Best U.S. State Beverages | Iconic Drinks from Every State
By: Emily Goodman, Emily Tyra (Readers Digest)
Tis the season to get sloshed. (Although only some on the list contain alcohol.)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
We partnered with our friends at Taste of Home to find the best U.S. state beverages—both winos and teetotalers welcome!
What do you reach for when you want to whet your whistle? Is it a fizzy soda or a fruit juice? Maybe a milkshake or a more adult beverage? With so many worthy ways to quench your thirst, we figured it was time to share the best U.S. state beverages .
So we tapped (pun very much intended) the minds of our friends at Taste of Home and, together, rounded up the supreme sipper each state has to offer. This is our sixth installment of "America the Tasty," our annual attempt to uncover America's favorite foods—and now drinks! Did your favorite make the cut? Read on to discover which U.S. state beverages you absolutely must try if you haven't already. Cheers!
Alabama: Buffalo Rock Ginger Ale
Born in the basement of Birmingham's Alabama Grocery Co. in 1901 when grocer Sidney Lee carbonated a pharmacist's extra-gingery stomach tonic, this U.S. state beverage—which fans say has a nose-tickling, almost spicy finish—has remained largely unchanged.
Alaska: Duck Shot
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck—or has distinct layers of coffee liqueur, Irish cream and whiskey—it's got to be a duck. In this case, it's the shot created one snowy December afternoon in 1987 at the Peanut Farm sports bar in Anchorage, a potentially great tourist attraction in the state. Order it by its full (if not particularly appetizing) name: Duck Fart Shot.
Arizona: Lemonade
The summer sipper featuring squeezed and sweetened lemon juice became the official way to beat the (dry) heat here back in 2019. A local teen realized the state seal included four of Arizona's five C's (cattle, copper, cotton and climate) but left out citrus, a major industry of the Grand Canyon State.
Arkansas: Grapette
This grape soda from Camden first made a big purple splash in the 1940s, followed by its sister soda Orangette. After trickling to near extinction in the '90s, this U.S. state beverage made an early 2000s comeback exclusively at another Arkansas-born company: Walmart.
California: Wine
Prior to 1976, good wine meant French wine. But a blind taste test in Paris that year saw the underdog, California, unexpectedly win for both red and white. Nearly 50 years later, Napa and Sonoma counties are called Wine Country.
Colorado: Hot cocoa
What U.S. state beverage would you want to drink during a Rocky Mountain winter? Enjoy hot cocoa as an apres-ski sipper, or skip the slopes and go straight to the chocolate.
Connecticut: White Birch Soda
Better known as birch "beer" despiteits lack of alcohol content, white birch (which tastes of wintergreen) is a favorite of the many fizzy flavors from East Haven soda-maker Foxon Park.
Delaware: Dogfish Head
What started as the nation's smallest brewpub has become one of its biggest. Its SeaQuench Ale—one of America's most popular sours—is brewed with lime juice and sea salt, and it screams summer on the Delaware boardwalk.
Florida: Orange juice
So synonymous are the Sunshine State and citrus that consumers are more likely to buy OJ if they think the oranges are Florida grown—they're even willing to pay more for it. In fact, only about half the orange juice we drink hails from Florida (Brazil is the world's biggest producer by far), but more than 95% of Florida's oranges get squeezed into juice.
Georgia: Coca-Cola
The most popular soft drink on the planet is still headquartered in Atlanta, where it was born in 1886. Nine Cokes sold per day that year; today, the figure hovers around 2 billion worldwide.
Hawaii: Pineapple juice
Although pineapples are not native to Hawaii, they grow so plentifully in the Aloha State that the Dole plantation in Oahu used to feature a drinking fountain that dispensed pineapple juice instead of water.
Idaho: Potato vodka
Yep, the state that produces 13 billion pounds of potatoes per year turns those sublime spuds into fries, tots … and spirits. Grand Teton Distillery crafts its version with spring water from the Tetons.
Illinois: Old Style
This beer may be brewed in Wisconsin, but it's ingrained in the Windy City identity, as evidenced by the bounty of Heileman's Old Style signs hanging outside bars dotting the city. A swig of Old Style is part two of a "Chicago handshake." Part one is a shot of the iconic, oddly bitter Malort liqueur, made in Chicago.
Indiana: Water
Lest we forget the foremost way to hydrate, Hoosiers have hailed H2O as their official state beverage since 2007, the only member of the union to pay homage to the very essence of life.
Iowa: Nehi Grape
Fans of the TV series M*A*S*H cherish scenes with the Nehi Grape-sipping Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, who hails from Ottumwa, Iowa. But you don't need to be a homesick GI to enjoy this nostalgic drink.
Kansas: Icee
We have a Kansan to thank for the twirling Icee machines that churn out a kaleidoscope of perfectly slushy drinks. World War II vet Omar Knedlik bought a Dairy Queen franchise in Coffeyville and found a hit selling semifrozen bottles of Coke from his freezer. So he converted an ice cream machine to produce the consistency on demand, landing a patent for the process in 1960.
Kentucky: Bourbon
A bona fide part of the Bluegrass State (Kentucky is home to more barrels of it than people), bourbon features in both the mint julep—the signature drink of the Kentucky Derby—and in the state's clever tourism slogan: Unbridled Spirit.
Louisiana: Sazerac
You can stroll the iconic French Quarter sipping a fruity red hurricane, but those in the know go for the Sazerac: rye whiskey, a sugar cube, Peychaud's bitters, anise-flavored Herbsaint liqueur and a lemon twist. This popular U.S. state beverage has been on Big Easy bar menus in some incarnation since the mid-1800s. It was even made the official cocktail of New Orleans by the state of Louisiana in 2008.
Maine: Moxie
Among the first sodas ever produced, this rugged, root beer-esque elixir outsold Coca-Cola nationally in the 1920s. Its pluck and verve (yes, the word moxie comes from this drink) are as popular as ever in Maine, where Moxie soda has both a museum and an annual festival.
Maryland: Black-eyed Susan
Symbolic of the state flower, this stiff cocktail (usually made of orange juice, pineapple juice, vodka, rum and orange liqueur) is the official drink of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. The race is the third Saturday in May, but Marylanders mix this drink up year-round.
Massachusetts: Cranberry juice
Cranberries have been commercially cultivated on Cape Cod since the mid-1800s. Today, juice giant Ocean Spray is based in the Bay State and squeezes about 4,400 berries into each bottle.
Michigan: Soda pop
It's too close a call to say which is Michigan's most popular pop, but two worthy of hometown pride are barrel-aged Vernors ginger ale, first poured in 1866, and Faygo, the 1907 brainchild of Russian immigrant bakers who transformed frosting flavors into effervescent drinks the whole family will love—especially the strawberry-flavored Redpop.
Minnesota: The Bootleg
This legendary libation is a harbinger of summer all across the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it got its start at country clubs on Lake Minnetonka during Prohibition. Artful Living magazine reports that Al Capone and other notorious mobsters allegedly sipped the concoction of citrus, sugar and fresh mint because it packed the right punch to mask the burn of bootlegged liquor.
Mississippi: Barq's root beer
Edward C. Barq's 1898 root beer formula, crafted in an unassuming white house in Biloxi, Mississippi, stood out from the pack because of its use of sarsaparilla instead of sassafras. These days, what gives regular Barq's its bite is the caffeine content—22 milligrams for each can, while most American root beer brands are naturally caffeine free.
Missouri: Fitz's soda
Fitz's antique yet operational bottling line is on full display at the flagship restaurant in suburban St. Louis, a city of soda. (7UP was also invented here.)
Montana: Huckleberry milkshake
An irresistible way to enjoy Montana's wild, sweet-tart huckleberries—what locals call hucks—is to blend them into a cool lavender milkshake. This iconic U.S. state beverage is a tasty treat at Big Sky Country diners, especially in the summertime.
Nebraska: Kool-Aid
In 1920s Nebraska, entrepreneur Edwin Perkins had a problem: His most popular item, a soft drink concentrate called Fruit Smack, came encased in glass bottles that often broke. So he removed the liquid, transforming Fruit Smack into a powder. The rebranded result was so robust that later, the Kool-Aid Man could crash through walls. (Oh, yeah!)
Nevada: Picon punch
This Basque-American tradition, made popular in boardinghouses for sheepherders, is still poured today with the citrusy aperitif Torani Amer (similar to the cocktail's namesake, the French spirit Amer Picon), plus a nip of grenadine, soda, brandy and a twist of lemon.
New Hampshire: Apple cider
The Granite State's official beverage does double duty: It's the key ingredient in apple cider doughnuts (a particular point of New Hampshire pride), and it's great for dipping them in!
New Jersey: Green juice
With juice joints galore—popular brands include Arlee's Raw Blends, Green Point Juicery and Purely Juiced—Jersey makes it easy to get your daily fruits and veggies in. What else would you expect from the Garden State?
New Mexico: Agua fresca
The colorful centuries-old tradition of steeping fresh fruit in water with sugar is both a street-cart treat and a bright, beautiful way to beat the heat.
New York: Egg cream
Nostalgia in a glass, this frothy, fizzy soda fountain concoction of milk, seltzer water and U-Bet chocolate syrup contains neither egg nor cream. One theory is that its name comes from the Yiddish echt keem ("pure sweetness"). Your inner child will want to chug it in a New York minute.
North Carolina: Cheerwine
Affectionately nicknamed the Nectar of North Carolina, this cheerful cherry soda (nope, no wine in Cheerwine) is the official soft drink of the National Barbecue & Grilling Association. The pairing works so well that it's become known as a "southern handshake": Cheerwine in one hand, barbecue in the other.
North Dakota: Chokecherry wine
The state fruit grows wild in all parts of North Dakota, where generations of home canners have turned the astringent cherries into a sweet-tart wine.
Ohio: Tomato juice
Ohio was the first to designate a state beverage in 1965, an ode to the concentration of tomato farmers in the northwestern part of the state. Meanwhile, another plant-powered drink, V8, is made with a secret recipe—including tomatoes, carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach—by the Campbell Soup Co. plant in Napoleon, Ohio.
Oklahoma: Cherry limeade
The Sooner State's signature pick-me-up is a sweet-tart cherry limeade, with folks flocking to their neighborhood Braum's or to the Oklahoma-grown Sonic Drive-In for their fix.
Oregon: Craft beer
The state's story of suds goes back to pioneering brewers and hops farmers in the mid-1800s. But a brewpub revolution in the 1980s—when a group of brewers helped change Oregon's law to allow brewing and dispensing beer at the same location—put "Beervana" (which can refer to Portland or the entire state) on the map as a destination for craft beer.
Pennsylvania: Milk
A whopping 22 states list milk as their official beverage, but the Keystone State is one of the top milk producers. Plus, Pennsylvanians have the advantage of swirling in some Hershey's chocolate syrup fresh from the factory.
Rhode Island: Coffee milk
More sweet treat than caffeine fix, the Ocean State's official drink is essentially coffee ice cream in liquid form. Made with milk and coffee syrup (Autocrat is locals' preferred variety), it offers creamy coffee flavor without the beans—or the bitterness.
South Carolina: Sweet tea
The "house wine of the South," sweet tea can be anywhere from slightly sugary to downright syrupy. Summerville is not only the birthplace of this beloved beverage, but it also boasts the Sweet Tea Trail and the world's largest sweet tea, served in a 15-foot-tall Mason jar statue called Mason.
South Dakota: Red beer
If a beer and a bloody Mary had a baby, it might be a South Dakota red beer, aka light beer mixed with Campbell's tomato juice. Many say this fan-favorite U.S. state beverage is more refreshing and quaffable than beer alone. Others up the ante by plunking in olives or a pickle—they call that a South Dakota martini.
Tennessee: Tennessee whiskey
If you think all whiskey is the same, you don't know Jack. By law, Tennessee whiskey must be made from grain that's at least 51% corn and filtered through maple charcoal prior to aging. Just ask Chris Stapleton and others who exult its song-worthy spirit in country music—Tennessee's other trademark.
Texas: Horchata
Each region in the Lone Star State has its own spin on this ancient beverage made with soaked rice, cinnamon and sometimes almonds, all blended, strained and mixed with vanilla and sugar for a sweet, milky and refreshing melange.
Utah: Dirty soda
Made in Utah and made famous nationwide on TikTok, dirty sodas are dressed-up soft drinks mixed with cream and optional flavored syrup. Swig, the soda fountain chain, is their home; its menu boasts 40 combinations.
Vermont: Maple lemonade
In the land of maple, it just makes sense to use some of that syrup to sweeten a summertime favorite.
Virginia: George Washington's Rye Whiskey
In addition to his other achievements, our first president was one of the nation's largest whiskey producers. Staff at his Mount Vernon estate still distill his original recipe, which has been the state spirit since 2017.
Washington: Coffee
A robust coffee culture and the need for a reliable coffee subscription box has percolated from the Pacific Northwest for decades, but in 1971 came Seattle's Starbucks (named for the first mate on the ship Pequod in Melville's Moby-Dick) and the dawn of one of the most recognizable cafe brands in the world.
West Virginia: Mountain Dew
Of course the soda reached for most in the Mountain State is Mountain Dew—even if it was invented on the other side of Appalachia in Tennessee.
Wisconsin: Brandy old-fashioned
Bartenders at every supper club and corner bar know the Wisconsin way to make an old-fashioned: muddled sugar, bitters, orange slices and cherries; a pour of brandy instead of whiskey; and a splash of citrus soda, sour mix or seltzer. It's a tradition so beloved that in 2023 lawmakers finally declared it the state's official cocktail.
Wyoming: Sloshie
A slushie that can get you sloshed, the "it" drink in these parts began in 2012 with The Hound: a frosty concoction of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and vodka first churned at Creekside Market in Jackson Hole.
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Some I've heard of; most I haven't. Is Grape Nehi still around?
Just remember it's a celebration of place.
Old Style isnt even in the top ten most popular beers in Chicago, although 40 or 50 years ago it was.
Chicago’s Top 10 Favorite Beers | BeerBoard
And that's how old those bar signs are. I remember when Old Style actually had a good taste, but that's long since gone.
A sublimely sophisticated wry cocktail. I don't know about strolling with it, I enjoy while seated with an engaging tablemate.