Somebody queue “Not like us” by Kendrick Lamar because we need to have a serious intervention. I speak for the majority that pumpkins are strictly associated with fall. You go to a pumpkin patch and carve pumpkins in October and then you have pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, right? Then of course, if you’re a fan of pumpkin spice drinks you sip on those too. Personally, I cross the line at pumpkin muffins. But August seems to be the month to release all things pumpkin — PSLs, ice cream, and Slurpees. The idea of a pumpkin spice-flavored Slurpee sounds repulsive, but 7-Eleven finds it to be the perfect flavor for the upcoming season.
Are Pumpkin Spice Slurpees actually real?
You bet! The drink is described as “the flavor of pumpkin and cinnamon spice swirled together in the form of a refreshing, ice-cold Slurpee drink.” 7-Eleven also released their annual pumpkin spice coffee drinks today, including a pumpkin cream cold brew and the classic PSL.
7-Eleven also announced today that the new Slurpee flavor will arrive in five U.S. store locations. Visit the following spots to try the new flavor:
3200 Hackberry Road in Irving.
5530 Valley Boulevard in Los Angeles.
2030 A W. 8th Street in Los Angeles.
82 Greenwich Street in New York.
90 N. Xenia Drive in Enon, Ohio.
The irony is that Irving, Texas – where 7-Eleven is headquartered – will reach a high of 101°F later today, which release isn’t a fall-like temperature.
“7-Eleven customers are huge pumpkin spice fans, so we’re always looking for reasons to bring out the pumpkins a bit early and delight customers with new creations,” said Dennis Phelps, 7-Eleven’s Sr VP, Merchandising (Vault & Proprietary Beverages) in the press release.
What is a slurpee?
It’s time for a quick history lesson on all things Slurpees. The slushy was a happy accident invented in the late 50s by Omar Knedlik of Kansas City who owned a Dairy Queen that always had broken-down ice cream and soda machines (sounds familiar, right?). So, when his soda machine gave out, Knelik put some in a freezer to stay cool. When he sold those sodas, they had a slushy consistency that was popular among customers.
This high demand for the slushy sodas got Knedlik to work and built a machine using an air condition unit from a car. According to Mental Floss, the machine worked by “combining and freezing a flavor mix, water, and carbon dioxide to make it fizz.”
Knedlik began selling these ICEE machines to convenience stores in the early 1960s. In 1965, 7-Eleven licensed the machine, thus the birth of the “Slurpee.” The name comes from Bob Stanford, a 7-Eleven ad agency director, when he described the sound while sipping the refreshing drink through a straw.
Now, 7-Eleven has 16 Slurpees to choose from, including the new pumpkin spice. You can either taste the new fall flavor in person or have it delivered to your door with the 7NOW delivery app, which is only available in the U.S. The app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play or by visiting 7Rewards.com.