We sipped the new slushies at the Minnesota State Fair — here’s what’s worth the brain freeze

Of the 70 new specialty drinks that debuted at the Minnesota State Fair this year, a strong showing came chilled and blended. And who could blame the vendors? When it’s usually pushing 90 degrees and the air feels as sticky as cotton candy left in the sun, these hard slushies are practically survival gear. We sampled every spiked and syrupy new frozen alcoholic beverage to tell you what’s worth the wait in line.

These were the clear winners of the new batch of slushies, and we’d happily go back for seconds.

Sgt. Pepper Slushie: From Lift Bridge Brewing Co., this Dr Pepper-inspired treat hit the spot for the fountain soda fiends in our crew. It was more ice-cold pop than full-on slush, but on a hot day, we couldn’t get enough.

$12; Coasters, Carnes Av. and Liggett St.

Aloha Ice: Minneapolis’ Freehouse Brewery captures the best of a citrusy popsicle in this cool concoction so creamy you could almost eat it with a spoon. It’s pure POG, Hawaii’s passion fruit, orange and guava blend.

$12; Blue Barn, West End Market

Black Cherry Lemonade: We were promised cherry and lemonade from this Lift Bridge slush, but this landed closer to a Coke Icee at the movie theater. No complaints there.

Blackberry Lemonade and Brianna Pineapple Wine Slushies: Forestedge Winery’s blackberry lemonade and Parley Lake Winery’s pineapple were the palate-cleansing heroes we didn’t know we needed after a habanero peach snack from the nearby Produce Exchange. Grateful doesn’t begin to cover it.

$13; Minnesota Wine Country, Underwood St. between Carnes and Judson Avs.

Not bad if you stumble across them, but don’t go out of your way across the fairgrounds.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Slushy: We loved the creative garnish on this Lift Bridge slush (two cherry lollipops for “cherries”). The drink itself was too melty, and it started high on pineapple but ended on a divisive buttery cake flavor.

$12; Andy’s Grille, Carnes Av. between Chambers and Nelson Sts.

$12; Shanghai Henri’s, International Bazaar, north section

Scooby Slush: The name and promise of tropical mixed fruits won us over, but all we tasted was melon. And the Lift Bridge drink was half melted before it even got into our hands.

$11; Chicago Dogs, the Garden, east wall

Blushing Dragon Slushie: The strawberry-pomegranate-dragon fruit concoction was frozen beautifully with a creamy texture, but the Minneapolis Cider Co. base dominated too heavily for our tastes.

$12; Rooted & Wild, Swine & Spuds, Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum

Shamrock Slushie: Lift Bridge and Earl Giles Distillery collaborated on this creme de menthe-meets-toothpaste slush, topped with canned whipped cream, on gritty ice.

$11/$17; O’Gara’s at the Fair, southwest corner of Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St.

Ragin Runner: Another Lift Bridge offering, this tropical fruit slushie had the unfortunate hue of ’70s rec room shag carpet (burnt tangerine? mustard?) that we couldn’t get past.

$10; Ragin Cajun, the Garden, west wall

Grape Ape Wine Slushy: Alexis Bailly Vineyard’s white wine was supposed to meet the classic grape soda cocktail, but all we got was the wine itself. Cute purple gummy garnish, though.

Frozen Espresso Martini Hard Seltzer: We’re all about espresso martinis, so we had high hopes for this frozen hard seltzer from Lift Bridge. It started off nice, but it quickly gave way to a sour aftertaste.

$12; Cafe Caribe, Carnes Av. between Chambers and Nelson Sts.

Boozy Root Beer Float, Lemon Meringue, Tropical Treat: Three Lift Bridge slushies at LuLu’s were all too artificial, too melty, and too cough syrup-adjacent.

$11; LuLu’s Public House, West End Market