Gapers Block has ceased publication.

Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
 Thank you for your readership and contributions. 

TODAY

Friday, March 29

Gapers Block
Search

Gapers Block on Facebook Gapers Block on Flickr Gapers Block on Twitter The Gapers Block Tumblr


Fuel

Jason / March 15, 2005 4:29 PM

Faygo Grape Pop!

red / March 15, 2005 4:32 PM

Orangina, without a doubt

Ian / March 15, 2005 4:35 PM

Too hard to decide, so I'm going to cheat by creating three sub-categories:-

Alcoholic: Greene King IPA
Cold: Ginger Ale
Hot: Homemade Latte.

S. Presso / March 15, 2005 4:40 PM

Good categories, Ian. However, I gotta go with my first impulse: the Italian Roast from Something's Brewing.

Brenda / March 15, 2005 4:41 PM

Trader Joe's Grapefruit Italian Soda

Tim / March 15, 2005 4:49 PM

gin and tonic.

gin.gin.gin.gin.gin.mmmmmmm.

pat / March 15, 2005 5:16 PM

perhaps it's just on my mind these days, but every year i'm fond of the shamrock shake from mcdonalds. usually i'm neither here nor there about the wares of the golden arches; but for whatever reason, when february inches to a close, the bright spot in my daze is the return of the shamrock shakes. must've been hooked when i was a wee laddy.

close second: screwdriver.

noran / March 15, 2005 5:23 PM

A double fuzzy navel made just right, on a hot day. Oh, I just remember my mother's homemade lemonade, with freshly squeezed lemons, and a huge serving of love. Mix with ice and serve on a hot, humid day in NW IN outside. :)

robin.. / March 15, 2005 5:24 PM

alcoholic: gin and tonic
cold: water, and lots of it
hot, caffeine: metropolis-roasted coffee
hot, no caffeine: yogi tea "woman's moon cycle"--dippy name, great tea
fizzy: jarritos tamarind flavour
fruity: cranberry juice with no sugar added
dairy: *genuine* chocolate malt (a rarity...)

amyc / March 15, 2005 5:43 PM

there is nothing like cooooold water, there is nothing...

Also, I used to love the Coca-Cola, but I haven't had any all year, and I plan to keep it that way forever. Alas.

Leelah / March 15, 2005 6:05 PM

I cannot live without black tea with milk and sugar.

Cold - Yoo-hoo or Lipton's sweetened with no lemon iced tea
Alcoholic - Dr. Pepper with amaretto

Having said that, I mostly drink tea and water...

emily / March 15, 2005 6:24 PM

Mostly pots of Honey Vanilla Chamomile tea, but I do love me some good authentic chai.

Summer laziness calls for Crystal Light Peach Tea and vodka. I don't know who served me the first glass, but it sure wasn't the last.

Thurston / March 15, 2005 6:34 PM

A few favorites that quench different thirsts:
1) Pisco sour
2) Ginger ale
3) Dos Amigos tequila on the rocks
4) Jarritos tamarindo flavor (robin knows what's up)
5) McEwan's Scottish Ale
6) Banana Oatmeal no-milk batido from Irazu
7) Apple juice

Veronica / March 15, 2005 6:53 PM

Without a doubt, cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper from Sonic, in a styrofoam cup with the big red straw and lots of crushed ice. While the canned stuff is decent, nothing holds a candle to the real thing.

steven / March 15, 2005 7:21 PM

alcohol: gin & tonic
non-alcoholic: root beer

d4ve / March 15, 2005 7:46 PM

soft: root beer
hard: jack d
wet: gumball head
dry: red wine
summer: mojito
winter: peppermint schnapps
sloppy: margarita on ice with salt
neat: arak
stiff: artful dodger gin martini
candy: jarrito-lime
local: goose
can: tecate
cheap: berghoff

Mike-TS / March 15, 2005 7:48 PM

Cherry Bomb:

take a glass of pepsi, one shot espresso, and add cherry syrup to taste

sousboy / March 15, 2005 9:27 PM

well there a few beverages that i enjoy in this my fourth decade on this planet. so i will pick a memory drink from my youth. we would stop on the way to Comiskey park and get PURPLE PASSION soda and i will never forget thet soda.

Mike Kelley / March 15, 2005 9:36 PM

Guinness

Ruthie / March 15, 2005 10:06 PM

I love really spicy ginger ale. Same goes for good root beer and cream soda in glass bottles.

IV / March 15, 2005 10:21 PM

Pocari Sweat

Emerson Dameron / March 16, 2005 12:05 AM

Cheerwine, a cherry cola I think is only sold in the Southeast. I saw an ad for it once. A crabby Valley Girl went on a date with "this totally weird guy named Emerson" who hipped her to Cheerwine and thereby redeemed himself. It had been my favorite drink before that, and the fact that it remained so speaks volumes.

Eamon / March 16, 2005 12:46 AM

Milk, no question. I go through at least a gallon a week. Hot chocolate in Winter, an ice cold pint in Summer; I just can't seem to get enough milk.

Kevin / March 16, 2005 8:31 AM

Sweet, beautiful beer.

paul / March 16, 2005 8:31 AM

Goose Island Dunkel Weizenbock, intensely complex, loaded with a dozen nuances from banana, clove, coffee, chocolate, beneath which hides a potent 7.5% alcohol.

I also love a good Thai iced tea. I could drink gallons of the stuff.

Michael / March 16, 2005 8:36 AM

Ichor.

That and Jameson.

daruma / March 16, 2005 8:55 AM

Champagne.
Or Miller High Life, The Champagne of Beers.

Mike / March 16, 2005 9:01 AM

Guess it depends.

Guiness in the colder months, Grain Belt in the summer (though its a pain in the ass to get down here). Mojitos or Cosmos if I want something stronger.

Hot Chai w/ lots of milk, the "green" Jaritos, and Goose Island Root Beer are all good too.

BTW Thurston-- good call on the Pisco sour!

Mo / March 16, 2005 9:22 AM

IV- Can you find Pocari Sweat here?! I had it in Japan and loved it!

Emerson- We had Cheerwine in NC, too, but I always thought it tasted flat.

Does anyone remember Koala?

My love of Coke is more of an addiction, so I have to say my favorite drink, especially in the summer, is sweet tea (brewed extra strong and extra sweet.)

e_five / March 16, 2005 9:43 AM

My favorite all-time beverage is beer, and plenty of it. Bass Ale on draft, Rolling Rock or a nice Canadian beer in bottles, and Leinenkugel Red in pitchers.

However, my liver's favorite beverage is water or Vernor's.

Donna / March 16, 2005 10:44 AM

Fresca.

Figgy / March 16, 2005 10:47 AM

Any brew from Goose Island. A good Late Harvest Reisling.

miss ellen / March 16, 2005 10:58 AM

sapphire & tonic; it's all about the bombay sapphire, kids!

of course, guinness (in honor of patty's day).

and, the standby: ice cold water

L / March 16, 2005 11:24 AM

Non-alcoholic subcategories:
Pop: Vernors and Faygo Red Pop
Tea: Tazo Earl Grey

Alcoholic subcategories:
Homebrewed: Hefeweizen and Altbier
Commercial: New Belgium Blue Paddle and Biere De Mars

Sarah / March 16, 2005 11:39 AM

Coffee. Whiskey. Root beer. Did I mention that I have a hole in my stomach?

ms / March 16, 2005 11:49 AM

i'm categorizing mine by season:

winter: moogdrenk caffeinated hot chocolate (made by steep tea) w/soy milk and whipped cream

spring: i don't know if they make it anymore but jones soda "pink" that tastes like strawberry cream soda. drool....

summer: there is this frozen young coconut drink i get from this asian supermarket in the burbs... unbelievably good!

fall: chai! i'm going to try to make it from scratch one of these days. has anyone ever tried?

and for any season, a jack and coke can never do me wrong... or half a bottle of cheap wine drank with someone fun.

ms / March 16, 2005 11:50 AM

i'm categorizing mine by season:

winter: moogdrenk caffeinated hot chocolate (made by steep tea) w/soy milk and whipped cream

spring: i don't know if they make it anymore but jones soda "pink" that tastes like strawberry cream soda. drool....

summer: there is this frozen young coconut drink i get from this asian supermarket in the burbs... unbelievably good!

fall: chai! i'm going to try to make it from scratch one of these days. has anyone ever tried?

and for any season, a jack and coke can never do me wrong... or a bottle of cheap wine shared with someone you know you'll have a shamefully good time with.

Steve / March 16, 2005 11:51 AM

Chimay Red.

And this week, water. We just got this cool Brita three-gallon standup water cooler thing. Funny how not having to dig a pitcher out of the fridge can make all the difference in the world (mainly because opening the fridge shows me a variety of yummy beverages besides water).

IV / March 16, 2005 11:56 AM

Hey Mo,

The only place I've been able to find Pocari Sweat around here is at Mitsuwa, which is a Japanese grocer in Arlington Heights.

Perch / March 16, 2005 12:04 PM

Chocolate Malt and/or Rootbeer Float

waleeta / March 16, 2005 1:07 PM

frappes, only to be found in Greece, and to my delight, Greektown!

eep / March 16, 2005 1:12 PM

Faygo Rock-N-Rye. It reminds me of my grandparents' house in Michigan, and when I was in college and found it at Meijer I went crazy. So good. I had a brief love affair with Holiday Spice Pepsi this year, but it wasn't the same.

dan / March 16, 2005 1:52 PM

Does anyone remember Fanta's Red Cream Soda?

God damn, that stuff was "da bomb", as the hip kids say.

They stopped carrying it in the stores in Chicago about 10 years ago. There was a Red Cream soda put out by the short-lived "Harry Carey Soda" line, but it wasn't as good.

Man, I miss that stuff.

chris / March 16, 2005 2:44 PM

Leinenkugels Orignial or Honeyweiss beer.

fred / March 16, 2005 2:55 PM

Chocolate malt.

Oh man.

qwerty / March 16, 2005 3:42 PM

Set me up with three fingers of Strawberry Pucker, a hot eggnog chaser and a fine Qiwi-Banana Breeze wine cooler to sip on, and I'm set for the night.

mark / March 16, 2005 3:46 PM

chocolate milk

Jenn / March 16, 2005 3:49 PM

Jolt Cola. In junior high I would buy it from the trashy liqour store in my small town. Bad ass.

Alex / March 16, 2005 3:52 PM

This soft drink called "Yoli", but it's only sold in the state of Guerrero, in Mexico. *sigh*

Followed by Coffee - black
and Volvic Water - cold

joe / March 16, 2005 4:09 PM

Spilt milk and tears.

emily / March 16, 2005 4:10 PM

g&t
diet coke with lime
md 20/20 (not really)

john / March 16, 2005 4:21 PM

Bitburger vom Fass

ellie / March 16, 2005 5:29 PM

I second the Irazu oatmeal/banana shake made with water. Who knew drinking oatmeal could be so good?

Onid / March 16, 2005 6:55 PM

waleeta--Woooo!!! Agreed on the frappes!!!

Guiness is my favorite. Also lemonade.

Leelah / March 16, 2005 9:20 PM

Oh! I forgot... in Thailand, Thai iced tea. I could suck that stuff down by the gallon! And in Ireland, this alco-pop called "Wicked Blue". I had it once here under the name "Wild" and never saw it again. Sob.

Ron / March 16, 2005 9:55 PM

Green River.

Because it makes you pee green.
Really, it does.

annfrankenstein / March 16, 2005 10:21 PM

Beer.

dave / March 16, 2005 11:02 PM

hot: ethiopian tea
cold: coke

Lisa / March 17, 2005 2:23 AM

Props to Jolt cola, illegal in some states, and Green River, oh so tasty, AND GREEN!
In Spain I had Fanta Limon. It wasn't sugary like most pop, and it rocked. Also the lemonade at Grand Lux Cafe is AMAZING!

karen / March 17, 2005 8:37 AM

i thought i knew the answer, hands down...

fountain diet coke.

then i realized i really really love iced tea...

luzianne, with sweet & low.

i love my artificial sweetners.

Melissa / March 17, 2005 8:59 AM

kid drink - 7-up. nothing truly beats 7-up out of the 2 liter bottle in a big glass with ice.

adult drink - hacker-pschorr beer with a nice fat lemon squeezed in it.

JJZ / March 17, 2005 9:11 AM

Jones Cream Soda is like drinking cotton candy.

Leah / March 17, 2005 11:05 AM

My favorite travel related drinks are from Argentina--Mate and Quilmes.

My daily needs include a cup of kona coffee (regular or dark roast, no flavors for me.)

A night on the town is for beer, ale, stouts, or a red wine.

And Green River Soda. I've only had it once, but a friend wrote that experience into a poem about me. So I like Green River, too.

Michael / March 17, 2005 11:07 AM

best drinks ever: milk, Green River, Jones Orange Soda (tastes like a dreamsicle), mocha valencia (Starbucks)

Frank Booth / March 17, 2005 11:16 AM

Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!

da<e / March 17, 2005 11:50 AM

ms- high five on the jack n coke...green label jack always treats me right. although i found gentleman jack to be not quite so.

Shasta MacNasty / March 17, 2005 12:08 PM

Chocolate cake shakes from Portillo's with malt. Yum.

Nuxrs / March 17, 2005 12:18 PM

Leelah - Shouts on the WKD Blue! There were other flavors, right? I can't remember...

Jameson. Mmmmm.
Jameson 12 Year. MMMMmmm.
Chimay. Coffee. Water. Rum and Zinc.

ms / March 17, 2005 12:26 PM

oh! i forgot (how could i?):

fat tire beer

da<e / March 17, 2005 12:35 PM

oh yeah that fat tire is tasty. oh that reminds me, New Glarus- yum!

special / March 17, 2005 1:14 PM

alcohol: ketel one and soda, blue moon--both with LEMON (no limes, no oranges).

non-alcohol: water, fountain coke, dr. pepper, chocolate milk, kool-aid made with splenda,horchata

Erica / March 17, 2005 2:14 PM

Horchata from El Cid
Jasmine tea from Joy Noodles
Double Limon shots with club soda on the rocks from Burke's Web Pub (twist of lemon)
Maxwell House French Vanilla from my cupboard
Ginger Ale from Big Bowl
Diet Cherry 7up

Jordan / March 17, 2005 2:29 PM

Grape Fanta is my all-time favorite with Orange Drink (non-carbonated, of course) coming in at a close second

Donald R. Blunt / March 17, 2005 2:52 PM

Other than coffee, it's Bolthouse Farm's Mango-Lemonade--great stuff! eapecially in warm weather.

e_five / March 17, 2005 3:19 PM

I find it amazing that no one has mentioned Zima, soy milk, or Clamato.

Angie / March 17, 2005 5:03 PM

Silk soy nog. Although I don't think I would love it so if it was available for more than two months a year. (No, I don't want to think about what that reveals about me.)

Leah / March 17, 2005 11:45 PM

And I totally forgot.

Ice Cold Peach Nehi.

leelah / March 18, 2005 8:15 AM

Nuxrs -

I love you for confirming this! I'm in Italy right now and I'm going to look for it here. Which is kind of sad, as I really should be drinking wine....

Steve / March 18, 2005 9:21 AM

Frank's kraut juice!

And Intelligentsia's black cat blend -- almost more of a soup than a coffee, at least when I'm manning the percolator....

Steve / March 18, 2005 9:22 AM

LeeLAH -- send us a postcard!

j / March 18, 2005 9:49 AM

You all are ignoring the Chicago Classic Canfield's 50/50. There is nothing in the world better (although the Sapphire Tonic is a VERY close second)....

Bob Greene / March 18, 2005 11:29 AM

The true Chicago classic from Canfield's is their Diet Fudge soda. It's liquid candy!

ms / March 18, 2005 12:57 PM

anyone remember bubble yum soda? that shit was.. well, the shit.

scott / March 18, 2005 1:10 PM

Kayo - The chocolate malt drink.

I used to loiter at local grocery stores and drink the cans in the aisle. I don't know what was sweeter - the taste or the crime!

GB store

Recently on Fuel

Urban Ethos [26]
What is Chicago's "urban ethos"?

Cool Glass of... [16]
What're you drinking?

Supreme Decision [22]
What's your reaction to the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act?

Taking it to the Streets [20]
Chicago Street Fairs: Revolting or Awesome?

I Can Be Cruel [9]
Be real: what is the meanest thing you've ever done?

View the complete archive

GB Store

GB Buttons $1.50

GB T-Shirt $12

I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15