio along with the rich heritage of this city.

If you’re around town going to Fiesta events this year and come across Jell-Craft products, make sure you grab a photo or two and tag us on Facebook or Instagram!

We even like the photos of what the aftermath of a night out celebrating Fiesta looks like!Sno-Cone Syrup

How do you celebrate Fiesta?

 


New Orleans Snowball Pineapple

Snowballs, Sno-Cones and Raspas, Oh My!

These tasty delicious warm-weather treats catch everyone’s attention with their bright-colored syrups and toppings that can be added.

But what is the difference between them?

Well, we dug deep to find out the roots and origin behind these two delicious warm-weather treats!

The Name:
Snowballs and Sno-Cones have interchangeable names and spellings! In fact, here in South Texas, Sno-Cones are also known as Raspas. Some prefer to spell Snowballs as Sno-balls while others choose to spell Sno-Cones as Snow Cones. No matter the spelling the one commonality these mouthwatering treats have is that they both are refreshing to eat, drink or slurp!

Time Travel: The evolution of Snowballs and Sno-Cones

Let’s travel back to about 27 B.C. to A.D. 395 during the Roman Empire. At this time, snow was hauled from the top of the mountains to the city. The syrup was added to the top which made the world’s first frozen dessert! At the time this was called a Snowball.

In the 1850s in Baltimore, the first Snowball flavor was created by a mother, which was Egg Custard. This flavor consisted of egg, vanilla, and sugar, and it is still a favorite snowball flavor in Baltimore today!

In the 1870s, snowballs started to gain popularity on hot summer days which theaters began to sell to keep their customers cooled off. Since attending the theater was more for the upper-class, snowballs were thought of as an upper-class commodity.

Hand tools such as a wood plane were used to recreate this delicious dessert. These tools could shave a block of ice into a fluffy snow-like consistency. Handheld ice shavers were designed specifically to produce snowballs leading to ice shavers being made by numerous manufacturers in the 1890s.

In 1919, Samuel Bert of Dallas invented a machine that crushed ice, and low and behold, Sno-cones were born! He tested his sno-cone machine at the  State Fair of Texas, and sold sno-cones! He was a staple at the State Fair, selling his sno-cones and his sno-cone machines worldwide. In fact, Jell-Craft Sno-Cone Syrup is used at the State Fair of Texas every year to make their slushes!

In essence, you could say, Sno-cones were a spinoff of Snowballs.

Now back to snowballs.

In 1934 Ernest Hansen patented an electric ice-shaver which meant you no longer needed to make snowballs by hand! In fact, New Orleans, and Baltimore both are in competition as to who invited the dessert first. But legend has it that Baltimore claimed this dessert back in the late 1800s, as mentioned above….so who wins for the discovery of this dessert?

Lastly, during the Great Depression and World War II people in need of a job could sell snowballs or sno-cones since it is an inexpensive item to make, and it didn’t require much overhead.

This still holds true today!

The Difference:

The biggest difference between the snowball and sno-cone is the ice!

Snowball:
The ice is fluffy and has a snow-like consistency. The ice absorbs the syrup poured onto it.

Sno-Cone
The ice of a sno-cone is coarser and fun to crunch on. Normally sno-cone syrup will sink to the bottom of the cup. However, Jell-Craft Sno-Cone Syrup is uniquely made to stick to the top of the ice and not sink to the bottom.

Which will you choose?Jell-Craft Snowball Syrup

Both Snowballs and Sno-Cones are deliciously satisfying and refreshing! They are great to have year-round, especially if you live in the south where winter is pretty much nonexistent!

Jell-Craft Products launched a product line of New Orleans Style Snowball Syrups, so  you can now enjoy a Jell-Craft New Orleans Style Snowball or a Jell-Craft Sno-Cone! Whichever one you pick; you will not go wrong!


Sno-Cone Stand

Sno-Cones for Sale

Five Tips to Start a Kid’s Sno-Cone Stand

DIY Sno-Cone Stand

Lemonade stands are a classic summer experience and a great way to embrace the hot temperatures! They are also a good way to teach your kids important skills.

However, why not just have a Sno-Cone stand instead or better yet, cart them around the neighborhood yelling, “Sno-Cones for Sale.” That is what these boys did!

According to Samuel Edwards, a Digital Strategist and Writer for Entrepreneur.com, “Kids taught about business early value money and have a better work ethic.” He goes on to list the Five Benefits of teaching young children Entrepreneurship.

Lemonade Stands, Car Washes, and Mowing Lawns have always been a popular method for kids to earn money. It is rare to see kids selling Sno-Cones, and this is such a delicious treat to have, especially if you live where temperatures get up to 100 degrees or more during the summer.

To help your child start their own Sno-Cone Stand, here are some tips.

  1. Ice – You can choose to blend your own ice or go somewhere with an ice chest such asKids making Sno-Cones Pure Party Ice and purchase Sno-Cone Ice (Snow Ice)! At Pure Party Ice they will fill up your ice chest and you will purchase based on bulk or your ice chest size.
  1. Sno-Cone Syrup – Cost of Jell-Craft Sno-Cone Syrup ranges based on bottle size and quantity. Jell-Craft Syrups are sold here. Jell-Craft Sno-Cones have an extensive list of flavors to choose from, and for most kids, it’s all about the color!
  1. Gloves for serving, Cups, Spoons and/or Straws for eating – That’s all you need to supply to eat Sno-Cones! You can pick these items up at any of the places you buy Jell-Craft Sno-Cone Syrup from or even your local grocery store.
  1. Sign (optional) – Your child can come up with a creative Sno-Cone Stand name and use Canva to create a sign!
  1. Grab a cart or use a stand and start selling Jell-Craft Sno-Cones!

What better way for your child to pass the long summer days than earning money on their own while developing skills to set them up for their future! Whether they choose to keep the proceeds or donate them to a charity, this will be a fun and unique way to spend time with your child this summer!

Sno-Cone Stand Photo by, Elizabeth Miller and Vecteezy


Paul’s Cooking Tips: 3 ways to use leftover pickle juice

Source: AUL STEPHEN Paul’s Cooking Tips | San Antonio Express-News 

Jamie Grill / Getty Images/Tetra images Old pickle juice can be reused to make a fresh batch of pickles or to brine meat.

Scores of San Antonians know this: When the heat goes up, a steady diet of pickles is sure to follow.

Gracing a butcher paper-lined tray of smoky brisket, stuffed into a foam cup and doused with chamoy or simply wolfed down by the fistful with the fridge door still open — nobody judges how you consume those crunchy cukes in this city.

But all that pickle intake leaves behind a lot of empty jars. Well, almost empty, that is.

Pickle juice more often than not gets poured down the drain. And that’s gallons of a culinary secret weapon that will never get used to its full potential. Whether sour, dill or sweet, that juice is gold and here’s what to do with it.

More pickles!

Perhaps above all else, leftover pickle juice is perfect for making more pickles. And if you do it right, you’re cutting down on your waste stream significantly.

Just pour the leftover pickle juice into a pan and bring it to a boil for a minute or so and then remove the pan from the heat. Meanwhile, give the jar and lid a thorough washing and stuff it with fresh vegetables. You can use cucumbers, green beans, okra, kale stems or just about any reasonably tender veggie you like.

Once the jar is stuffed, pour the hot pickle juice over the veg. If there isn’t enough juice to cover them all, just top the jar off with white vinegar. Place the lid on, hide the jar in the back of the fridge for a few days, then nosh away.

Brine your meat

Pickle juice, technically called brine, is also a powerhouse for tenderizing meat. The process of brining meat, or soaking it in a salt water solution before cooking, helps the protein absorb moisture and breaks down tough muscles resulting in a juicier, more tender pork chop, chicken breast or other cut. Acidic vinegar in pickle brine, which also contains a good bit of salt, adds to the effect.

A couple hours before you fire up the grill, stuff your chops or chicken into a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in enough pickle juice to keep everything fairly wet, seal the bag and place it in a dish big enough to contain the chaos should the bag spring a leak. Set that in the fridge for one to two hours, drain the meat and pat it dry, then get to cooking.

Do note that if you’re using pickle juice with a lot of turmeric in it, your meat will be stained yellow. Also, if they’re sweet pickles, mind the heat as that sugar could caramelize and burn more quickly than you’re used to.

Tart up your ice

Last up, and perhaps the most amusing, is to pour that juice into an ice cube tray and freeze. The tangy ice cubes will perk up many of your favorite summer libations, be it a brunchtime bloody mary, a crisp pickletini or Real Dill Cocktail with a grilled steak or an all-in-one pickleback of whiskey over ice. pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen


Making Snow Cones at Home

Who needs a blender when making Jell-Craft Snow Cones?

We partnered with Early Learning with Tessa Baden to get creative with combining education and sweet treats!

Check out how this clever girl thinks outside the box with making snow cones at home!

How would your family make snow cones without using appliances?

If you need to get your hands on Jell-Craft Products, go here!


 

Retail orders can be placed online! Click here for a list of online suppliers

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What others are saying…

  • I love sno-cones just like anyone else lol..I bought a small sno-cone maker for my kids at Walmart..well they had all kinds of different syrups there..except Coconut!!! Thank goodness I found it on here..and I’m more of a clear Coconut fan..but I have to say this one is good too and the price isn’t too much either!!! Naomi Riggs
    Amazon customer

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