US restaurant brand Sonic is taking to Facebook Live later today to observe National Iced Tea Month, celebrating its Frozen Sweet Tea flavours with hip-hop legend and actor Ice-T. The event builds on a campaign marketing the brand’s new beverage flavours, and a TV and digital video spot featuring a cameo by the rapper and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star.

Sonic, which operates 3,500 drive-in locations across the US serving approximately 3m customers every day, will host a Facebook Live event beginning at 10am PDT today, featuring Ice-T and a life-sized ice sculpture of the actor, created by Ice Illusions. As the sculpture melts, the actual microphone it is holding will drop, and the first 100 fans to comment following this will win a limited-edition cold-activated Ice-T t-shirt.

“The addition of Ice-T to our Two Guys Frozen Sweet Tea spot was the perfect combination to showcase an incredible drink with a winking sense of humour, especially during National Iced Team Month,” said Burke Morley, senior director of brand content at Sonic. “The creative, frozen-themed event showcases our twist on a classic favourite with new flavours and gives fans a fun way to engage with us on social media.”

“Sonic’s Frozen Sweet Tea is so unique that we wanted to make some noise around this one-of-a-kind drink in an irrevent, Sonic way,” said Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer of Goodby Silverstein & Partners, the creative agency behind the Facebook Live event. “This event demonstrates a new way to think of a drink that’s been around for over 100 years, and we can’t imagine a better spokesperson for it that Ice-T.”