Summertime Slushies
By Shelley Ottenbacher
If you’re looking for a refreshing spin on an adult beverage, try a slushie! Legend has it that the wine slush was first introduced at the 1984 New York State Fair by Christi Merritt of Merritt Estate Winery in Chautauqua County, New York. Merritt was serving a house version of a wine cooler (hugely popular in the 1980s), which combined sangria and lemon lime soda. She noticed a neighboring vendor at the fair had a machine that could freeze drinks. They decided to experiment and the wine slushie was born! There’s no denying its staying power, as wine and other alcoholic slushies are still available today.
“We have ordered slushies since we opened,” said Rob Cowan, owner, Belle River Wineries, “ They are refreshing and they just taste good! We order them all year round but they are definitely more popular in spring and summer.”
Lisa McGuire, manager, Washington Street Wine House in New Baltimore agrees, “Everybody likes slushies. They are appealing to people who aren’t wine drinkers, too.” she said. “Ours are flavored by our wines so we use sweet, fruity wines like mango citrus or cherry but we sometimes do a dryer red version, too.”
From a summertime novelty cocktail to a regular offering at many wineries year round, slushies are popping up at breweries and meaderies, too. Baffin Brewing Company in St. Clair Shores offers both wine and seltzer slushies. B. Nektar Meadery in Ferndale offers cider and mead slushies. Brown Iron Brewhouse has sour smoothie varieties on tap.
Joe VanderMarliere, owner/CEO, Baffin Brewing Company, notes that slushies have become very popular alongside the brewing company’s beer offerings. “We definitely see more groups coming in now, knowing we have a little something for everybody in their party,” he said. “Our goal is to try to have something on tap for every palate. Based on feedback, we found that we had a gap in our lineup and decided to get our winemakers license. It was a natural progression to also incorporate our wine in some slush offerings. It was a great fit given our location near the lake and the warm weather months.”
“We started offering our smoothies to appeal to non-beer drinkers and we found that they can entice beer drinkers to try a sour [a higher acidity, tart brew],” said Brown Iron Brewing Operations Brewmaster Ryan Shafer. “We add lactose [milk sugar] during the brewing process to smooth out the sourness then age with fruit flavors.” The result is not as icy as a slushie but thicker than a beer.
At Green Barn Winery in Smiths Creek, all slushies are made without wine. Guests select their preferred Green Barn wine they want to add, if any at all.
“Our slushies are a ‘choose your own adventure’ beverage, “ said Jen Barnes, front of house/events manager, Green Barn Winery.
A slushie “to go” is a perfect summertime beverage for strolling around the social districts in many cities. You can even add mixes or frozen slushies bagged to go so you can enjoy them at home or anywhere your summertime travels take you!