Slurpee
Brand name | Flavors | |
---|---|---|
Current Flavors | ||
Barq's | Crème, Root Beer | |
Bawls | SnoBawls | |
Coca-Cola | Cherry Coke, Coca-Cola Classic, Vanilla Coke | |
Crystal Light | Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Orange Pineapple Ice, Peach Mango, Raspberry Ice, Strawberry Kiwi, Strawberry Banana, Passionfruit | |
Dr Pepper | Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Vanilla | |
Fanta | Banana, Birch Beer, Blue Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Ginger Ale, Grape, Green Lemon Lime, Green Melon, Kiwi Strawberry, Orange, Orange Cream, Pineapple, Purple Berry Cherry, Mandarine Tangerine, Red Licorice, Super Sour Apple, Super Sour Cherry, Super Sour Watermelon, Vanilla, Watermelon, White Cherry, Wild Cherry, Wild Cherry-Reduced Calorie | |
Hawaiian Punch | Regular, Green Berry Rush | |
Master Chill | Bruisin Berry, Sour Green | |
Mello Yello | Mello Yello | |
Minute Maid | Blue Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Grape, Lemonade, Orange, Passionfruit Orange, Peach, Pineapple, Raspberry Lemonade, Strawberry | |
Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew, Code Red, Livewire (Orange), Pitch Black (grape), Kryptonite Ice (lime-ish) | |
Pepsi | Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Blue | |
Sierra Mist | Sierra Mist, Shrekalicious | |
Sprite Remix | Tropical | |
Twizzler | Twizzler | |
Tropicana | Blue Raspberry Rush | |
Other flavors | Piña Colada, Grapermelon, Frawg, Honeycomb,Blue Meanie (Australia). Arctic Burst, Gully Washer |
In 1965, the slush drink was first created by the ICEE Company. Two years later 7-Eleven licensed the process and started selling it as the Slurpee. It is a partially frozen beverage that comes in various fruit and soda flavors. 7-Eleven, once an American corporation, is now a worldwide franchise and Slurpees are offered in many, but not all covered countries. Slurpee is a registered trademark of the 7-Eleven corporation. In the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma metropolitan area 7-Elevens carry a slightly different product selection than other 7-11 stores in the world, they carry a similar product in lieu of the Slurpee, the Icy Drink.
Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by a Dairy Queen franchise owner Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s. The machine mixes a syrup that is carbonated, flavored, sweetened, in a partially frozen and pressurized rolling tumbler, resulting in tiny specks of ice suspended in sugar and bubbles of gas (the same result can be achieved by partially freezing a bottle of soda; if approximately half the bottle is frozen, the frozen portion will have the consistency of a Slurpee). By constantly mixing the mixture in a Slurpee machine, the water is unable to separate from the sugar and carbonation and thus only tiny pieces of ice can form. Machines in this category are referred to by the industry as Frozen Carbonated Beverage (FCB) devices, and 7-11 currently sources their equipment from supplier FBD and previously from suppliers IMI Cornelius and the Taylor Company.
The Slurpee machine has a dispenser knob for each flavour at the front of the tumbler/freezer, where generally the patron pours their own Slurpee. Common flavors are frozen Coke and cherry, but new flavors are introduced regularly. Slurpees are particularly popular on hot days; July 11, or 7-11 on a calendar is notable as in most locations customers are offered one free 7.11 fl oz (210 mL in the USA, 200 mL in Canada) slurpee. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada holds the record for annual Slurpee consumption, followed by Calgary, Alberta and Detroit, Michigan.
Similar drinks
Similar drinks are sold under different names in other countries.
- Slush Puppie: Canada, the UK, USA and The Netherlands
- Froster: Canada at Mac's stores and at US CircleK stores
- Sloche: Québec
- Granizado: Spanish-speaking countries.
Additionally, similar products are marketed by competitors such as the "Arctic Rush" (formarly "Mister Misty") sold by Dairy Queen since 1961.
A Slush Puppie is a non-carbonated mixture of tiny (though bigger than that found in a Slurpee) spherical bits of ice and water which gets concentrated flavored syrups added to the product when it is in its cup.
Cultural references
- Slurpees are sometimes referred to in pop culture references. For example, in The Simpsons television series, Apu sells Squishees which have been the basis for many sub-plots.
- Hip hop DJs DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist collaborated on an turntablism album, Brainfreeze, which incorporated a 7-inch record promoting the Slurpee (entitled "Doin' the Slurp") originally distributed by 7-Eleven stores. Its usage eventually attracted the attention of 7-Eleven, resulting in legal intervention and the set's discontinuance. Its rarity has made it a highly-sought bootleg recording. [1]
- In the comic series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez, the main character Johnny C. enjoys purchasing cherry Brainfreezies (as well as chips and Frooty Pops) from the nearby 24/7.
- 7-Eleven once had a Pineapple flavored Slurpee to tie in with The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
- In the Veggietales video release Josh and the Big Wall, the Jericho pea soldiers throw blue raspberry slurpees in cups, through hoses, and through a cement mixer on the marching Israelites from the walltops.
Dietary information
Slurpees are mostly water ice and heavily infused with air; there is less food energy in a Slurpee than in the same volume of a soda of the same name.
They are also generally considered kosher parve, as well as halal. The Diet Pepsi flavor uses sodium caseinate as an anti-freezing agent (sugar is a natural anti-freeze in other flavors) which only gives it the status of kosher dairy. The Piña Colada flavor, however, is not kosher.
Fetishization
The term 'Slurpee', when used pejoratively, can also refer to the act of cunnilingus.
See also
External links
- 7-Eleven's Official Slurpee website
- Star-K Kosher Slurpee Flavor List
- CRC Kosher status
- "The Slurpee at 40: Has it grown up?" by David Amsden, Slate.com, Sept. 14, 2005
- Famous Ad for "Bloody Zit" Flavour
- Dairy Queen francise owner Omar Knedlik's invention of the slush drink
- Slurpee Fansite
- 7-Eleven's FCB equipment supplier, FBD