National Drinking Straw Day
Sipping a cold drink has never been more enjoyable thanks to these colorful tubes of fun that make every sip a delight!
Can you imagine drinking a milkshake without a straw? Or how anyone would manage a juice box? How many soft drinks would you have spilled on yourself in dark movie theaters if it weren’t for straws? I think we can all agree drinking straws have changed our lives for the better enough to deserve their own holiday, and that’s exactly what Drinking Straw day is about: celebrating the invention and patenting of the (paraffin-covered) paper drinking straw!
Learn about National Drinking Straw Day
National Drinking Straw Day has been designed to celebrate this humble invention. A straw may seem like such a basic thing, but it’s a necessity. From milkshakes to iced coffees; a straw is a must for a number of drinks. This is especially the case for cocktails with mint leaves in and other elements that you don’t want to swallow!
History of National Drinking Straw Day
The straws man ever used were made by the Sumerians, and were probably most often used for drinking beer, which at that time contained many solid byproducts of the fermentation process. Thousands of years later, in the 1800s, the rye grass straw became popular because it was cheap and soft. Unfortunately, it also had the tendency to turn to mush in liquid.
One day, while drinking a mint julep, inventor Marvin C. Stone became especially frustrated by straws’ shortcomings, as the taste of the rye mixed with that of his drink, giving it a grassy taste. He then patented the modern drinking straw in 1888. The first straw Stone made was just paper wound around a pencil to make a thin tube, and he then slid out pencil out from one end and applied glue between the strips.
This was already a great improvement on the rye grass straw, as it did not impart any flavor onto the drink being consumed. Stone later further refined his invention by building a machine that would coat the outside of the paper with wax to hold it together, so the glue wouldn’t dissolve in the Bourbon he liked to drink.
How to celebrate National Drinking Straw Day
One way to celebrate National Drinking Straw Day would be to spend the entire day drinking all liquids via straws—your morning orange juice, afternoon mineral water, you evening wine and so on. One thing to watch out for here, however, is the fact that sucking any liquid into your mouth via a straw heats the liquid up by a few degrees, and that’s why hot drinks, such as coffee or tea, should not be drunk using straws, as that could lead to scalding your mouth.
Another great way to celebrate this holiday would be to learn to make the drink that that inspired Marvin Stone to create a new kind of straw in the first place: the mint julep. Then, sit back, sipping your drink through a straw and be grateful it does not taste like rye grass! Cheers to Marvin C. Stone, ladies and gentlemen!
Mint Julep Recipe
Ingredients
Makes 2 cocktails
- 10 mint sprigs
- 1 ounce simple syrup OR 4 sugar cubes OR 4 teaspoons of sugar
- 5 ounces of your favorite bourbon whiskey
- Mint sprigs for garnish
Place half of the mint and simple syrup or sugar into one special julep cup, or double old-fashioned glass, and the other half of the mint and sugar/syrup into another. Muddle the mint well with a spoon to dissolve the sugar and to release the oil and aroma of the mint. Pour half of the bourbon into one glass, and the rest into the other. Then, fill both glasses with crushed ice and stir quite energetically, until the glass becomes frosty. Garnish with the mint sprigs and enjoy!
If a Mint Julep is not for you, another drink that needs to be enjoyed with a straw is a frozen Margarita. The Margarita is a classic cocktail, which consists of triple sec, tequila and lemon or lime juice. It is traditionally served with a salt glass rim, however, there are many variations available nowadays and a lot of people opt for sugar instead. You will see a Margarita in various forms, such as straight-up – without ice, frozen – blended with ice, and on the rocks – shaken with ice. There are also fruity varieties and different flavours incorporated into modern versions of this drink.
The Margarita is definitely one of the best summer cocktails, as it is light, refreshing and bursting with flavour. Most people opt for a frozen margarita during the warmer months, as we like our drinks ice cold when it is sweltering outside. We are going to reveal one of our simple frozen margarita recipes to follow, so you can easily enjoy this drink at home.
To make a frozen margarita you will need tequila, Cointreau, white caster sugar, orange zest, sea salt flakes and fresh lime juice. You are going to begin by making a syrup by combining water with caster sugar in a pan over heat. Make sure you choose a low heat and stir the contents constantly until the sugar dissolves. After this, you should grate in the orange zest and squeeze the lime juice. Pour all contents into a container and freeze.
Once you are ready to enjoy your Margarita, you should take the frozen mix from the freezer and blitz it in a blender. Once you have done so, add Cointreau and tequila. Get yourself a glass and rub a lime wedge around the rim, roll it in a little salt and then pour the drink inside. Finally, grab a straw and cut it in half so it fits the glass. The only thing left to do is enjoy it!
Of course, you can always make non-alcoholic versions of these drinks! Or, why not make yourself a nice, cold frappe? To do this, you need to add some water and coffee to a glass. You can add some flavored syrup, such as vanilla or caramel as well. You then need to whisk these ingredients together until there is a nice froth on the top. Add some ice, top up with milk, add a straw, and enjoy!
We also recommend that you do your bit for the planet and ditch your plastic straws on this date (if you have any!). Instead, opt for a metal straw, which can be used again and again. These are much better than the paper straws, which can be rather frustrating!
