Back in the early 60's and growing up in Central Indiana both boys and girls had suicides especially at the Morgan County Fair.

When I think of "Suicides" I think of 7-11 Slurpees. In the summer, on Sunday afternoons after church, the best way to get a Suicide was to start hinting to Dad a block or 2 before the 7-11: "Gee Dad, its hot" and "I sure am thirsty." It rarely ever failed (thanks Dad!).
And yes, I am a girl (girls like them, too!). Even now that I am a thirty-something-year old, sometimes I just need that that frozen sugar combo (even if it is just Coke and Cherry mix).
I sure am thirsty!

Back in the early and mid-fifties, we used to make flavored cokes often, mostly for teenagers, both male and female. I worked at a soda fountain and would often pull a coke for a customer. No self-serve then. The most common flavors ordered were cherry, chocolate, lemon, and vanilla. Once in a while, a customer would order one with all the flavors, and that we called the infamous suicide coke.

I forget what a soda fountain coke cost then, probably 10 cents, because a cup of coffee was five cents, and simple sundaes with one fair sized scoop of ice cream were 15 cents. Black and white sundaes had half chocolate syrup and half marshmallow. A customer could also order chocolate ice cream with marshmallow syrup. A fancy sundae with two scoops of ice cream and chopped nuts and whipped cream was 25 cents, and a banana split was 35.

Jean from central Indiana

Hate to admit it, but I have a different memory of a "Suicide" from my teen years. A Suicide was sneaking into someone's parent's liquor cabinet and siphoning off a small amount of liquid from every bottle into one glass. A drawing of cards and the winner amongst the assembled Zit-Rangers got to down the Suicide Cocktail.
Tom from Milwaukee

Sarsparilla (or sarsaparilla) is/was a carbonated drink made from Smilax oficinalis (?)roots. Apparently quite bitter but "good for you" like a tonic. Like root beer or birch beer. I think later it was made popular by mixing birch beer with sassafras which would be like today's root beer.

my name is George Baugus I am from Osceola Ar. I just love words.Thank you for teaching us for about words.

I'm a California girl, about the same age as the caller. When I was a kid, we called a cup of mixed-up soda a Kamikaze. I still like Coke with a splash of 7-up and a lemon wedge. Refreshing!