The Most Iconic Drink From Every State

Also known as the Alabama Slammer, the Alabama Yellowhammer is a cocktail made with rum, vodka, amaretto, and orange and pineapple juices. It is the unofficial drink of the University of Alabama football fans.

The duck fart shot is believed to have been created at a sports bar and grill in Anchorage called the Peanut Farm. Purported to be a reference to a woman who became flatulent after consuming several, it is made with Kahlúa (or some other coffee liqueur), Bailey’s Irish Cream or something similar, and blended or Canadian whiskey, layered in that order in a tall shot glass. It’s been touted as the Alaskan equivalent of Hawaii’s Mai Tai.

The tequila sunrise was created at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix in 1940, a beverage comprised of tequila, soda water, lime juice, and liqueur. Although this original is still served at the Biltmore, the more modern version created at the Trident in Sausalito, California, in the early 1970s has become the more popular one. This newer concoction is made with tequila and orange juice, and then drizzled with grenadine to create the effect of a sunrise. It was this version that inspired a song by The Eagles and a 1988 movie of the same name.

Enjoyed all over the state, in particular by fans of the University of Arkansas’s Razorbacks, this cocktail is a blend of rum, vodka, amaretto, and Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur and although its origins are unknown, there is a thread on a University of Arkansas history discussion group site that suggested it might have been invented at Maxine’s Taproom in Fayetteville, and that it might not date back further than 2008.

Wine may be made in all 50 states but almost 85% of American wine is produced in California and although though there are certainly exceptions, the Golden State is known for making most of the best examples. One of its most widely planted varietals is cabernet sauvignon, slightly edging out chardonnay.

While many beer drinkers take their hops very seriously and tend to scorn the “silver bullet” in favor of craft offerings from local craft breweries, it’s hard to deny that this beer has a significant impact on the state. From the iconic Rocky Mountain packaging and its century-and-a-half of history, to its once cult status (it was once only available in 11 Western states and people used to “smuggle” it east), no beer is more strongly identified with Colorado.

Said to have been invented at a New York City hotel by an employee of G.F. Heublein Brothers, a major food and liquor producer, and distributor based in Hartford, this refreshing concoction of vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice, is traditionally served in a copper mug. The cocktail was originally made with Smirnoff vodka, produced by a Russian emigré in the Connecticut town of Bethel (Heublein later bought his company).

This popular craft brewery is one of the highest-rated in America, and although it borrows its name from Dogfish Head, Maine, and is now owned by the Massachusetts-based Boston Beer Company, its beers — especially its numerous IPAs — are indelibly identified with Delaware. Its new Blue Hen Pilsner is even made with barley grown on the Delmarva Peninsula, most of which is within the state.

The nickname of Florida may be the Sunshine State, but it can also be called the Orange State, producing about 70% of all the oranges grown in America. Whether on the breakfast table plain, mixed with champagne for a mimosa, or any other way you’d like to drink it, this juice is the definitive Florida beverage and was even officially designated as such in 1967.

By far the world’s most popular soft drink with a global market share of 43.3%, Coca-Cola traces its origins to a patent medicine invented in Columbus, Georgia, in the 1860s by a former Confederate army officer named John Pemberton. Atlanta businessman Asa Griggs Candler bought the formula and started the Coca-Cola Company in 1892. No other beverage is so identified with the state today.

Although there is debate as to which California restaurateur invented it – Donn Beach in Hollywood in 1933 or “Trader Vic” Bergeron in Oakland in 1944 – this rum-based cocktail has become the ultimate alcoholic expression of Polynesian-inspired Tiki culture. It may be served nationwide, but it has become so identified with tropical R&R that it’s difficult to imagine a bar or restaurant in Hawaii that doesn’t mix up countless examples of it daily.

The Gem State is certainly known for its love of whiskey – its best-selling liquor brand by volume is the Canadian whiskey (actually “whisky”) Black Velvet – so it may come as no surprise that its most popular cocktail is the whiskey sour – a 19th-century creation, consisting of whiskey with lemon juice and sugar.

In the United States, consumption of Irish whiskey is on the rise, and according to the Distilled Spirits Council, sales grew 6.9% in 2020 to a total of $1.13 billion. Whiskey is the most-ordered liquor in Chicago, and the city has a substantial Irish-American population (they dye the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day). It’s not surprising, then, that the premier Irish brand, Jameson, is one of Chicago’s two most popular examples of the spirit (the other being Jack Daniel’s).

In 2007, the Indiana State Senate declared that the official state beverage was good old-fashioned H2O. According to State Resolution 20, water “is important to retain the environmental integrity and economic and aesthetic values of Indiana lakes, streams, wetlands, and groundwater” and “plays a critical role in securing a healthy and vibrant Indiana society.” These reasons were only a few of the praises heaped on the thrist-quencing beverage.

Numerous surveys (including a review of Google searches) have shown that the most popular cocktail in the Hawkeye State is the Tom Collins. Though it has no particular connection with Iowa, it is said to have been created in the 1860s by the head waiter at Limmer’s Old House in London’s Mayfair,  this favorite cocktail – a mix of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and soda – is also increasingly popular in the summer months.

The horsefeather is a variation on the Moscow Mule, made with rye or blended whiskey, ginger beer, Angostura bitters, and lemon juice, and was invented in the Kansas college town of Lawrence in the 1990s. It remains a standard in bars in Lawrence and Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.

This delightfully refreshing beverage, comprised of bourbon on ice with muddled mint and powdered sugar, most likely originated in Virginia but has been known as a state specialty since it was adopted as the Kentucky Derby’s signature cocktail in 1938. It is said that almost 120,000 juleps are served at Churchill Downs every year.

While numerous cocktails have emerged from New Orleans, including the Sazerac, the Vieux Carré, the Ramos Gin Fizz, and the Café Brûlot, there is none so renowned with the Big Easy as the Hurricane. Said to have been invented by Pat O’Brien at his French Quarter bar in the 1940s, this tropical treat was created when O’Brien would use up excess rum he’d had to buy to get the whiskey he wanted, and would then mix two or three varieties of it with passion fruit syrup and lemon juice and served it in glasses shaped like hurricane lamps.

Moxie is one of the most famous of all regional soft drinks. This herbal soda, flavored with bitterish gentian root, was invented in the 1870s in Lowell, Massachusetts and despite being from out-of-state, it was declared Maine’s official soft drink in 2005. (Since 2018, it has been owned by the Coca-Cola Company.)

When you hear the name Orange Crush, you might envision the 110-year-old soft drink, but that soft drink of the same name has nothing to do with the cocktail invented at the Harborside Bar & Grill in West Ocean City in the late 1990s. Now popular around the state, the vitamin-C-heavy tipple combines orange vodka, triple sec (an orange liqueur), orange juice, and a little Sierra Mist (a lemon-lime soft drink).

Nothing can be more indicative of the Bay State than the cranberry. If you drive around the state, you’ll spot more than 13,000 acres of cranberry bogs (it’s the second-largest growing region worldwide). Massachusetts grows about 2 million 100-pound barrels of cranberries every year, and the Ocean Spray cooperative, headquartered in Lakeville-Middleborough, Massachusetts, which has growers not only in its home state but also in five other states plus parts of Canada, invented the cranberry juice cocktail. No wonder the Massachusetts state legislature declared cranberry juice the state drink in 1970.

First formulated by a Detroit pharmacist in 1866, it was once promoted as “Detroit’s drink.” The city’s own Aretha Franklin was famous for her holiday ham glazed with Vernors and true Ginger ale aficionados often name this rich, barrel-aged soft drink as their favorite.

The Bootleg, also called Bootlegger, is Minnesota’s unofficial state cocktail. Nobody knows where or when it was invented, but it most likely dates back to the Prohibition Era and has long been a staple at local country clubs. It is typically made by blending lemonade, limeade, simple syrup, and chopped mint, then combined with bubble water and a spirit of your choice – it can be made with gin, rum, or vodka.

Milk punch is a relative of egg nog most often associated with New Orleans, but it is popular throughout the Deep South. Said to have been a favored libation on river steamers that ran between New Orleans and the Mississippi towns of Natchez or Vicksburg. Most bartenders may have their own versions although if you wish to remain a purist, opt for the classic that involves bourbon (sometimes brandy), cold milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and a dusting of nutmeg.

This unequivocal Missouri soft drink traces its roots back to 1947 to a burger joint in the St. Louis suburb of Richmond Heights.  Fitz’s, the burger joint, started producing a house root beer after World War II and then ceased operations in 1976, which saw an end to the production of the beverage. In 1993, investors decided to revive the drink, setting up a vintage 1940s-era bottling line in another suburb, University City. The original recipe is still used.

Drink historians trace the origins of this concoction – beer and whiskey – to Butte in the 1890s, when it was a favorite of miners after work, initially under the name “Sean O’Farrell.” The traditional boilermaker is a shot of whiskey, quickly downed, followed by a beer chaser. Some people prefer to mix the booze into the brew — or drop the shot glass into the beer glass (which is then called a Depth Charge).

Kool-Aid may be the official state soft drink here, but what many Cornhuskers ask for when they belly up to the bar at their local tavern and what is found at almost every autumn tailgate is red beer. This is Nebraska’s version of Mexico’s popular Michelada, a combination of either tomato or V8 juice spiced with Worcestershire and hot sauce, mixed with icy cold beer.

Invented by Basque immigrants to Idaho or Nevada in the 19th century, the Picon punch remains popular in Nevada’s northern portion to this day. The bitter French apéritif Picon is shaken with club soda, grenadine syrup, lemon juice, and a float of brandy. You can substitute any other bitter liqueur to create this potent potable.

New Hampshire is one of a handful of states that named a non-alcoholic drink as its state beverage. Apple cider was bestowed this honor in 2010 when an elementary school project in which students at Jaffrey Grade School were assigned to draft a bill to learn the legislative process. Most likely to the school’s surprise, legislators took the idea seriously. While it’s not the largest apple-producing state, New Hampshire does have more than 1,400 acres of apple trees — and onetime Granite State governor David Goodell invented the apple peeler.

There are numerous stories on who this beverage is named for and while the truth remains unknown, what is clear is that this cocktail of apple brandy (or applejack), grenadine syrup, and lemon juice was invented in New Jersey in the early 20th century. It was well enough known that Ernest Hemingway had the narrator of “The Sun Also Rises” drink one at a hotel bar in Paris, but it eventually fell out of fashion. Since the early 21st century it has experienced a revival in New Jersey and elsewhere.

The origins of this widely popular beverage vary – some say it dates to the 1930s or 1940s and was created in Baja California, Acapulco, Juárez, and the Texas cities of Houston and Galveston. Although New Mexico never claimed to have invented this libation, this concoction of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice is believed to be the state’s most popular cocktail. There is even a Margarita Trail in Santa Fe where the ambitious drinker cab sample some 45 examples of what Tourism Santa Fe calls “the best margaritas in the world.”

This classic cocktail, considered one of the greats, is a blend of rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters. It dates back to the mid-19th century when it was first mixed up at a bar or private club somewhere on the island for which it is named. (There is also a Brooklyn Cocktail and a Bronx Cocktail – the latter of which, interestingly enough, was invented in Philadelphia.)

Now made in North Carolina, the state’s most popular beverage is this 104-year-old black-cherry-flavored soft drink produced in Salisbury. The manufacturer also makes Cheerwine ice cream. In 2010, Krispy Kreme even introduced a Cheerwine doughnut, which sold for several limited periods.

If you like whiskey, this is definitely the beverage for you. The origins of the North Dakota Special are unknown, but it certainly speaks to the state’s whiskey cravings. This drink is made with whiskey, a lot of whiskey, combining one shot each of Jack Daniel’s, Wild Turkey bourbon, Black Velvet Canadian whisky, and Southern Comfort, a whiskey-based orange-flavored liqueur, which is then diluted slightly with Coke, it is easy to see how this north-central state is one of the country’s major whiskey consumers.

Nothing says brunch more than the Bloody Mary and Ohio certainly delivers. The Buckeye State might not be the first place you think of for tomatoes, but they’ve been grown seriously here since 1870. There’s even an annual Tomato Festival in Reynoldsburg, presumably what inspired the Ohio General Assembly to name tomato juice the state’s official beverage in 1965. It’s hardly surprising that Ohio bartenders have made the Bloody Mary a favorite and they can show what their drinks are made of at the annual Bloody Mary Showdown competition, in Dayton.

This interesting combination is a uniquely Oklahoman cocktail, comprised of Coors Light, amaretto, and orange juice in a chilled mug. This early 1990s creation originated at Edna’s Restaurant & Club in Oklahoma City and in 2017, the New York Times estimated that some 1.7 million Lunchboxes had been poured since the day it was (probably accidentally) invented.

Most Oregon wines come from the Willamette Valley, which produces almost 70% of the state’s wine. Although they don’t have the quantity as other regions, the quality is excellent and no other grape defines its efforts most eloquently as Pinot Noir. As a major winemaking state, some regions in Oregon have been touted as “the new Burgundy,” the rarified French wine region whose reds are made from the Burgundy grape. Robert Drouhin, one of the leading Burgundy producers, has been growing grapes in the state since 1987, and there are at least six or seven other Burgundian winemakers now producing acclaimed Oregon examples of the wine.

Pennsylvania may rank fourth in U.S. milk, butter, and ice cream production, but a more potent symbol of the state is the respected brew, Yuengling. Established in 1829, the enterprise officially known as D.G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest brewery in America, the country’s largest craft brewery, and the seventh-largest U.S. brewery overall.

The Ocean State has officially named its state beverage coffee milk – which is basically chocolate milk but instead of chocolate syrup, it’s made with coffee syrup. Although its exact origins aren’t clear, it is believed to have been developed by Italian immigrants who came to Rhode Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In 1995, the South Carolina state government named the South Carolina-grown tea the State Hospitality Beverage. Many people drink tea hot in proper teacups, the most popular way to consume it, but in South Carolina, as well as neighboring states, it is sweetened with sugar or simple syrup and poured into a tall glass over ice, with a garnish of lemon or sometimes mint.

South Dakota is a growing number of states that have declared milk its official state beverage or drink. In recognition of the importance of the state’s dairy industry, which produces more than 300 million gallons of milk annually, the Legislative Assembly bestowed this honor upon the creamy beverage. Although South Dakota may only rank 17th in states that produce milk, dairies contribute substantially to the state’s economy.

Although milk was designated as Tennessee’s official state beverage in 2009, for many Tennesseans the beverage that defines their state is this venerable whiskey. Kentucky proudly claims Bourbon as its heraldic spirit, but bourbon and rye can be made anywhere in America. Jack Daniel’s is classified as Tennessee whiskey — which can be made only in Tennessee. While there are other brands, George Dickel and Heaven’s Door are just a few examples, it is “Jack,” as it’s commonly called, that is the United States’ largest-selling whiskey of any kind by far, accounting for some 12.3 million 12-bottle cases in 2020.

Lone Star beer began in 1884 as the Alamo Brewing Company, created by Adolphus Busch (better known as the co-founder of Anheuser-Busch). This San Antonio brewery began producing Lone Star in 1940, now owned by the Pabst Brewing Company, and along with its rival Pearl (also from a San Antonio brewery founded in the 1880s), it has long been the state’s favorite brew, and proudly calls itself “The National Beer of Texas.”

Utah is a largely Mormon state and although the Church of Latter Day Saints eschews alcohol, making a state cocktail highly unlikely, it is the country’s largest consumer of Jell-O per capita. As of 2001, the wobbly confection has been the Official State Snack and while this may be rather wholesome, nothing prevents college kids from turning this beloved snack into a tasty alcohol-infused shot.

Almost half of the nation’s maple syrup production comes from Vermont, and it may seem as though maple syrup should only be used on pancakes and waffles, there are several different, innovative ways to consume it. One is none other than the adult beverage known as the Old Vermont. A relative of the Old Fashioned and the Gimlet, this is a gin-fueled affair that combines maple syrup, fresh orange, and lemon juices, and a dash or two of bitters to counterbalance the sweetness. Its origins are unknown, but it got a boost in popularity when Bobby Flay featured it on a Vermont-based episode of “Brunch at Bobby’s.”

The Commonwealth’s official spirit is this unaged rye (in fact made with 60% rye, 35% corn, and 5% barley), produced according to a late 18th-century recipe at a reconstructed distillery that stood on the grounds of our first president’s Mount Vernon estate. It’s made by 18th-century methods, with the grain processed by a water-powered gristmill constructed under the direction of Washington himself.

The largest coffee shop in the world hails from Washington, which can easily explain why coffee is the state’s top beverage. Although Washington is not the country’s most caffeinated locale (that honor goes to Vermont), Seattle, its major city, pours down more coffee than any other city in America, with an estimated 35 coffee shops for every 100,000 residents. Seattle’s famed java-centric chain, Starbucks, has taken coffee culture to a new level and counts more than 38,000 stores across the globe.

Moonshiners, people who distill strong spirits illegally and often work at nighttime, by the light of the moon, hence their name, have been a part of life in the South and elsewhere in the country since Colonial times. No state has a monopoly on moonshining, but it has long been identified with West Virginia. The famous feuding Hatfields (of Hatfield-McCoy fame) were West Virginia moonshiners and National Moonshine Day is observed in the state with relish. There are currently a handful of legal producers of “white lightning” in the moonshine style, with names like Stink Hollow Spirits, Forks of Cheat, and, of course, Hatfield & McCoy.

Spirits like bourbon, scotch, vodka, and a host of others are imbibed by Americans throughout the nation. But the so-called “Brandy Belt” of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and northern Michigan is where the more serious brandy consumption is concentrated. According to various sources, Wisconsin appears to be the leader among the three, consuming more brandy by volume than any other state. California’a Korbel, the country’s largest brandy producer, reported in 2019, that of 272,869 cases released that year, 148,041 cases were sold in the Badger State.

This cinnamon-flavored Canadian whisky is said to be the favored spirit in at least a dozen states — but according to Cheyenne-based KING-FM radio, Wyoming has “a strange affinity” for it. The whisky brand has the tagline, “Tastes Like Heaven, Burns Like Hell,” and several criminal incidents have been attributed directly to the drink, including public indecency and firearms violations. When Fireball’s makers introduced the Firebox five years ago, two 1.75-liter pouches of the stuff in a cardboard container, KING-FM noted that it “has just combined two of Wyoming’s favorite things: Fireball whisky and booze in a box.”