Atlanta is never thirsty, from the morning roasts to late night toasts. Along with southern staples and modern dining, Atlanta pours some thirst-quenching favorites.

This city likes its sugary soft drinks and teas and never turns down a classic cocktail or crisp cold beer. In some respects, imbibing in Atlanta is a right of passage.

Those who leave the city without sampling some of its finest beverages part without a true understanding of what makes Atlanta tic.

In the spring and summer time when the city takes on its “Hotlanta” moniker, you’ll be glad to be sipping on these refreshing drinks:

Sample soft drinks from around the globe at World of Coca-Cola: Atlanta’s World of Coca-Cola is easily one of the most popular attractions in the city. While it might seem to some one big long Coke commercial, this is where you can sample Atlanta’s signature drink and many others. The World of Coca-Cola contains the exhibit “Taste It!” where visitors came sample over 60 soft drink products from across the globe. While the sampling of might have your dentist worried, but you'll get the chance to taste some of the company’s most unusual concoctions.

Sip on Atlanta’s Big Beer Maker, SweetWater: SweetWater Brewing Company is generally considered the beer for which Atlanta is most known. The company produces a wide variety of beers, ones you will find all over America’s southeast. However, to sample the freshest product; beer lovers arriving on flights to Atlanta should head straight to the horse’s mouth. The SweetWater Brewing Company offers daily tours of its premises. For $10 you get a tour, a souvenir glass, and 6 tasting tickets to find a favorite brew.

Pucker up for Sweet Tea at Mary Mac’s: Long hailed as Atlanta’s best pitcher of sweet tea, this city institution also serves up fine southern food, as it has since 1945. It boasts of being the last of sixteen tearooms that once covered Atlanta in the 1940s. Celebrities and famous faces have flocked here to sample not just the food but also the sweet tea, otherwise known as the “Table Wine of the South." The sugary syrup brew of black tea makes for a cool beverage on a hot spring day in Atlanta.

Drink the Kool-Aid of Atlanta’s new Cocktail Culture: At any number of bars around Atlanta, you will quickly discover this city's creative cocktails. While long known for sweet tea and beer, Atlanta also has something stirring in its martini shaker. Be sure to sip on a Georgia Mint Julep while in town, usually composed with peach brandy. Places like Prohibition also lend bar-goers classic cocktails such as a Ramos Gin Fizz in a classic, speakeasy environment.

CC Flickr photo credit: istolethetv