Published , by Shack Staff
Published , by Shack Staff
Greetings, Shackers. It's Friday, which means another edition of Shack Chat, our weekly feature where the staff weighs in on some of the hottest discussions currently ongoing in the gaming world, then flip it over to you. This week, after being treated to an Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct, we've all had one very crucial question on our minds: What is Isabelle drinking in the New Horizons Nintendo Direct?
If you're confused, that's reasonable. The drink in question was only shown briefly, so for your convenience we've queued it up with the embed above. The drink shows up just after the 19-minute mark of the video. Once you've scoured the footage for several hours while ignoring lesser responsibilities, chime in in the comments and let us know what you think.
What would be better on a hot afternoon on a deserted island than a drink that is one part lemonade and one part iced tea? An Arnold Palmer is exactly the kind of beverage that Isabelle would rock as she tries to blow off steam working for that despot Tom Nook. No alcohol, because that is bad for doggies.
If you're on a deserted island, you might as well sip on the good stuff. And hey, it's five o'clock somewhere, right? You don't have to be tipsy to do the job, but it helps, especially as more and more people move in and look to get into the construction business.
Have you ever had a Mai Tai? It's a lovely concoction.
Every morning Isabelle wakes up, pours herself a big ole glass of Purple Drank, mixes in some Dr.Pepper, and cranks up the Lil’ Wayne. It’s the only thing that gets her through the day. Do you think her job is easy? Heck no! While her dependency is tragic, she’s showing no sign of stopping. The smile on her face is a mask and her laid-back demeanor is a result of being doped up on opioids constantly. She keeps a picture of Juice Wrld on her desk and every day she points to it and says “I’m gonna end up just like him one of these days.” For everyone’s sake, I hope she can get it together soon and stop leaning on the lean as a coping mechanism.
Isabelle just finished watching The Big Lebowski and decided to try her hand at making a White Russian. Problem is, an intense heat wave swept the island and spoiled the heavy cream, so she ended up with a Black Russian. Isabelle is fairly new to mixing drinks, mind you, so she just thinks she made a White Russian without the heavy cream. Well, she did, but she has no clue she mixed an actual drink.
I’m not gonna lie to you guys. I have never played an Animal Crossing game and genuinely have no idea what these dog people are up to. Everything about it seems skeezy. That being said, when I saw the picture of this Isabelle character goofing off at her desk, I immediately felt like I had seen that drink before. I’m not willing to speculate what is in the glass, but based on my experience watching the movie Midsommar last year, I suspect that things are not exactly on the up and up in Animal Crossing town.
Isabelle is having a lovely vacation (vocation?) on an island, and what’s the perfect tropical drink? Iced tea. I think Isabelle is wise enough to stay away from the sugar-packed sachets. She’d be about brewing some loose leaf tea overnight in an infuser in a fridge. Let the natural sweetness of the apple or orange peels percolate.
Isabelle has spent a considerable amount of time with her good pal Doom Guy. This unlikely duo have been hacking and slashing their way through the pits of hell in the years leading up to their new games. Isabelle knows that she can’t bring much from the world of DOOM with her into Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but she was able to sneak a little sippy sip past customs.
Clearly, Isabelle is dealing with a lot at all times. Tom Nook is a shrewd businessman and as such, he pushes a lot of the administrative tasks required of his daily lineup of tasks to our favorite Animal Crossing dog. But this can take a major toll on Isabelle. That's why she's sipping cognac at any given time. Ever wonder how she stays so chill? It's the Henny. Seriously, ask her the next time you see her. She'll tell you. But she tells younger visitors it’s sweet tea because she seems like a nice southern lady. Can’t go and pollute too many minds, now. This is a Nintendo game.
She’s obviously brought about her own supply of “Vacation Juice” to enjoy while dealing with Tom Nook’s drama. I mean, look at her… she could definitely use that drink. Sure the item in question doesn’t look as fruity as previous versions we’ve seen, but stands to reason that she’s found a stronger brew to enjoy while dealing with the ins and outs of running an entire island.
Isabelle puts up with a lot of stress. She organizes, she files, she schedules, and she does everything to keep things in order while clowns like Tom Nook run around coming up with new schemes and complicating her life. Sometimes an overworked pup just needs to blow off steam and get a little wild. That’s when Isabelle busts out the secret stash. Regular cola won’t do the trick, so she grabs the grenadine and gives it a dab and a stir. Perfection. Cherry Coke you say? How gauche. Isabelle has class, which should come as no surprise from a lady that always keeps it tidy. Gross pre-flavored beverages won’t do in the rare occasions when you want to cut loose. Gotta make way for the good stuff. But not too much cherry flavoring, mind you! We’re getting wild, here. Not reckless.
Tea? I don’t know. When are we getting a new F-Zero game?
During the Animal Crossing Direct, there was an interesting scene where Isabelle, our favorite pup secretary, was shown to be back but at the same time, had an interesting beverage on her desk. She's probably tired from all the nonsense she has to put up with helping out on the island. She also has earned herself a little drink from all the Smash Bros fighting she has been doing lately. She could have ground up some nice bugs; fossils and gyroids found on the island and made herself a nice cocktail.
On the other hand, it could be turnip juice, as everyone wants turnips in Animal Crossing. However, since the setting is an island, you got to be festive so a Corona with a lime or a Jack and Coke would be perfect. That’s what the AC universe probably would call “Vacation Juice.” I’d like to point out that since she’s on the job, her drinking should be discreet --like in a water bottle-- so folks don't know she’s drinking.
There you have it, one of our weirdest Shack Chats to date, if not the weirdest. I'm sure we'll keep it weird in the weeks to come, so be sure to join the party and speculate about what Isabelle is drinking in the comments below.