No matter what the weather is like, we keep chilled canned drinks on hand. Here are some drinks that are great now, and they’ll be even more welcome when we’re enjoying our backyards and porches again.
Organic Spritz cocktails from Miami Cocktail Co.
Spritz cocktails are popular, because they’re light and refreshing. They’re also just plain fun to drink. We tried the five canned organic Spritz cocktails from Miami Cocktail Co., based in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. What could be easier to enjoy than a cocktail in a can? These cocktails are made with no added sugar, and end up at about 4.2 percent alcohol. Our testers’ top three favorites were the Paloma Spritz, made with agave wine, grapefruit, hibiscus and ginger; the Mimosa Spritz, with a combination of rosé, orange and tangerine juices; and the Bellini Spritz, the favorite, with its combination of rosé, peach and mango juices.
$12.99 per pack of four 250-milliliter cans. Available at Greens Discount Beverage, Sam’s Club and Bennett’s Market, or at miamicocktail.com.
Credit: Daniel Lee
Credit: Daniel Lee
Tremolo nitro coffee from Radio Roasters and Wild Heaven
If you’re a fan of cold coffee, you need to try Tremolo nitro coffee. We think you’ll find it’s more flavorful than cold brew, because it’s brewed hot, then flash-chilled, so the flavor is closer to the hot-coffee experience. Tremolo is the product of a marriage between Decatur-based Radio Roasters and Avondale Estates-based Wild Heaven Beer. Radio Roasters sources and roasts the coffee (a blend of Colombian and Ethiopian beans), then Wild Heaven brews and flash chills it, and infuses it with nitrogen during canning. Nitrogen gives the coffee a creamy mouthfeel and generates a cascade of tiny bubbles that settle into a rich head of foam. The can instructs you to “pour vigorously” to get the full effect — that means pouring the coffee at a 45-degree angle into the glass until the can is about half empty, then shifting the can to directly over the glass. Those tiny bubbles have lots of staying power; they are evident even an hour after the glass is poured. But, you won’t let this coffee sit around that long.
$15.99 per four-pack. Available at Radio Roasters, 2969 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-228-6873. Also, on draft at Wild Heaven, 135 Maple St., Avondale Estates. 404-997-8589. And online at radioroasters.com.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Hibiscus ginger beer from Q Mixers
Can a beverage be smooth and biting at the same time? It must be possible, because that’s exactly what our samplers said when they took a sip of Q Mixers’ hibiscus ginger beer. Ginger beer always has been one of our favorites, but Q Mixers added hibiscus and rose hips to the classic recipe. The result is a sparkling, gorgeous, deep pink beverage. As you sip, it starts out smooth, and just a bit floral, and, then, when you finish, you get that classic bite of fresh ginger. Refreshing on its own, it’s ready to replace aperol in a nonalcoholic spritz, or to mix into a classic Moscow mule. Q Mixers offers a recipe for a spring breeze — made with tequila, Campari and fresh lime juice — that we can’t wait to try.
$3.99 per pack of four 7.5-ounce cans. Available at Publix and Amazon. For information, visit qmixers.com.
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