You can enjoy a cold one at a lot of places. Yet sometimes you want something other than beer to wet your whistle – a mixed drink, perhaps, but one more complicated than a hastily-swizzled Captain and Coke. You’d like something special, something that can’t be mixed by any bartender anywhere. That’s where this list comes in. These are the three best specialty drinks in the Chippewa Valley as judged by Volume One readers in our most recent poll. In the interests of journalistic accuracy, I’ve sampled them all. (Don’t worry, it wasn’t all at once.) Here’s the story behind the most beloved drinks in the Valley.

1. THE DELUSION

It’s been compared to a liquid Gummy Bear, but to me the Delusion is syrupy, alcohol-infused glass of blue pineapple juice. “It’s kind of sweet, kind of fruity, but it packs a punch,” explains Stephen Geitz, owner of the Grand Illusion, 418 Water St. Geitz has owned the bar for 26 years, and in the summer of 1988 his then-manager and a pair of patrons concocted the beverage, which was meant as an answer to the Stable Stomper, the specialty drink at the establishment under a previous owner, when it was the Stable Saloon.

Considering the drink’s iconic status, Geitz and his bartenders are understandably tight-lipped about its true contents. Based on personal observation, however, I can verify it contains a couple of red liquids, some kind of juice, and a splash of something blue. (A mixologist I’m not.) Geitz acknowledges the drink’s sweet fruitiness is a stark contrast to the bar’s dimly lit rock ’n’ roll lounge vibe. (The place takes its name from the title of a Styx album.) “Maybe that’s why it was so unique,” he says. “Maybe you’d expect something that was harsher.”

If you order a Delusion, just remember to save the blue ticket you get from the bartender. Collect 10, and you’re entitled to a free T-shirt. The prize is a testament to the drink’s popularity: Geitz long ago lost track of how many he’s given away.

2. THE BACON BLOODY

Milwaukee Burger Company, 2620 E. Clairemont Ave., has carved out a niche for itself for burgers (naturally) as well as for Bloody Marys: They make ’em big here, and they come with an astonishing number of garnishes. If you think Bloody Mary simply means a glass of Clamato and vodka with a stick of celery in it, think again. The Bacon Bloody, which came in at No. 2 in our poll, is made with bacon-infused vodka (seriously) and dressed with three different strips of bacon (brown sugar, jalapeno, and applewood-smoked), pepperjack cheese, a dill pickle, an olive, a pickled green bean, and celery. Garnishes aside, however, the drink itself is superb: Salty and a bit spicy – but not too spicy – and nice and tomato-y too.

3. PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

Do you need a vacation from the overly sweet strawberry margaritas found at every Mexican restaurant between the Chippewa and the Rio Grande? Mosey over to the Livery, 316 Wisconsin St., for the famous Prickly Pear Cactus Margarita. Yes, it’s sweet and fruity, but it manages to be richer, mellower, and saltier than a standard margarita. The key ingredient is prickly pear cactus juice, which gives the drink its rich red glow and unique flavor. Fun fact: Prickly pear juice is frequently used in Mexican folk medicine, but the only claim we’ll make here is that it makes a darn good cocktail.