PrintSugar Rush: Slurpees and How to Pour Them
7-Eleven is giving out free Slurpees tomorrow in honor of it being "7-11 Day"—July 11. (Find a location near you, but call ahead, as not all are participating.)
People outside New York can stop reading this post now. You all are not Slurpee-challenged. You see, one thing I've noticed is that New Yorkers don't know how to pull a proper Slurpee.
I'm a child of the Kansas City suburbs, where 7-Elevens are at every intersection, so this stuff is second nature to me. But as I went to the 7-Eleven today to make a training video for my clueless New York friends out there, I watched as the guy ahead of me did everything wrong. First, he didn't cap his cup prepour. Then he pulled the dispenser lever slowly, guaranteeing an anemic dribble of syrup instead of a full-on rush of ice-cold Slurpness. No, no, no. I'm sure this comes from the lack of 7-Elevens in the area, but this is no excuse. After the jump, I'll teach you all how to pull a Slurpee, in pictures and video. With a (small) list of participating 7-Elevens in New York.
Cap the Cup Before You Pour
It's counterintuitive, but you actually cap an empty cup with the plastic dome lid. Then you begin your pour. The plastic dome lid has a hole that's way bigger than a straw. There's a reason—the Slurpee machine spout fits it like a docking space module. Snuggle it into the hole, and go for it.
Blast Away
Don't pull the lever slowly. You'll only get an anemic flow of Slurp syrup. New Yorkers: You are known for being bold and aggressive. Pull that lever like you mean it. Fast and hard to the left.
And keep the pull on until that dome lid fills. When you go for that free Slurpee tomorrow, you want to get all you can.
Video: How to Pull a Perfect Slurpee
Free Slurpee Locations in New York
There's a relatively small number of 7-Elevens in New York City, and 7-Eleven.com is no help. Its locator function is lousy and when it does manage to spit locations back, there's no contact info. So I fired up the Googs and did some dialing. Most of the numbers went to fax machines, but here are the few I got through to and who confirmed free Slurpage tomorrow.
Brooklyn
520 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (at 13th Street, Park Slope). Free 7.11-ounce Slurpees till noon.
301 65th Street, Brooklyn NY 11220 (at Third Avenue, Bay Ridge). The guy here didn't confirm the free Slurpage until pressed. Caveat emptor.
Queens
87-16 Astoria Boulevard, Astoria NY 11102 (at 22nd Street, Astoria). This place had the most with-it manager. He stated absolutely that this location was participating and even said he had 1,000 of the special 7.11-ounce cups for the occasion.
Other Locations You Can Try Your Luck At
There are other 7-Elevens in the city that I wasn't able to get in touch with. If you live near them or pass them in the morning, you might want to try your luck.
Manhattan
345 West 42nd Street, New York NY 10036 (b/n Eighth and Ninth avenues, Times Square). This location did the fake Kwikie Mart Simpsons tie-in, so it seems pretty connected to 7-Eleven corporate (whereas others may be simply franchises). It's a good bet they'd participate, but you never know. Get there early, though, as this is a high-traffic area.
1453 Third Avenue, New York NY 10028 (at 82nd Street, UES). A fax machine answered the phone here. Try it if you want. Caveat emptor.
1594 York Avenue, New York NY 10028 (at 84th Street). DO NOT VISIT! The employee there said they were not participating.
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35 Comments:
So...I've never had a Slurpee. How does it taste?
roboppy at 6:48PM on 07/10/08
Wouldn't 7-11 actually be July 11th?
izatryt at 6:50PM on 07/10/08
@roboppy It tastes sort of like an Icee or a Squishee, or maybe even a Froster.
rheogs at 6:53PM on 07/10/08
@rheogs: I haven't had any of those!...I feel so deprived. :(
roboppy at 6:55PM on 07/10/08
isn't there also one at 23rd and Park?
crafty at 7:06PM on 07/10/08
@izatryt: Yes. I was composing this post while editing the video for it while uploading photos for it while calling 7-Elevens. Typing with my brain off, in other words. Thanks for the catch. The entry has been fixed.
Adam Kuban at 7:08PM on 07/10/08
I thought so, but it wasn't coming up on any maps I tried, and I couldn't leave the desk to go visit in person to see if it was still there.
Adam Kuban at 7:10PM on 07/10/08
omg, I'm SO getting a slurpee on my way to work tomorrow! there is a 7-11 within walking distance of my apartment. . .
is it a slurpee faux pas to mix as many flavors as possible?
redhead at 7:13PM on 07/10/08
@redhead - Never!
izatryt at 7:18PM on 07/10/08
@redhead: The "Suicide Slurpee"? If you don't mind the sickly brownish-green color, it's a true taste sensation...
rheogs at 7:20PM on 07/10/08
The uninitiated, a Slurpee is a brain freeze in a cup. My all time favorite was tangerine. Had it once in Converse, Tx. Never ran into it again.
challah at 7:49PM on 07/10/08
The Slurpee at the top of the post with Slurpee oozing over the domed lid resembles my last effort. The Slurpee keeps expanding even after you close the spigot, resulting in icy overflow. I always forget that. I think that means I should get Slurpees more often, just to stay in practice, of course.
holdthemayo at 7:58PM on 07/10/08
i used to go for the blue raspberry.
cybercita at 8:26PM on 07/10/08
Darn there not being many 7-11's in NE Ohio! I shouldn't have looked at that video filled with tasty frozen goodness! Well done!
bobcatsteph3 at 8:42PM on 07/10/08
Don't stop 'til you get enough!
Erin Zimmer at 10:01PM on 07/10/08
I used to be a cashier at the local 7-eleven (because it was next door to the pizza place where all the cute guys worked!!) and this advice is wrongity wrong wrong wrong.
You want to stop pouring when the Slurpee liquid reaches the level of the cup, because it will expand (especially in certain weather) to fill the dome. You can always top it off, but it's a complete mess when you overfill.
Back in the day (a pack of cigarettes was $1.30) when I worked there, the Slurpee machine was behind the counter. I've pulled me a lot of Slurpees.
Damn, I'm old.
Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com
amya413 at 10:10PM on 07/10/08
Robyn,
Think really icey soft italian ice for texture, or a really mushy snow cone? I hope that helps.
-angeline
ag3208 at 10:20PM on 07/10/08
Or the SE crew can just take Robin around to 7-11s tomorrow and she'll learn first hand. Picture...thousand words...
wunami at 10:32PM on 07/10/08
Adam, you forgot the essential counter-smack to make sure that all the air bubbles are out and the slurpee is settled. I used to squeeze at least an extra inch this way. They're not charging by weight, after all.
Blake Royer at 12:10AM on 07/11/08
Great work on the video Adam. :)
Hey, was that the Black Ice in the first cup? How was it?
And seriously, somebody please bring Robyn to 7-Eleven today! The poor girl, I can't believe she's lived her whole life without having a Slurpee.
FastFoodCritic at 1:25AM on 07/11/08
@Amy - you are absolutely right. Pull hard till the cup line, but then ease off the gas to take into consideration the expansion, otherwise you'll blow the Slurpee right out the fill hole.
But what do I know; I'm only a New Yorker who's been pulling Slurpees at all the 7-11's we don't have all over Long Island (they're just about everywhere here).
Otherwise, the precup instructions and speed of the initial pour are right on.
jonathankavner at 9:46AM on 07/11/08
@jonathankavner: Perhaps I should have been more precise with my language: People in New York City don't know how to pull Slurpees. There are not that many in the city, but yes, there are a lot all over Long Island and New Jersey and outside the city.
Adam Kuban at 10:42AM on 07/11/08
I grew up drinking Slurpees...week after week, I would go get myself a Slurpee after school in Queens.
Thankfully, I'm not one of the people who need to watch the video =) Long Live free Slurpees on 7/11!!
Moosie82 at 10:54AM on 07/11/08
I use to work at 7-11! (Can we say 'health insurance?' Yes, we can.) Switching out the syrup containers was awful. It was sticky, and the boxes were heavy, but it was worth it when I could get blue raspberry-grape going in the same chamber, life was good. Coke and cherry was pretty good too.
MerMade07 at 11:01AM on 07/11/08
Count me in with Robyn. Never had one. And they multiplied like rabbits until WaWa came along. Might have to finally try one.
PerkyMac at 11:25AM on 07/11/08
I was a coke and cherry girl, too ... that just looks wrong.
Get a slurpee today, Robyn! Like others said, it's like a very sweet, drinkable granita. It's drinkable until the loose ice bits start to fuse together. Just like a snow cone, toward the end, you're left with some packed ice at the bottom of your cup after you've sucked (or tried to suck) all of the flavor ice. Then, you wait for it to melt and take a sip every few minutes (at which point you have to turn your spoon straw around ... We may need a companion video on how to drink/eat a slurpee.
OneWallKitchen at 11:28AM on 07/11/08
I liked coke & cherry too!
Moosie - ok so did you go to FHHS? FLHS? Maybe St. Francis Prep? Just curious... I don't know of many 7-11s in Queens :P oh, and one more in Howard Beach, but it's not THAT close to the HSs there, I don't think.
And I do indeed know how to pull me a slurpee, despite growing up in Queens and Manhattan.
feistyfoodie at 11:51AM on 07/11/08
Yeah, I second the counter-tap. You gotta get the air bubbles out for more icy deliciousness
Michael Nagrant at 12:30PM on 07/11/08
didn't slurpees not always have those dome lids? what did they have?
al oof at 12:33PM on 07/11/08
I still get the frozen Coke and cherry mixed. Layer Coke on the bottom, then cherry, then Coke, cherry, and top with Coke up into the dome lid. A treat not to be missed!
Mizbee at 12:58PM on 07/11/08
those 7.11 oz cups are tiiiiny...
foodinmouth at 1:25PM on 07/11/08
@foodinmouth -- that's only the smallest size (usually for the wee kidlets). They get to Big Gulp and higher sizes, too.
And this brought back sweet memories of working at the 7-11 down the street from my house in college -- the owners were a sweet, older couple; my friends in the 'hood visited often; and I did homework when it was slow.
As far as the method goes, ease up on the handle just after you hit the dome, 'cause like other posters said, it does "blow up" a little and the dome fills REALLY quickly. And mixing is good -- I actually liked Sprite and cherry together; tasted just like cherry 7-Up.
Lorena at 2:25PM on 07/11/08
Hey cool! I never knew that!
I SHOULD, considering I'm from the "Slurpee Capital" of the world for the fifth year in a row! We Maniobans love the suga-rush!
hungrychristel at 3:13PM on 07/14/08
I was cheerfully upgraded to a 12 oz. Slurpee on Friday, simply because I innocently asked, "Aren't there any tops for this size? I have to drive!" And the flavor was Monster Black Ice. I like that! My colleagues at work pointed and laughed at my black teeth, tongue and lips, but I had the last laugh...
harriet at 6:38PM on 07/14/08
Being pregnant with Twins I just couldn't get enough Slurpee's and wouldn't you know it-they were born on 7-11-05. Free Slurpee's on their B-day for life!
Planet Chaos at 12:08AM on 07/15/08