View source for Slushy

{{Short description|Flavored frozen drink}}
{{Infobox food
| image          = Lemon-Lime Slush.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = A [[Lemon-lime soft drink|lemon-lime]] flavored slush drink
| alternate_name = Slush, slushie, slushee, slushies, [[Icee]], [[Slurpee]].
| country        = United States
| year           = 1958
| region         = [[Kansas]]
| creator        = [[Omar Knedlik]] 
| type           = [[Beverage]]
| variations     = Carbonated, non-carbonated, [[Frozen alcoholic drink|alcoholic]]
| no_recipes     = true
}}

A '''slushy''' (also spelled '''slushie''' and less commonly '''slushee''')<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of SLUSHY|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slushy|access-date=2021-04-16|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416103104/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slushy|url-status=live}}</ref> is a type of [[Drink|beverage]] made of [[Flavor (taste)|flavor]]ed ice and a drink, similar to [[granita]]s but with a more liquid composition. It is also commonly called a '''slush''', '''slurpee''', '''frozen beverage''', or '''frozen drink'''. A slushie can either be carbonated or non-carbonated; the carbonated version is sometimes called a '''frozen carbonated drink''' or '''frozen carbonated beverage'''.

== History ==
{{See also|The Icee Company#History}}
The first carbonated slushie machine was invented by [[Omar Knedlik]], the owner of a [[Dairy Queen]] franchise.<ref>{{cite web|last=Precker|first=Michael|date=October 16, 1991|title=Happy birthday to Slurpee, Icee|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19911016&id=JN8cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GGQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4170,69739|work=The Pittsburgh Press|accessdate=February 28, 2012|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416192639/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19911016&id=JN8cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GGQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4170,69739|url-status=live}}</ref> In the late 1950s, the soda machine at his restaurant experienced constant issues. Sometime in 1958, his machine completely failed and he decided to store his soda in his freezer, where it became slushy when pulled out.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Wei-Haas|first=Maya|title=The Brain-Freezing Science of the Slurpee|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brain-freezing-science-slurpee-180959750/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416192638/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brain-freezing-science-slurpee-180959750/|url-status=live}}</ref> He decided to sell the slush to his customers, and the drink soon became popular.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Fulton|first=Wil|title=Slushies Are the World's Greatest Accident|url=https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/who-invented-slushies-history|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Thrillist|date=14 November 2016 |language=en|archive-date=2016-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202101811/https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/who-invented-slushies-history|url-status=live}}</ref> Knedlik decided to pursue making slushies and commissioned Ruth Taylor to create the name and logo of [[The Icee Company]]. These early machines used an [[Automobile air conditioning|automotive air conditioning]] system and worked by combining and freezing a flavor mix, water, and carbon dioxide.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The cool history of the Slurpee|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/16/mf.cool.history.slurpee/index.html|access-date=2021-04-16|website=www.cnn.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-03-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324013423/http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/11/16/mf.cool.history.slurpee/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1960, Knedlik partnered with John Mitchell to mass-produce slushy machines, gaining a patent in 1962.<ref>{{Cite patent|country=US|number=3044878|title=Process for the Preparation of a Beverage|fdate=1958-07-18|gdate=1962-07-17|invent1=Knedlik|inventor1-first=Omar}}</ref> In 1965, [[7-Eleven]] bought 3 ICEE machines and signed a licensing deal with ICEE where 7-Eleven would adopt the [[Slurpee]] name for their products and they were restricted to selling the Slurpee in American 7-Eleven stores.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=admin|date=2012-05-03|title=History of the slushie, slush, slurpee machine|url=http://www.slushiesandmore.com.au/history-of-the-slushie-slush-slurpee-machine/|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Slushies and More Party Hire|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416192640/http://www.slushiesandmore.com.au/history-of-the-slushie-slush-slurpee-machine/|url-status=live}}</ref> By the 1970s, Slurpee machines could be found in every American 7-Eleven store.<ref name=":2" />

== Variations ==
Slushies are either carbonated or non-carbonated. They can also come in a variety of flavors ranging from [[fruit]]s such as [[strawberry]], [[watermelon]], and [[pineapple]]s, to [[Soft drink|sodas]] such as [[Coca-Cola]], [[Sprite (drink)|Sprite]], and [[Fanta]], and other flavors like [[caramel]], [[chocolate]], [[vanilla]], and even [[Iced coffee|ice coffee]]. Slushies made using [[alcoholic drink]]s are called [[frozen alcoholic drink]]s.

== Production ==
[[File:2021 — Erste Julireise Mateus2019 — Batch (242).jpg|thumb|Slush machines in Italy, containing mixes for [[Mentha|mint]], [[cola]] and [[lemon]]-flavoured drinks]]
Carbonated slushies are made in machines similar to regular [[soda fountain]]s. Concentrated flavor syrups are mixed with filtered water, then carbonated. This mixture is then injected into a cylinder surrounded by freezer coils. The mixture freezes to the wall of the cylinder, then is scraped off by a rotating dasher, which also keeps the mixture uniformly mixed.<ref name=":1" /> Carbonated slushie machines often freeze to a temperature well below the freezing point of water, but the combination of pressure up to {{Convert|40|psi|bar|abbr=on}}, the carbon dioxide mixture that freezes at {{Convert|-80|C|F|abbr=on}},<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Vincent|first1=Charles W.|last2=Mason|first2=James|year=1839|title=The Year-book of Facts in Science and Art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqE-AAAAYAAJ&q=freezing+point+of+carbonic+acid&pg=PA134}}</ref> the sugar, and the constant stirring prevent the mass from freezing solid. Carbonated slushies tend to be "drier" than their non-carbonated counterparts.

Non-carbonated slushies are made by freezing a non-carbonated [[juice]] or other liquid. Many modern non-carbonated slushy machines use a spiral-shaped plastic dasher to scrape crystals off a freezing cylinder, often integrated into a clear hopper. This product is often "wetter" than a carbonated slushy machine. Machines for producing these do not require a [[Pressure vessel|pressure chamber]], and as a result, they are much cheaper and easier to maintain due to their simpler mechanics.

Slushies can also be produced by [[supercooling]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Welsh|first=Jennifer|title=Super Cool Your Soda To Make A Slushie In Seconds|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/easy-slushie-soda-at-home-2013-7|access-date=2021-04-16|website=Business Insider|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416102331/https://www.businessinsider.com/easy-slushie-soda-at-home-2013-7|url-status=live}}</ref> The first slushies in the late 1950s and early 1960s were made by supercooling.<ref name=":1" /> Supercooled [[Sprite (drink)|Sprite]] was briefly marketed by [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. The product required a special vending machine to store the bottles in a supercooled state so they would turn to slush upon opening.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Coca Cola Plans High Tech, Super Cool Sprite|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2007/09/coca-cola-plans/|access-date=2021-04-16|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031022433/https://www.wired.com/2007/09/coca-cola-plans/|url-status=live}}</ref> Supercooled slushies can be made by pouring a soda into a bottle, shaking it and putting it into a freezer, waiting 3 to 3.5 hours, and then either releasing pressure and flipping the bottle, slowly opening the bottle and pouring it out, or adding a piece of ice into the soda.<ref>{{cite web|last=Helmenstine|first=Anne Marie|title=Supercool Any Soft Drink Into an Instant Slushy With This Simple Trick|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/instant-slushy-how-to-606424|access-date=2021-04-16|website=ThoughtCo|archive-date=2021-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416102331/https://www.thoughtco.com/instant-slushy-how-to-606424|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Temperature ==
Slush is made by a mixture of sugar and water. To prevent the mixture from freezing solid, there must be 12–22% of sugar present in the [[Solution (chemistry)|solution]]. The sugar acts as an [[antifreeze]] in the solution. The slush machine stirs or rotates the mixture at a constant speed so that the sugar and water molecules bond together before the water gets a chance to freeze. In this way, a soft, wet slurry mixture is formed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slushco.co.uk/blog/slush-syrup/|title=Blog - Slush Syrup Explained|website=www.slushco.co.uk|date=May 2015|access-date=2016-07-18|archive-date=2016-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815082814/http://www.slushco.co.uk/blog/slush-syrup/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some slushies have additives to make the freezing temperature of the mix lower, so that the drink can be served much colder than a water slush drink. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slushyobsessed.com/how-to-make-a-slushie/|title=Blog - How to Make a Slushie|website=www.slushyobsessed.com}}</ref>

== Brands ==
There are several well-known brands of slushies. The brands Calippo Burst, [[Slurpee]], [[The Icee Company|ICEE]], [[Thirst Buster (Shell Canada)|Thirst Buster]], and [[Froster]] are known for their carbonated slushes. Brands that produce non-carbonated slushes include Mr Slush, Frazil, Polar Krush, Calippo Slush, [[Slush Puppie]], Iceberg Slush System, Arctic Slush, [[Kona Ice]], Slushy Jack’s, and [[Del's]].

== Concerns over glycerol content ==

Some slushies contain [[glycerol]] both as a sweetener and to reduce the freezing point of the mixture to retain the slush effect. The use of glycerol in place of sugar allows the drinks to avoid [[Sugary drink tax|sugar tax]], but introduces a risk of [[Glycerol#Glycerol_intoxication|glycerol intoxication syndrome]] in young children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roxby |first=Philippa |date=2025-03-12 |title=Children should avoid drinking slushies with glycerol, says study |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0l196l2k8ko |access-date=2025-03-13 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the [[Food Standards Agency]] recommends that children aged four or younger do not consume glycerol-containing slushies, and that a warning of the risks be visible at the point of sale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Approved additives and E numbers |url=https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/approved-additives-and-e-numbers#glycerol-e-422 |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=[[Food Standards Agency]] |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{wiktionary|slushie}}
{{Commons category|Slush drinks}}

* [[Shaved ice]]
* [[Snow cone]]
* [[Granita]]
* [[Italian ice]]
* [[Milkshake]]
* [[Smoothie]]
* [[Pumpable ice technology]]
* [[Freezie]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Ice-based snacks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Frozen desserts]]
[[Category:Frozen drinks]]
[[Category:Drinks]]
[[Category:Carbonated drinks]]
[[Category:Non-alcoholic drinks]]