Ever gone to a restaurant, looked at a menu and noticed something that you consider more of a food-cart item being sold for three times the price? And then sat there wondering how much better a $20 hot dog can really be compared to a $6 one? Us too. That’s why we’re on a mission to find out the cold, hard truth. All summer long, we’ll be picking one kind of food and trying it at three different price points.
For our second taste test, we’re going with another summer staple that we can’t imagine our childhoods without — slushies! Another crazy heat wave is here, so arm yourself with this ice-cold knowledge.
Low: Froster at Mac’s, $1.50
A quick run to a corner store for a slushie with every colour in it was the coolest way to beat the heat on a summer day when we were younger. The fact remains that the best part of these cheap-o slushes from a convenience store or gas station is that you can take as many or few colours as you please. Ours was made up of sour watermelon, root beer, and cream soda. It was a lot sweeter than we remembered and had a strong hint of sucralose in it but did the job in terms of refreshing us. Spoiler, the colours are a lot less fun and delicious when they all melt into one, so drink up quickly.
Mid: Screamer at Moo’s Country Ice Cream, $5
We’re pretty sure these are universally believed to be the best summer treat ever. If you aren’t fortunate enough to know what this is, it’s a slush with a soft serve center. We went for a classic Blue Raspberry Slush with Vanilla Ice Cream and wow, was it ever delicious. The real bummer is that the slush is so highly improved by the ice cream, that when you run out of ice cream (which will inevitably happen), the rest of the slush kind of feels like a write-off. Maybe one of these days someone will perfect the ratio.
@moosicecreamyyc on InstagramLow:
High: Adult Slurpee at National, $13
Pair a hot day with a licensed patio and we’re there. The Adult Slurpees at National take a classic treat that we already love and improve it by adding booze to it. We go for the Rosé, which has, not surprisingly, rosé, but also gin- 3 ounces of booze total. Nothing to not love here, in our opinion. It’s refreshing and tastes delicious, all while doing a good job of getting you primed for a night of partying or just taking the edge off after a rough week.
The Verdict: If you’re in dire need of something cold ASAP, then ok, just go for the Froster at Mac’s. If you have the time and money, please just pay the extra money for the two much tastier options. The Screamer is the perfect treat to top off a warm Calgary day, especially if you have places to be. On the other hand, with three ounces of alcohol, the Rosé slurpee at National is the real winner, and if you’re spending the night out or have fully committed to day drinking on the patio, this is definitely the way to be.
By Michelle Pijanowski
