When Andrew Cook and his wife Margarette bought the Star Drive-In a few years ago, they knew there were existing customer food favorites they wanted to keep, such as the famous chili burgers made with an old, tried-and-true recipe from the original owners.

However, the Cooks had no idea they were about to create a new local fan favorite that would keep them busier than ever – daiquiris.

The Cooks are from Louisiana, where daiquiris can be sold through a drive-thru because the drink is “frozen,” the straw isn’t sticking out from the cup and the lid is intact, thereby in a technically “closed” container. Daiquiri shops there also adhere to a “tape rule,” where they place a piece of tape over the straw hole on the lid; if it is removed or broken, the drink would then considered an “open” container.

After the Cooks upgraded a lot of the outdated equipment at Star Drive-In – including the air conditioning, the cooler, the grill and the ice cream maker – they thought about this new item they could bring to the table for their customers.

“They told us they wanted daiquiris,” Andrew said of the most requested item he had from customers. That’s when Andrew wondered if they could get a liquor license to bring in some Louisiana drive-in flair to Brookhaven.

Well, without the “drive-in” part, at least. To receive a liquor license for the property, the Cooks had to satisfy the Alcohol Beverage Control folks (those tasked with regulating the legal dispensing of alcoholic beverages in the state). That state entity required them to build a building to provide seating in a controlled environment when serving alcohol. So, the Cooks built a new “room” in the front of the establishment, with tables, chairs and double doors. Yes it’s odd to have such a thing for a drive in, but it was required.

This also means you can’t “drive in” to receive your daiquiri at the Star Drive-In; you have to “drive up and get out and walk to the counter” to get it.

But customers don’t seem to mind.

“It’s going really well,” Andrew said. “Actually, we’ve done really well so far.”

The “44 Magnum” started out as the clear favorite. “It’s a combination of a ‘Hurricane’ and ‘190 Octane,’ so that’s 80 proof and 190 proof, the strongest one in the house,” Andrew said of his top seller.

For the last month, though, “Jolly Rancher” has become the most popular, with its bright blue raspberry taste. “People seem to love it,” Andrew said as he made a plain-Jane strawberry daiquiri on Thursday.

Other flavors include “Pina Colada” and “Margarita.” Andrew said he’d like to bring in other customer requests, such as “White Russian,” “Peach” and “Watermelon.”

“I get so many requests for “Peach” and that sure sounds good for the summer,” he said. “But just like any other flavor we get requests for – we can’t bring any more in right now. We simply don’t have the space.”

Perhaps it’s time for him to consider remodeling – again?