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National Juice Slush Day

Drink · May 19

A look at the juice slush, a cold drink of fruit juice frozen into soft, spoonable ice crystals, and simple ways to make and enjoy one.

National Juice Slush Day falls on Wednesday, May 19, 2027. That is 204 days away.

A juice slush is fruit juice that has been frozen just enough to turn into loose, glittering ice. It sits somewhere between a drink and a dessert, and most people end up using both a straw and a spoon.

The texture is the whole point. Juice freezes into small crystals rather than a solid block when it is stirred or scraped as it chills, and the sugar in fruit juice keeps those crystals soft. The result is cold enough to make your teeth notice but light enough to sip on a hot afternoon.

At home, there are a few easy routes. Some people pour juice into a shallow pan, freeze it, and rake it with a fork every half hour. Others blend juice with ice, or freeze juice in cube trays and blend the cubes later. Grape, orange, apple, lemonade and cranberry blends all work, and mixing two juices is common.

The taste changes a little as it melts. Cold dulls sweetness, so a slush often tastes tarter at first and sweeter in the last few sips, when what is left in the cup is closer to plain juice again.

Brain freeze is the traditional hazard, and slowing down is the only known defense. The last melted inch at the bottom of the cup is, for many people, the best part.

Ways to celebrate

• Freeze juice in a shallow pan and scrape it into slush with a fork.
• Blend frozen juice cubes into a quick slush.
• Try mixing two juices, like apple and grape, in one slush.
• Share homemade slushes with neighbors on a warm afternoon.

Dates

All national days on May 19

Also on May 19

• National Devil's Food Cake Day
• Plant Something Day
• May Ray Day

Categories: Drink days