If you’re a Louisiana resident or a regular visitor over the age of 21, chances are pretty good that you’re familiar with the concept of the drive-through daiquiri joint. These shops sell potent frozen cocktails at drive-through windows, and most shops have their own specialties. There are places that offer two-for-one daiquiris all day every day, places that decorate or top their drinks with fresh fruit, candy and other ingredients, and others that create exclusive flavors or give their drinks outlandish names.
The Jump Off is a new package liquor store and drive-through daiquiri joint located at 3701 Greenwood Road in Shreveport, and it’s definitely not your average daiquiri spot. While The Jump Off does offer several flavors of daiquiri that are two-for-one (for example, Queensborough Quaalude, Prickly Pear, and Motown Margarita) they also have a rotating cast of higher-end daiquiri flavors (right now, those flavors are Crown Appleretto and Henny Colada), which are made with premium ingredients and aren’t two-for-one.
Maybe the most eye-catching flavor at The Jump Off – especially with summer on the horizon – is their new “Frosé” daiquiri. Frosé is – as the name implies – frozen, or slushy, rosé wine. The Jump Off’s version isn’t true frosé – it’s a cocktail made with rosé as well as rosé-flavored vodka, sparkling wine, and strawberry purée – but it’s good. And co-owner Cory Shepherd, who showed me around the place, says that they weren’t really aiming to recreate real frosé. Rather, they were trying to split the difference between traditional frosé and Louisiana drive-through daiquiris. And they nailed it. Shepherd is currently working on a drive-through daiquiri version of a Moscow Mule, and I’ll be there for that one, as well.
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The Jump Off has unique drinks, but it also has a unique vibe. For some reason, the owners have installed a sound effects board behind the counter that they can trigger using a keyboard – like a sampler. If it’s your birthday, the clerk might trigger a sample of 50 Cent rapping “go shorty, it’s your birthday.” As customers come in, they may trigger a sound effect that shouts “Welcome to The Jump-Off!” The whole thing, honestly, is pretty crazy – and totally Louisiana.
If you should find yourself craving a frozen daiquiri as temperatures soar into the triple digits, give The Jump Off a try. In a crowded field of local daiquiri joints, The Jump Off stands out as a true original.
Love reading about local food and drink? Check out the third edition of Eat Here: A Food Lover’s Guide to Shreveport-Bossier.
Disclaimer: Whenever I write about alcoholic beverages, bars or breweries for 20×49.com, any beverages that I purchased for the purpose of the article were purchased with my own personal money. Please celebrate responsibly and don’t drink and drive.
