The Shark Week Slush is a popular frozen drink sold exclusively at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews during their annual Shark Week promotion. This creamy, shark-themed slushy is made with blue curacao, lemonade, sprite, and vodka. It’s served in a souvenir cup modeled after a great white shark’s open mouth, making it an eye-catching beverage.
Many enjoy sipping on this icy, sweet drink while watching Shark Week programming on the restaurant’s TVs. However, some health-conscious customers may wonder just how many calories are contained in the Shark Week Slush. As delicious as this drink may be, it likely packs quite a caloric punch.
In this article, we’ll investigate the Shark Week Slush to determine its calorie count and nutritional information. We’ll look at the ingredients that go into this one-of-a-kind slushy and use that information to calculate an estimated calorie total. We’ll also consider how its calorie count compares to other popular frozen drinks.
Examining the Ingredients
To determine how many calories are in a Shark Week Slush, we need to closely examine what ingredients it contains.
The slushy consists of the following:
– Blue curacao – Blue curacao is a orange-flavored liqueur that contains sugar and is used to give the slush its distinct blue coloring. It likely adds significant calories.
– Lemonade – The slushy uses a pre-made lemonade mixture that contains lemon juice, water, and significant sugar. The lemonade contributes calories through natural sugars.
– Sprite – This lemon-lime soda packs plenty of added sugars and calories.
– Vodka – Vodka itself is calorie-free, but the overall drink contains 1.5 oz of vodka. The alcohol content makes this slush an alcoholic beverage.
In addition to these liquid ingredients, the slushy may contain some added sweeteners to enhance the flavor. It’s also blended with ice to achieve its thick, icy texture.
Overall, the combination of flavored liqueur, lemonade, soda, and alcohol points to this drink containing a high amount of calories and sugars. Now let’s look at estimating the totals.
Estimating the Calorie Count
To estimate the total calorie count of a Shark Week Slush, we’ll need to look at the calorie information for each ingredient that goes into it.
Here are the calorie counts for a standard serving of each ingredient:
– 1.5 oz blue curacao (a typical drink serving): approximately 150 calories
– 12 oz lemonade (used in a typical slushy): ranging from 120-160 calories
– 12 oz Sprite (used in a typical slushy): approximately 150 calories
– 1.5 oz vodka: approximately 100 calories
Adding up these totals, the calorie count for the liquid ingredients of a Shark Week Slush comes out to approximately 520-560 calories.
However, we also have to factor in the added sweeteners and ice that make up the slushy texture. This could tack on an extra 50-100 calories.
Taking everything into account, a reasonable estimate for the total calorie count of a Shark Week Slush would be:
**600-650 calories**
That’s quite a high calorie count for a single frozen drink! The added sugars from the flavored liqueur, lemonade, soda, plus alcohol content really adds up.
Comparing Calorie Counts of Popular Frozen Drinks
How does the Shark Week Slush compare when it comes to its calorie count versus other popular frozen beverages? Here’s a look at calorie totals for some comparable frozen drink options:
| Frozen Drink | Estimated Calories |
|---|---|
| Shark Week Slush (16 oz) | 600-650 calories |
| Pina Colada (16 oz) | 700-800 calories |
| Margarita (16 oz) | 450-500 calories |
| Soft Serve Ice Cream Milkshake (16 oz) | 500-600 calories |
| Slurpee (16 oz) | 200-250 calories |
| Frozen Coffee Drink (16 oz) | 250-300 calories |
As you can see, while the Shark Week Slush is on the higher side for calorie counts, frozen drinks like Pina Coladas or Milkshakes often contain even more calories. The slushy also has 2-3 times more calories than lighter frozen beverages like Slurpees or frozen coffees.
So if you’re watching your calorie intake, the Shark Week Slush may not be the best option. But it’s not the highest in calories compared to other frozen drinks.
Tips for Lightening Up Your Shark Week Slush
If you want to enjoy a Shark Week Slush but avoid consuming 600+ calories, there are some tweaks you can make to lighten it up:
– Ask for less lemonade and soda. Stick with mostly ice and 1 part lemonade/soda to 3 parts ice.
– Request diet soda instead of regular Sprite. This will save you about 150 calories.
– Skip the alcohol and ask for a non-alcoholic version. The vodka adds nearly 100 calories.
– Order a smaller size slushy instead of a large. This cuts down the calories since it contains less syrups and soda.
– Drink it slowly over time instead of quickly gulping it down to control calories.
– Share your slushy with a friend so you each only consume half the calories.
– Opt for a lighter frozen drink like unsweetened ice tea, if available.
With some modifications and restraint, you can still enjoy the signature blue color and sharky flavors of this special drink without going overboard on calories.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to counting calories, the Shark Week Slush is one of the more indulgent frozen drink options out there. Thanks to its combination of flavored liqueur, lemonade, soda, sweeteners and alcohol, a 16 oz serving of this special slushy can pack around 600-650 calories.
If you’re focused on your calorie intake, there are ways to adjust the drink to reduce the calorie impact, such as skipping the alcohol or ordering a smaller size. But if you want to embrace the full shark experience, just be mindful of the calorie price tag. Sip slowly and enjoy this unique, icy blue treat as a fun splurge!
