EARL HORLYK
“SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THE CHILDREN”
SIOUX CITY – At the beginning of the school year, it’s okay to show school spirit by wearing the school colors.
But how about whet your appetite with some refreshing school-style drinks?
That’s what Ashley Merrigan, team manager of SweetWater Café, thought when she and her assistant team manager, Simone Harris-Evans, created refreshing drinks that feature the colors of Sioux City’s East, North, West and Bishop Heelan schools, the South Sioux City Community and the Winnebago Public Schools.
All six drinks are available at SweetWater Café in the Ho-Chunk Centre (600 Fourth St.), Ho-Chunk Village (1030 Buffalo Trail, Suite 130, Winnebago) and Flatwater Crossing (2710 Flatwater Drive, South Sioux City).
“Because our location at the Ho-Chunk Center is right next to the Career Academy (of the Sioux City Community School District), we have a lot of college students as customers,” Merrigan explained. “So we wanted to do something special for the kids.”
People also read…
Show (and drink) your school colors
Lemonade drinks saluting Sioux City’s East, North, West and Bishop Heelan schools, South Sioux City Community Schools and Winnebago Public Schools are now available at SweetWater Café in the Ho-Chunk Centre (600 Fourth St.), Ho-Chunk Village (1030 Buffalo Trail, Suite 130, Winnebago) and Flatwater Crossing (2710 Flatwater Drive, South Sioux City).
Each of the drinks contains lemonade, soda water and a splash or two of Lotus energy drink concentrate. Both Merrigan and Harris-Evans tested ingredients that would mimic the colors of their respective schools.
West’s drink, consisting of green apple, lime, lemonade, lotus and soda water, featured an unmistakable Wolverine shade of green, while East’s drink, consisting of peach, orange, lemonade, lotus and soda water, resembled the orange that is dear to every Raider’s heart.
Then things get a little trickier.
“Both Winnebago and Heelan have the blue school colors, while Sioux City North and South Sioux City were, of course, red,” Merrigan said.
For the Heelan Crusaders-inspired drink, Harris-Evans mixed red raspberries, blue raspberries, lemonade, lotus and soda water, which has a dark blue hue.
She chose a lighter shade of blue for Winnebago’s Bago Athletics and mixed in blue raspberry, coconut, lemonade, lotus and soda water.
Fans of the South Sioux Cardinals might enjoy a dark red drink made from a blend of watermelon, red raspberries, pineapple, lemonade, lotus and soda water, while stargazers from the north will surely want to drink his drink made from watermelon, red raspberries, lemonade, lotus and soda water.
Or you can simply choose the drink that suits your taste best.
“You don’t have to be a student or a graduate to enjoy these drinks,” said Harris-Evans. “They’re all delicious.”
The same goes for the SweetWater Café menu, which includes breakfast rolls, lunch soups, sandwiches, paninis and salads, freshly baked pastries and a wide selection of hot and cold beverages.
“We’re not just a diner or a cafe,” Merrigan said. “We’re both, plus we have a lot of grab-and-go items for kids and downtown office workers.”
She can hardly wait for the school year to begin.
“I’m excited to see which school drink will sell the best,” said Merrigan. “Who doesn’t like a school rivalry right at the start of the school year?”
