WEST ALLIS, Wis. — The Sporkies — the Wisconsin State Fair’s food competition — is back for its 10th year of tasty treats and creative concoctions. But this year, The Sporkies have, well, competition.
The Wisconsin State Fair is introducing The Drinkies — a non-alcoholic beverage competition that will run in conjunction with The Sporkies. This, fair officials said, will refresh drink options for all ages.
In total, there are 12 finalists between the two competitions. The winners will be announced before the fair opens. Winners and finalists will have 13-foot golden Sporks and Drinkies statues outside of their locations at the fair.
The Wisconsin State Fair runs from Aug. 3 to 13. Have a look at the finalists before you get a taste:
Sporkies finalists
Beer Cheese Wisconsin Lava Cake
The Beer Cheese Wisconsin Lava Cake is comprised of salted Milwaukee Pretzel Company slider buns filled with beer cheese soup. It’s topped with butter, house-made hot honey and red pepper flakes.
Find it at WürstBar.
Coastal Corn Nuggets
Deep-fried dough balls with sweet corn kernels in the center are the base of the Coastal Corn Nugget. The nuggets are topped with creamy white queso, homemade tropical slaw, a tangy pineapple-mango salsa and cotija cheese.
Find it at Tropics.
Deep-Fried Apple Pie
Homemade apple pie filling is encompassed between two pieces of white bread dipped in French toast batter. Then the pie is deep-fried and topped with caramel drizzle and cinnamon sugar.
Find it at Saz’s BBQ.
Dill Pickle Donut
The Dill Pickle Donut is a yeast-raised donut frosted with dill pickle juice whipped cream cheese. Thick cut dill pickles and a dill sprinkle top off this treat.
Find it at Fluffy’s Hand Cut Donuts.
Irish Dipper
The Irish Dipper is an Irish Onion Dip with cream cheese, Guinness beer, caramelized onions and Irish cheddar. The dip is layered with Irish beef in Guinness gravy on a French roll. It’s served with a souffle cup of Guinness gravy for dipping.
Find it at Slim McGinn’s Irish Pub.
The Porkie
The Porkie is an ice cream sundae featuring vanilla custard, cheesecake bites, hot fudge, a graham cracker crust, warm caramel, graham cracker cookie, a cherry and a piece of Rupena’s candied bacon dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles.
Find it at Camp Bar.
Sweet and Savory Funnel Cake “Fries”
Funnel cake fries are the base of this dish. They’re topped with cheese curds, bacon pieces, chocolate sauce and sweet cream cheese frosting glaze.
Find it at Bud Pavilion.
Wisconsin Quesadilla
The Wisconsin Quesadilla is stuffed with cheese curds, chunks of brats, grilled onions, grilled peppers and shredded cheese. It comes with sour cream and salsa on the side.
Find it at Mexican Grill.
Drinkies finalists
Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Iced Latte
This iced latte is infused with brown sugar, sweet potato purée, cinnamon and brown sugar boba pearls. It’s finished off with a toasted marshmallow garnish and a deep-fried sweet potato funnel cake nugget. It’s made with non-dairy creamer.
Find it at Mashed Potatoes On-a-Stick.
Cotton Candy Lemonade
For kids and adults alike, this blue beverage blends the flavors of two fair classics: Lemonade and cotton candy. It’s garnished with a cotton candy cloud on top.
Find it at Saz’s Miller High Life Pavilion.
The Ferris Mule
Enjoy a non-alcoholic mule with fresh blackberries, ginger beer, freshly squeezed lime juice and agave nectar. It’s hand-shaken and poured over ice. It’s then topped with fresh blackberries, a rosemary sprig and lime wheel.
Find it at Old Fashioned Sipper Club.
Mango Tango Tajín
The layered drink starts out with a blend of pineapple and mango. The second layer is a creamy strawberry smoothie. Then, it’s topped off with a sweet and spicy Chamoy sauce drizzled over top and sprinkled with Tajín seasoning.
Find it at Caribbean Smoothees.
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