7-Eleven is celebrating 60 years of Slurpees with its strangest flavor yet
In the late 1950s, Omar Knedlick–a Kansan Dairy Queen franchise operator–built a frozen beverage machine with parts from an automobile air conditioner. In 1966, 7-Eleven licensed his invention for one of America’s favorite gas station treats: the Slurpee. Sixty years later, Knedlick’s legacy lives on, but with a flavor combination that would likely blow his mind. To celebrate the Slurpee’s diamond anniversary, 7-Eleven released a special birthday flavor: Mountain Dew Confetti Chill. The limited edition flavor–which 7-Eleven describes as a “zesty lemon cake treat in frozen drink form”–is available now through August 29, 2026. [Photo: 7-Eleven] To dew or not to dew The combination might seem unexpected for Mountain Dew–a brand known for its neon color and distinct lemon-lime taste. The online response was polarizing. One fan on X praised the announcement with a post saying, “This is why we live in the greatest country on earth!” Others were more skeptical. In a Reddit feed, one fan commented “Eww. I would stil try though.” When asked if they enjoyed the Slurpee, another user replied “Yes but it’s like drinking frosting.” And some were flat-out haters: one user commented “I can’t even imagine the flavor of this abomination. Hold the handle down til it all comes out n then walk away.” But this isn’t the first time the brand has tried a more decadent palate. Many fans compared Confetti Chill to Mountain Dew’s June 2021 limited edition Cake Smash flavor, released for a Pepsi-Cola sweepstakes and later sold online. An Instagram user criticized the company’s flavor choice, saying “Mtn Dew clearly has not learned that people are done buying overly sweet AI-slop-style drinks.” A birthday celebration with a sweet motivation The Mountain Dew collab is not the only way 7-Eleven is celebrating Slurpee’s big day. Select locations in California, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas are hosting a “Slurpee Date” experience for couples and friends hoping to ditch formal plans in favor of a cas