It is hot. Depending on where you currently are in the country, it’s either hot, really hot, or an actual crisis-level heat wave. Either way, conditions are not great if you want to avoid having a gnarly sweat mustache or, worse, dehydration. When the summer heat kicks up an intolerable thirst, I actually have one thing to celebrate: It’s time for a frosty mug.
In the late 90s, I — an only child of a single mother — ate a lot of fast food, and I was particularly smitten with Long John Silvers’ Flavorbaked Chicken. (Yes, the baked chicken… at a fried seafood chain. Diet culture had me in a chokehold!) We were frequent fliers (sailors?) at our nearby LJS, which is where I learned terms like “schooner” and “clipper” — admittedly, knowledge I’ve yet to use — and we managed to amass a solid collection of its nautical glass mugs. Six of these mugs lived, for all of my childhood, in the door of our freezer, where they would clank merrily every time someone went in for a pack of Bagel Bites. They awaited in case you wanted to enjoy a beverage in a delightfully brisk, pre-chilled receptacle.
Long John Silvers wasn’t the only fast food chain to offer frosty mugs, nor was it the most well-known. A&W famously served its root beer in chilled vessels as early as the 1920s, and also introduced adorable baby frosty mugs, meant for children (who drank for free at the A&Ws of yore). Other chains, like McDonald’s and Hooters, had them at one point as well, though they’re not to be confused with McDonald’s’ and Burger King’s beloved character mugs.
My mom and I used our frosty steins for lemonade and soda, and occasionally, we’d break them out for something extra exciting like milkshakes or ice cream floats. The glass felt pleasantly heavy and kind of fancy, and it kept our drinks at the ideal temp while little flotillas of frostiness swam around waiting to be slurped up.
Freezer mugs are a core memory for me, and when a heat wave hit earlier this summer, I was reminded of them so forcefully that I was compelled to buy one of these mugs on ebay so I could relive the experience. A mug that is suited for keeping in the freezer isn’t hard to find, especially if you’re a thrifter; there’s at least one on the shelves of pretty much every Goodwill I’ve ever been to. Online, they have a designated frosty mug for every known sports team and colorful plastic versions, with or without a freezable gel inside. But for me, it has to be one of those heavy duty glass mugs from Long John Silvers or A&W to really nail the vibe. And really, you can make any glass mug a freezer mug just by…putting it in the freezer.
If you’re brave enough to inquire among beer drinkers about the merits of sipping a cold one from one of these frosty beauties, be prepared to get shouted down by craft-brew snobs who insist you can’t possibly taste the beer (the precious beer!) properly with a mug so cold. But if you can get past the clapback, I say, go for it. And if you’re looking for the kind of crispy-sudsy moment you only see in a Coors Light commercial, clink those glasses together and live your dreams.
And while you could absolutely go the beer route, a frosty mug’s true calling is the root beer float. The frosty mug kicks up a nice head of root beer suds, perfumed with extra vanilla from the ice cream. A mouthful of those suds is an unmatched joy. And speaking of unmatched, if neither beer nor root beer do it for you, I can personally attest that a frosty mug delivers a god-tier Diet Coke drinking experience that, on the scale of DC righteousness, falls somewhere between straight from the tap and a mini can.
Don’t own a freezer mug yet? Grab one of these and go ahead and pour yourself a cold one.
If you’re the kind of beer drinker who cheers by saying, “Prost,” wrap your big meaty paws around this hefty glass mug, which comes in a set of four so you can share your joy.
This 12-inch glass-walled mug is a little more demure, better for a mini can of Diet Coke or a frothy iced coffee.
For anyone looking for a frosty mug that can match vibes with their favorite fondue pot, cop a set of these vintage Dansk mugs from Etsy.
If you bristle at the idea of putting glass in your freezer, these breezy beachy freezer mugs are your ticket to chilled beverage perfection.
It may be hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, but with a frosty mug in hand, we can still enjoy our perfectly chilled beverages while the world burns.
