Whether you’re in the mood for a brain freeze or a sugar rush, you can get it for free today at 7-Eleven.
Each year on the date that syncs up to its name, 7-Eleven serves up free cups of its famed Slurpee, the not-quite-frozen-but-not-quite-liquidy drink. It’s like soda and ice cream got hitched.
The Free Slurpee Day is a commemoration of the convenience store chain’s birthday – indeed, the 7-Eleven company was founded on this day in 1927. And the unintentional (or is it?) marketing ploy to celebrate is undeniable. It’s really the perfect time of year to get new fans on the Slurpee bandwagon. A heat wave is scorching the Midwest and Southeast, and even at NewsFeed headquarters in New York the thermometer is topping 90 degrees. They call them the dog days of summer for a very understandable reason – so shake off the laziness (it is Monday after all, which only augments the dreary feeling) and try a sugar rush instead of a caffeine boost.
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The Slurpee was birthed when a soda fountain owner back in the olden days (the 1950s – pretty olden if you ask us) started popping his sodas in a freezer after his dispenser broke. The result was a cup full of the slushy, fizzy mixture – a happy accident for us all.
The Slurpees are indeed free today, but don’t go expecting a Big Gulp-sized cup of the slushy goodness. On offer is a cup that’s nearly cut in half from the usual. The container measures up to a mere 7.11 ounces (get it?). But if you’ve got a hankering for this sugary, slushy beverage without opening your wallet, step away from your desk now and strap on your running shoes. NewsFeed’s experience has been that they sell out quickly.
Nick Carbone is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @nickcarbone. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.