We’ve got a state insect (the western honeybee), a state fish (brook trout), and even a state food (northern highbush blueberry). So why don’t we have a state drink? Of course, as always, we put it to the listeners. It took a lot of debating and a lot of editing but we finally boiled this list down to the top nine.

Everyone has a different idea of what the official New Jersey state drink should be. Should it be something alcoholic? Should it highlight the various fruits and vegetables that our great garden state is known for? Or should it reflect our beaches and scenery?. Since we couldn’t narrow it down to only one New Jersey state drink, we decided to give you a list of the ones that we believe most closely reflect the taste of New Jersey and let you choose.

Here’s the short list:

Cold brew

It’s not that we invented cold brew coffee here or that we necessarily have better cold brew here then other states do, but because we are so densely populated the cold brew seems more ubiquitous here than it does in other places. Plus, we do have more coffee places per capita than most other states in the country (that may not be true, but at least it seems that way).

Blueberry smoothie

I mean, obviously we’re famous for our blueberries. Since it’s our state food, what would be more Jersey-like then a refreshing drink made out of those beautiful berries?

Boost aka Drink-a-toast

I argued against this flat cola-like drink because I don’t feel like something that is only available in 1/2 of the state should count! (South Jersey only, people!) But then again, how many states have a drink that is only available in that state and nowhere else? So I was outvoted. Boost makes the cut.

Melonball

We thought we had to include a very beachy drink here so people threw out a lot of ideas. But I believe that this Midori (melon liqueur)/pineapple/vodka concoction is a summer drink that was popular enough on the boardwalks that it could constitute the quintessential Jersey summer drink. Besides, Sex on the Beach was way too obvious.

Stewart’s root beer

Stewart’s did not start in New Jersey but it was available in enough soda shops throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s in New Jersey that it sort of became a staple for many people across the state. You can still find places that sell Stewart’s and of course they have their own Stewart’s outlets still standing.

Lairds applejack

Who even knew this stuff existed? But to many people this yummy apple tasting Liquor is such a great Jersey treat because it was created in New Jersey by New Jerseyans on a quintessential Jersey Family Farm that happens to grow apples. Since it was the brainchild of a New Jersey family and the business was kept up by generations of lairds, it definitely says New Jersey to us.

Diner milkshake

You could argue about which flavor would actually represent the quintessential New Jersey drink but let’s face it: Whatever flavor it is, the shake is the go-to diner drink and we are the go-to diner state. So....chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.. who cares? Just make sure it’s thick and cold

Kohrs orange ade

Oh yes! The boardwalk staple brought to you by the people who gave you the remarkable Kohrs custard. Nothing quenches your summer thirst quite as well and brings back so many childhood memories of sunny, salty, sandy days on the best boardwalks in the world: New Jersey’s.

YooHoo

It’s not that the listener who called this in was a huge fan of YooHoo, but once it was pointed out that it was actually created in New Jersey, it was imperative that we added it to the list. YooHoo, an American brand of chocolate drink was invented in Carlstadt by Natale Olivieri in 1928. Now it comes in several flavors but chocolate is the only one that counts!

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