OUR STORY
The Fishtown Iced Tea was born on April 20th, 2013 at Interstate Drafthouse. Its origin traces back to the beloved Arctic Splash Iced Tea made by Lehigh Valley Dairy. All throughout Philadelphia, and in particular Fishtown, people grew up drinking Iced tea out of a milk carton. Pennsylvania is home to many local dairies. Those dairies made milk, which they supplied to local stores and schools. Many also manufactured iced tea, a deliciously sweet variety known as Pennsylvania Dairy Tea. Arctic splash was the favorite in Philly, but Delco had Wawa and Swiss Farms; Lancaster had Turkey Hill; and Pittsburgh had Turners, to name a few.
Interstate turned the Arctic Splash into a cocktail, opening it up from the top, adding Vodka, Tequila, Triple Sec, and Rum. This eye-catching cocktail was the perfect mix of booze, sweet tea and nostalgia. The drink garnered a cult following and became the calling card of Interstate Drafthouse.
In 2020, COVID struck and shut down bars and restaurants all over the United States. Interstate Drafthouse was no different. However, a temporary law was passed in Pennsylvania allowing cocktails to be sold to go. During that summer of 2020 when the bar was closed, Interstate sold Fishtown iced teas to go. The drink reached a larger audience and sold enough to keep Interstate afloat during those difficult times.
As the proliferation of canned cocktails grew, work began on creating a canned version of Philly’s legendary cocktail. It took 18 months of planning and working on the recipe ’til the Fishtown Iced Tea in the can was born!! Coincidentally, when the Fishtown Iced Tea in a can was launched in May 2022, it was announced that cartons of Arctic Splash were no longer going to be manufactured. A funeral was held for the cartons at Interstate. We celebrated its great life and welcomed its successor!!!
