"Is that the official sign of dating? Sharing drinks?"
— Nick Nelson, Heartstopper
What is a good way to express your affections for your lover? By buying a malted milkshake, getting two straws, and just sipping it together. This trope was really popular back in the '50s, when diners and drugstore lunch counters were all the rage. It has made a comeback in Asian metropolitan societies, which have an attachment for cutesy love displays.
It is a sign of an over-the-top romantic relationship. Often accompanied by a Headbutt of Love.
See also Indirect Kiss, Through His Stomach, and Spaghetti Kiss.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Various romance animes may involve this as a float/parfait with an elaborate glass to serve it on for lovers.
- FLCL Progressive: In the last episode, Goro and Aiko have gotten together and later share a drink together at the cafe.
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi:
- Between Negi and Konoka. Interestingly, this was mostly from a brotherly-sisterly perspective since Negi is only ten. As for Konoka, she probably has other interests.
- In chapter 252, Konoka had this with the other interest.
- In a promotional piece for the Negima! Magister Negi Magi and Hayate the Combat Butler movies, in a crossover, Asuna and Hayate, each from those respective works, are sharing a drink like this.
- Ranma ½: When girl-type Ranma is forced to go on a date with Kuno (he's possessed by a cursed tree), they engage in Sweetheart Sipping. The plastic straws are even bent to have heart-shaped loops in the middle!
- Happens earlier then that. Now let's see... was it the Mariko Kuonjo story arc (Ranma went on a date with Kuno to prove "she loved Kuno more")? Or the Wishing Sword story (Ranma went on a date with Kuno to either steal the wish-granting sword or get him to make a wish that would cure Ranma's Jusenkyo curse)? Or even both? And then there was Harumaki, whose astral projection terrified Ranma in his dreams for about a week until Ranma agreed to go on a date with him in exchange for the old lech knocking it off.
- Sailor Moon: Usagi does this with Umino at one point. (She squicks herself out when she realizes what she's doing.)
- Star Driver makes use of the typical version...except that it involves Takuto, Wako, and Sugata.
- This is something Steel Angel Kurumi wants to do with Nakahito.
- Played for Laughs and a little bit of Ship Tease in Aquarion Evol. Cayenne and Shrade are teamed up with Sazanka, the resident Yaoi Fangirl by the teachers who think love is bad. Because she gets her...reactions from watching two Bishōnen be all lovey-dovey with each other, the "date plan" for their special training session includes going to a restaurant. Food is pre-ordered and yes, there is only one drink for the boys.
- My Monster Secret does it... well, their way in chapter 68, between Shimada and Ryou (who is a girl outside but a guy inside). The latter has an expression of utter despair, while the former makes a really creepy smile during the scene.
- Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove it: One of the typical couple situations tried out by two characters trying to scientifically prove they are in love with each other is drinking from the same glass with intertwined straws.
- In GO-GO Tamagotchi! episode 5b, Himespetchi wants to make a wish on Moshimo Mountain to be with Mametchi. She imagines the two of them drinking from the same cup, with their bendy straws forming the shape of a heart.
- Tokyo Ghoul: Promotional art features Naki and Miza Sweetheart Sipping from a heart.
- Pecola: Gazelle and Hillary drink a soda together in "the Curse of Cube Town". Seeing bad news on a nearby television causes Gazelle to spit out his soda all over Hillary.
Comic Book
- Archie Comics popularized this trope. It's surprising that reading their digests today, you can still see this being used.
- He's even been known to Sweetheart Sip with both Betty and Veronica simultaneously
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- A non-romantic moment occurred when three guys shared the same glass...because they couldn't afford two more drinks.
- Archie, Veronica, Moose, and Midge found themselves having to split a drink four ways when Archie and Moose became unable to take the girls on more indulgent dates.
- He's even been known to Sweetheart Sip with both Betty and Veronica simultaneously
- The Incredible Hulk: Indulged in by Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Jarella (a Green-Skinned Space Babe from a subatomic world) in issue #205.
- Superman and Lana Lang did this. See the cover at Superdickery here.
- A Don Martin cartoon had a couple of teenage mosquitoes doing this with a juicy human arm vein. Yes, we know male mosquitoes don't drink blood.
- Robin: The cover of issue 57 "Date Night" depicts Tim and Steph in uniform sitting in a theater staring into each others eyes while holding a cup with a straw for each of them while a fight rages around them.
Commercials
- Subverted amusingly in this 7Up commercial.
Fan Works
- Guys Being Dudes: Defied by Arlo when Spark wants to invoke Make-Out Kids during the couple's visit to the night market.
"If you order a beverage with two straws, I'm cutting you off."
- This parody of Steven Universe: The Movie has past Spinel and (an unamused) Pink Diamond doing this with a joined heart straw... and later, present-day Spinel, miserable and all by herself, using that very same special straw to drink both vodka and beer at the same time.
Film
- In D.E.B.S., Lucy and Amy share a shake.
- In The Music Man, Professor Hill gives Tommy and Zaneeta Candy Kitchen money when he first meets them, and later on he personally sets them up in said Candy Kitchen, blindfolded, with one giant ice cream sundae and two spoons. It doesn't last long, as Mayor Shinn bursts in to break them up. Marian is also there, coincidentally, in a gigantic hat, and questions the Professor about the Think System over a strawberry phosphate.
- The movie Shallow Hal parodied this, having the overweight girl drink the entire milkshake in about two seconds.
Live-Action TV
- How I Met Your Mother has Marshall and Lily sharing a pint of beer because it saves money. They're the token Happily Married couple, though, so it counts.
- Cody and Bailey attempt this in The Suite Life on Deck, only for Zack to stick his own straw in and suck up all of it. (Too bad for Zack, it was a high-fibre shake...)
- In the Saved by the Bell episode "Beauty and The Screech", Kelly does this with Screech of all people, complete with gratuitous shoulder bobbing by her.
- Referenced in an episodenote of Gilmore Girls, when Logan is quizzing Jess about his past relationship with Rory.
Logan: So, were you two high school sweethearts? Rock around the clock, two straws in the milkshake?
- Heartstopper: Nick and Charlie taste each others' milkshakes while on a triple date and comment to this effect:
"Is that the official rule of dating? Sharing drinks?"
- In the 100th episode of Riverdale, Jughead said he had been to heaven, which resembles the original 1950s Archie Comics, complete with Archie, Betty, and Veronica recreating the iconic image of them sharing a milkshake together.
Video Games
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has an item called the Couple's Cake, which is an enormous, sundae-slash-cake-slash-root-beer-float type dessert monstrosity with two straws and spoons, explicitly described for sharing between couples. (One Side Quest even has a Goomba with a crush on Goombella giving one to her.) It can only be used in battle, and Mario and his partner share it.
- In Star Ocean: The Second Story, one of the Private Actions can result in Claude doing this with Ashton. Then with Rena in a PA that follows.
- In Mitsumete Knight, if they have a very high love relationship together, Priscilla (who wanted to try this) and the Asian (aka the player avatar) get to share this way a cream soda in a Special Event at the Coffee Shop.
- In Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, this is one of the things Mao theorizes Almaz wants to do with Princess Sapphire.
Web Comics
- Nanoha Rr: One of the scenes◊ in the Lyrical Nanoha Fan Webcomic Nanoha R'r after certain events initiated by a sleeping and unconsciously moving Nanoha causes Fate to cheerfully believe that they are now officially a couple.
- In Brawl in the Family, Ganondorf does this with the Triforce.
- Furry Experience: After Hunter spills a smoothie on Cat, he offers to buy her one, then suggests they share one. Cat imagines the two of them doing this and bolts.
- Grrl Power: Sydney and Frix share a milkshake.
Web Original
- AstroLOLogy: In "Photo Booth", Leo and Cancer are briefly seen sipping from the same cup on their date.
- In Echo Chamber's 8th episode "Romantic False Lead" Tom and Porngirl share a milkshake this way during the Falling-in-Love Montage.
- In Happy Tree Friends, Cuddles and Giggles do this in "The Carpal Tunnel of Love"...then immediately spit out what they just drank. As foam clears, it becomes apparent that their straws were in an eyeball. In "Youtube 101: Subscriptions", Cuddles sees a video of Giggles and Disco Bear doing this, angering him. It turns out Disco Bear was using a cardboard cutout of Giggles.
- The SCP Foundation played it for laughs in SCP-3171, which is a species of sentient plant that reproduces by sending spores to each other through underground root systems. They see humans sharing drinks as the closest equivalent to this in human culture, and are turned on by stories of such (which is very much desired by the researchers, as their spores are useful).
Western Animation
- Strangely enough, this was done by Jonesy and Nikki on 6teen. Strange given Nikki's personality. "Cute" isn't exactly her favorite word.
- The Owl House: In "Thanks to Them", a picture in Willow's photo album shows Luz and Amity drinking from a milkshake together.
- Parodied by the Futurama episode "Roswell That Ends Well." The diner in the 1940's has a sign reading "ONE TEEN TO A MALT." The Comedy Central episode "Zapp Dingbat" puts a spin on it, with two aliens made of liquid drinking from each other.
- Chiro and Jinmay share a drink this way in the first episode of Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go.
- The Fairly OddParents! "The Odd Couple" done between Vicky and Ricky.
- Care Bears: In the 1980s series, Share Bear's symbol was a milkshake with two straws, but when the series was rebooted in the 2000s, it was changed to two lollipops, so as to encourage kids to avoid spreading germs.
- In Winx Club, Flora and Helia do this in season four at the Frutti Music Bar. Later, in a variation, Kiko, Artu, and the fairy pets share a bowl of juice.
- The main character of the Schoolhouse Rock! segment "A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing" does this with her "best friend" at the local Malt Shop.
- South Park: In "Super Fun Time", during Cartman's Good-Times Montage at the arcade, he shares a drink with Butters, bewildering some passerby watching.
Butters: What are you ogling at?
- The Chuck Jones Looney Tunes cartoon "Mouse-Warming" ends with the teen-aged couple invoking this trope, complete with heart bubbles and a heart-shaped Iris Out.
- Arnold and Helga does this briefly on Hey Arnold! in a plot to make Lila jealous in the episode "Weird Cousin".
- The Wander over Yonder episode "The Tourist" has a platonic variant between Wander and Sylvia. The two keep abandoning their Flavarian Float in favor of Wander's escalating rivalry with a fellow explorer, to Sylvia's increasing exasperation. When he finally ditches her, she goes back to get her drink, only for Wander to appear and request another straw.
Real Life
- The oldest known depiction of beer-drinking is a clay tablet from Ancient Sumeria depicting two men drinking from the same vessel with long straws. It's believed that straws were used to avoid the bitter solid byproducts of fermentation that sink to the bottom. (History is unclear on whether or not the two were sweethearts.)
