Aqui restaurants add low-alcohol Swirls to their boozy lineup

Plus: Hand-shaken Martini Craft Swirls join the bar menu

As any Aqui Cal-Mex fan can tell you, the Industrial Strength Swirls are just that.

But what if you want a little less industrial in your Aloha Mai Tai Swirl, Sunrise Swirl or other slushy frozen margarita cocktail?

The South Bay restaurant group has now obliged, adding Low Proof Swirls to the menu in response to customer requests.

“We actually have three levels of Swirls available now: Zero Proof, which is our agua fresca swirled with a no-alcohol, blended citrus frozen drink; Low Proof, which has no-alcohol drink swirled with our house-blended margarita; and the original Industrial Strength Swirls,” said Rob Francis, executive chef and co-founder.

Swirls were introduced just months after the first Aqui opened in Willow Glen in 1994. The original — house-made sangria swirled into Aqui’s blended margarita — was an “instant success,” Francis said. It’s always on the menu at that location and the four others (Campbell, Cupertino, San Jose/Blossom Valley and San Jose/Waterford).

Other cocktail flavors rotate. January’s special is a Guava Paloma Swirl, with Dulce Vida Grapefruit tequila, Aqui lemonade, passion-orange-guava and lime juices swirled into the blended margarita.

Also new are hand-shaken Martini Craft Swirls, available at the bar only. Inaugural offerings include a Manhattan (made with Maker’s Mark), Cosmo (Belvedere), Cucumber Mint (Ketel One), Raspberry (Gran Centenario) and Prickly Pear Lemon Drop (Deep Eddy).

Details: www.aquicalmex.com