By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Temperatures are warming up consistently.
So it is fitting the May 6, 2021 is National Beverage Day. When the heat and humidity is high, we naturally seek refreshing liquids for our thirst and relief. I’m taking this week’s Best Sellers’ List to feature my favorite beverages.
Since I don’t drink alcohol, don’t look for any mix drinks on this list. And milkshakes deserve their own list.
No hot beverages like coffee or hot cocoa will be on this countdown because I want to showcase those thirst quenching classics in my life.
I hope all of you will take a minute to observe National Beverage Day by relaxing for minute with your favorite. Whether it is a cold one, carbonated classic, blended or freshly squeezed pour a cup and enjoy.
10. Chocolate milk
I developed a love for this beverage in elementary school. Prior to kindergarten, my house commonly had regular milk. Used for cereal and some of my mom’s recipes, seeing a large jug of milk in the refrigerator wasn’t special.
Then I was introduced to the wonderful selection of chocolate milk at Delano Optional School. It was weird seeing that brown carton.
I soon discovered the wonderful take of chocolate milk. The sweetened chocolate-flavored milk could be made with syrup, powder or melted chocolate.
I’ve rediscovered the wonders of chocolate milk in my adulthood. Just like in any frequent relationship, you’ll need a little time a part. After graduating in 1999, it took 15 years before I reconnected with my first school girlfriend — chocolate milk.
9. Cherry limeade
It took a few years but this beverage is finally easy to find in your local grocery store. For years the cherry limeade was exclusive to a restaurant.
Thanks to Minute Maid, Kool-Aid and Arizona, you can grab a cold one on a 90-degree day. The sweetness of cherries and sour kick of lime is an awesome combination.
The absolute best way to consume a cherry limeade is in a Route 44 form from Sonic with the popcorn ice. The Sonic cherry Limeade is the standard for this drink.
8. Rip It
Rip It Energy Fuel is the best bang for the buck. Literally costing a $1 or .99 cents, the taste is awesome. And they seem to work. When I need a boost, I run to Dollar Tree and grab a couple of Rip Its. My favorite flavors are the Tribute line and citrus.
The flavors are smooth despite being carbonated. No after taste makes it a great energy drink option when other similar beverages cost twice as much.
7. Gatorade
Need hydration? Those electrolytes are running low?
Grab a Gatorade. It is the thirst aid. Now the brand has expanded to protein bars and gummies. But most of us know Gatorade for the various flavors that come in the bottle in the form of sports drinks. It is the grandfather of sports drinks and the best.
Gatorade is not afraid to experiment with flavors. It does help having legends endorse your product but anyone who needed a thirst quenched knows Gatorade works and it tastes great once it grows on you.
6. Hint
Founded in 2005 by Kara Goldin, Hint is now nationwide and moving fast on the market. Hint Water is an American beverage company based in San Francisco, and is marketed as an alternative to soda and sugar beverages.
What makes a cold Hint so awesome, it is refreshing like water but really does have a hint of the flavor on the bottle. It is gentle taste of the flavor with no carbonation, sugar or nasty after taste.
5. Monster Energy Drinks
If you take religion out of the discussion, Monsters have a delightful taste. It is juice with a kick. One of the most successful energy drinks of all time, Monster has a good and bad reputation. Monster Energy is an energy drink that was introduced by Hansen Natural Company in April of 2002. As of 2019, Monster Energy had a 35 percent share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull.
Now the negative, it is associated with the beast of the underworld and having 666 on the can. I overlook all that devil talk and enjoy the heavenly flavors and taste of the beverage. I like to think God created something this good and use Monster to do productive things.
4. The Arnold Palmer/VIP
I love sweet tea. I absolutely love a lemonade (especially from Chick Fil A). Combine the dynamic duo and get what we call on the country club circuit an Arnold Palmer. In the hood it is known as a VIP.
The name “Arnold Palmer” refers to the professional American golfer Arnold Palmer, who was known to often request and drink this beverage combination; some attribute the invention of the beverage to the golfer.
In urban areas, golf is not that known, but the importance of both the ice tea and lemonade helped the combination earn the name VIP. In the South you can hear both terms used in an order for the person who can’t decide which all-star beverage to drink. Why separate when you can bring two legends together under the name of an icon.
3. Orange Juice
Love oranges like I do? But don’t always feel like peeling one of those bad boys? Grab a carton or jug of he liquid form. In the winter months, it is a life source to fighting illnesses. During the summer months, it is a great way to start your morning. A little vitamin C boost is awesome on a July or August morning.
Squeezing that precious juice out of those oranges is the foundation for other citrus fruits. Some of my favorite forms of orange juice feature blood orange, navel oranges, valencia oranges, clementines and tangerines.
2. Sprite
The undisputed champion of soft drinks is the lemon/lime treat. Sprite has been on the market for decades and is the best from quenching your thirst to helping an upset stomach. Sprite is a colorless, lemon and lime-flavored soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first developed in West Germany in 1959. Sprite dominated the competition of Sierra Mist and 7 Up.
Sprite is intense and full of that lemon/lime flavor.
It is delicious warm or with a slight chill. But if you get it the perfect cold, you have a beverage worth fighting for. And if you happen to leave it in the freezer too long, it make the perfect slushy.
1. Ice Water
When you are standing in need of relief and a life-saving drink, you have to go with the original gangster. Cold water is the perfect solution. Toss in a few ice cubes, you will have heaven on earth. Well the earth is 70 percent water and the human body happens to be 70 percent of H2O too. So it’s natural water would be my favorite beverage. And living in Memphis with the best tap water in the world, I have been spoiled and will admit take it for granted having refreshing cold water to drink when I desire.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Magic Valley Publishing. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
