Eclipse milkshakes in Montevallo hang the moon with Birmingham News readers

EclipseShake-0903.jpgJessica Moseley adds a slice of pie to the blender to make Eclipse Coffee & Books' pecan pie milkshake. (The Birmingham News / Beverly Taylor)

Don't let the name fool you.

Eclipse Coffee & Books in Montevallo is as well-known for milkshakes as it is lattes and Southern lit.

Especially its pecan pie milkshake, which is the dessert equivalent of dying and going to heaven.

Our readers think so, too.

In a poll on al.com, the online home of The Birmingham News, Eclipse won the Readers' Choice Award as the maker of Birmingham's Greatest Shake.

In all, The News received nominations for 34 milkshake establishments in the seven-county Birmingham metropolitan area.

Part coffeehouse, part bookstore, part restaurant and bar, Eclipse Coffee & Books serves about 15 varieties of shakes -- from the basic vanilla and chocolate to the more imaginative cake batter and mocha cappuccino.

Owner Cheryl Patton encourages her staff to experiment, which is how they invented the pecan pie milkshake.

"One of our employees just started throwing things in the blender, and one day, he threw a piece of pecan pie in there with some ice cream," Patton says.

ECLIPSE COFFEE & BOOKS

Main St., Montevallo. 665-4234.

www.eclipsecoffee.com

.

Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to midnight Fridays, 8 a.m. to midnight Saturdays.

Served in a pint beer glass, the shake features an entire slice of Priester's pecan pie along with several scoops of vanilla ice cream, a splash of cold milk and a shot each of praline and caramel syrup.

And should you prefer a different slice of pie, Eclipse also serves a chocolate or strawberry cheesecake milkshake.

For all of Eclipse's creative combinations, though, Patton's favorite shake is pretty simple.

"We throw a lot of things in the blender," she says, "but peach is probably my favorite."

READERS' CHOICE RESULTS

A total of 1,102 readers voted in our online poll to choose the Readers' Choice Award winner in our milkshake contest. Here are the Top 10 results:

1. Eclipse Coffee & Books

, 1032 Main St., Montevallo. 303 votes.

2. Davis Drug Co.

, 111 South Main St., Columbiana. 258 votes.

3. Chick-fil-A

, 18 locations in the Birmingham area. 112 votes.

4. (tie) Green Valley Drug Co.

, 1915 Hoover Court, Hoover. 102 votes.

4. (tie) Hamburger Heaven

, five locations in the Birmingham area. 102 votes.

6. Flip Burger Boutique

, 220 Summit Blvd., Birmingham. 61 votes.

7. O'Carr's Restaurant

, three locations in the Birmingham area. 60 votes.

8. Johnny Rockets

, two locations in the Birmingham area. 55 votes.

9. Gilchrist Drug Co.

, 2805 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook. 30 votes.

10. G'Daddy's Burgers & Treats

, 405 Fieldstown Road, Gardendale. 19 votes.

From Arby's to Zaxby's, here, in alphabetical order, is the list of all 34 places readers nominated to be Birmingham's Greatest Shake:
>> Arby's, multiple locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Back Yard Burgers, two locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Bella Cucina, 611 Doug Baker Blvd., Birmingham.
>> Bernetti's IcecreamParlor, 2731 Moody Parkway, Moody.
>> BoHo Burgers, 3160 Cahaba Heights Road, Vestavia Hills.
>> Brannon's: A Public House, 1931 Third Ave. North, Birmingham.
>> Bruster's Real Ice Cream, three locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Chick-fil-A, 18 locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Cold Stone Creamery, three locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Dairy Queen, 11 locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Davis Drug Co., 111 South Main St., Columbiana.
>> Donut Depot and Deli, 4781 Alabama 25, Montevallo.
>> Doodles Cajun Cuisine, 1415 Decatur Highway, Fultondale.
>> Eclipse Coffee & Books, 1032 Main St., Montevallo.
>> Edgewood Creamery, 936 Oxmoor Road, Homewood.
>> Flip Burger Boutique, 220 Summit Blvd., Birmingham.
>> Frosty Mug Drive-In, County Highway 22, Cordova.
>> G'Daddy's Burgers & Treats, 405 Fieldstown Road, Gardendale.
>> Gilchrist Drug Co., 2805 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook.
>> Green Valley Drug Co., 1915 Hoover Court, Hoover.
>> Hamburger Heaven, five locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Hardee's, 10 locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Harry's Place, 1837 Montgomery Highway, Hoover.
>> Heaton Pecan Farm, 309 Sunrise Blvd., Clanton.
>> Jack's, multiple locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Johnny Rockets, two locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Magic Burger, 915 Cleveland Ave., Attalla.
>> Mountain Brook Creamery, 2715 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook.
>> O'Carr's Restaurants, three locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Peach Park, 2300 Seventh St. South, Clanton.
>> Sonic Drive-In, multiple locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Three Earred Rabbit, 209 Main St., Trussville.
>> Whataburger, seven locations in the Birmingham area.
>> Zaxby's, 20 locations in the Birmingham area.

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