During the 1950s, a guy named Omar Knedlik, who owned a Dairy Queen in Coffyville, Kansas, got fed up with how inefficient the ice cream cone was at producing a brain freeze and invented a machine to make a frozen drink called an ICEE. After that, you could produce ice cream headaches by the dozen, leading to all but universal brain damage in my generation. Later on, 7-Eleven introduced the iconic Slurpee frozen drink, leading to a never-ending debate of whether the ICEE and Slurpee are the same drink and which one is better. In this article, I end the debate, once and for all.
And, by the way, the brain freeze is harmless. At least I think so. The sugar, however, according to many, is addictive.
Slurpee Versus ICEE
If you grew up in a 7-Eleven land, you may never have had an ICEE. That’s okay, you know what I’m talking about. A 7-Eleven Slurpee is, beyond a doubt, the same thing. Slurpee is the more commonly known name because there are so many 7-Eleven locations.
In the 1960s, 7-Eleven licensed the drink from the ICEE company, but they had to sell it under a different name, so they called it a Slurpee. So, Omar Kneklik invented the Slurpee, too, just not the name itself.
The Slurpee could only be sold in U.S. 7-Eleven stores. This prevented direct competition between the ‘two’ drinks. It also created the myth that the Slurpee and ICEE are two different things, a debate I still have with people to this day.
While the Slurpee is only sold in 7-Elevens, the ICEE can be sold by all sorts of different businesses including gas stations and convenience stores.
The umbrella term for ICEEs, Slurpees, or any other similar drink is FCB. It was Omar who invented the FCB (Frozen Carbonated Beverage), and this was after a happy accident in which he froze his sodas to a slushy consistency that his customers loved. Frozen carbonated beverage doesn’t sound nearly as good as ICEE.
It is claimed by some sources that the name ICEE came from a contest Knedlik ran to pick a name for the product. I would file that under the “conspiracy to claim that every company name came from a pick-a-name contest” since I can’t find any independent collaboration. According to others, the name was coined by Knedlick’s friend and artist, Ruth Taylor, who came up with the name and the original logo artwork. 1Lammle, Rob. “The Cool History of the Slurpee.” Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 15 Nov. 2010, www.mentalfloss.com/article/26376/cool-history-slurpee.,2Fulton, Wil. “Slushies Are the World’s Greatest Accident.” Thrillist, 14 Nov. 2016, www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/who-invented-slushies-history.
No, 7-Eleven Didn’t Invent the Slurpee
Despite the well-documented history of the drink, there are two types of people: those who despise 7-Eleven, condemning it as an example of capitalism gone wrong, right up there with Walmart, and those who live by it, subsisting on microwave burritos and Big Gulps. Those who love the store, purists, insist that their beloved C-store could absolutely must have come up with the drink all on its own.
ICEE machines popped up in convenience stores and mini-marts during the 1960s and today the ICEE company is still going strong. You can still get an ICEE in plenty of places. We didn’t have 7-Elevens where I grew up, but we did have convenience stores and “mini-marts” where ICEEs were sold.
In those days, the person behind the counter had to dispense one for you. Only some of my readers will remember, but this used to be true at 7-Eleven. Yes, buying a Slurpee was like pumping gas in New Jersey.
The Totem Store
Incidentally, some old-timers I knew would call any convenience store a “totem store” or a “totsem” store. Totem Stores were what 7-Elevens were called before they were 7-Elevens.
It all started with the “South China Ice Company”, which sold ice to businesses, and then opened its doors to individual consumers, before expanding to other “convenience items.”
The store put a Totem pole out front, and the Totem Shop was born. Why people from down my way would call convenience stores a totem store, I’m not sure, but it could just have well have been their remembrance of an obvious imitator, the “U-Totem” Store, which became a fairly large chain before being bought by the Circle K Corporation.
What About the Slushee?
Another wrench in ICEE/Slurpee debate is the term Slushee. The ICEE was a “slushy” drink. However, sometimes, you might come across a drink called a Slushee.
The Slushee was not introduced until 1996. It is thinner than an ICEE or Slurpee. Some people insist on getting the ICEE mixed up with this Slushee, causing more confusion.
No, they are NOT the same thing with a different name! Slurpee and ICEE are the same thing with a different name, but the Slushee is a different drink.
As well, there is the “Slush Puppie,” which is also owned by the ICEE company, but sucks. You’ll find these in gas stations and lower-end places, and the machines do not work the same. They are the ones with the big clear swirl canisters.
Unlike an ICEE or Slurpee, which holds itself together well, you can suck the “flavor” of a Slush Puppie right out of the ice.
The Circle K Froster
The Circle K corporation, which I mentioned above, owns the second largest chain of convenience stores next to 7-Eleven. Their drink, to which their customers are just as dedicated, is the Froster.
The Froster looks to be another re-branded Icee, although I cannot confirm this suspicion, yet. In Canada, Mac’s Convenience Stores sell the Froster.
The Slurpee/Frozen Margarita Connection
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your frozen margarita today without the Slurpee. That’s the story, anyway. It’s not exactly true. To be more correct, you would not be able to enjoy them in every Mexican restaurant with consistent quality without the Slurpee or, rather, the ICEE since it’s the ultimate origin of all of this.
You can make a frozen Margarita just with a blender, you don’t need a Slurpee machine, and I KNOW you already know that! But imagine turning out scores of perfect frozen Margaritas to hundreds of customers a night in a packed Mexican eatery. You’d have a problem with consistency and quality. Not to mention noise from blenders going all night.
Mariano Martinez, a Dallas Mexican restaurant owner, reportedly invented the frozen Margarita in 1971, or thereabouts. He used a blender. The drink was a big hit but he had trouble keeping up with demand and couldn’t always guarantee the perfect drink.
Then one day he saw a 7-Eleven Slurpee machine and bingo, he had his solution. With a used Slurpee machine, a chemist named John Hogan, and some tinkering, Mariano’s Hacienda was able to satisfy its customers’ demand for the frosty goodness that is the Frozen Margarita.
Later on, specific machines were invented just for Margaritas and today they are widespread in Mexican restaurants and even beyond. But Mariano’s original rigged Slurpee machine is in the Smithsonian. As it should be! 1“Frozen Margaritas – Food – The Austin Chronicle.” Austin News, Events, Restaurants, Music. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. <https://www.austinchronicle.com/food/2009-03-13/754263/>.
Now, I like frozen Margaritas as much as the next person. But if you’ve never had a Margarita and you want to know what a Margarita is like, then don’t order a frozen one. Order a regular one so that you can truly experience all the flavors.
Also keep in mind that a frozen Margarita will probably never use top-shelf ingredients like premium Tequila and they will use a commercial “sweet and sour mix” instead of Cointreau or a good triple sec together with fresh lime juice. I think it is worth it, for your first Margarita, to go for the top shelf so that you can experience what it is meant to be like. And, frankly, it’s easy. We make real margaritas in my house constantly.