Summertime spirits: Canned drinks keep getting better

Named for a sea beast of legend, Kraken’s rum is distilled from molasses, and includes 13 proprietary spices. Three Caribbean rum cocktails in 12-ounce tall cans, with 5% alcohol by volume, have been introduced this summer. Crack open a Kraken and cola, featuring balanced, toasty oak flavors and a citrusy finish; Kraken and ginger beer, with woodsy, spicy ginger and subtle tropical fruit flavors; and Kraken rum punch, with a tropical balance of pineapple, citrus and maraschino cherry. ($12.99 per four-pack, krakenrum.com)

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Picnic Brunch

Brunch anywhere with this line of wine-based, 5.5% ABV beverages, packaged in convenient, slim and endearing 12-ounce gingham-design cans. The line was created in 2017 when CEO Josh Meyers, his brother Matt and friend Chris Romanoski prepped drinks for a picnic in the park, and found the process a hassle. Their bloody Mary has earthy spice and rich tomato; the mimosa offers fizzy citrus bubbles; and the bellini is perfect for a Georgia picnic, with a mix of peach juice and sparkling wine. ($14.99 per four-pack, picnicbrunch.com)

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Zaddy’s

Zaddy’s new gin-based canned cocktails are low-sugar, low-alcohol, feature juice from Sonoma farms, and have fantastic flavor. The cocktails are cult classics that you normally don’t see in cans, including a corpse reviver, with deep citrus, fennel and nutmeg notes; the gin sonic, a lighter gin and tonic with a hint of mint and lime; and a gin fizz, with ginger and honey. The 12-ounce drinks have only 100 calories. ($24.92 per eight-pack, drinkzaddys.com)

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Tip Top

Tip Top’s drinks are worth savoring, for both the flavor and the alcohol punch, and the wee, adorable cans fit in a pocket, a purse and on that tiny shelf in your fridge. The new Summer Classics variety pack includes two each of their cans: the Prohibition-era bee’s knees, the margarita, the daiquiri and their stirred negroni. Each 100-milliliter drink is a mix of just a few ingredients, and all of them pair well with sunshine. ($39.99 per eight-pack, tiptopcocktail.com)

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Libby

These sustainably farmed, bubbled wines from Libby, launched this spring, have been injected with carbonation that enhances the flavor and aroma. The rosé blend is vibrant and dry, with strawberry, melon and cherry, while the white blend is lightly floral, with zesty bubbles and a hint of peach. The 75-calorie, gluten-free bubbled wines are 7%-8% ABV. ($44 per eight-pack, drinklibby.com)

Credit: Laurel Black

Credit: Laurel Black

Walker Brothers

Now available in Georgia, Nashville-based Walker Brothers’ kombucha appeals to craft beer lovers who might want a lighter option, or the drinker who wants fewer calories and good-for-the-gut probiotics. Made with organic ingredients, open fermented and unpasteurized, these drinks come in both high-gravity and nonalcoholic varieties. The high-gravity watermelon lime and blueberry juniper varieties both have the refreshing complexity of a sweet, tart and funky kombucha, and are rather refreshing. ($45 per 12-pack, drinkwalkerbrothers.com)

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Fabrizia Spirits

How about canned cocktails, Italian-style? Family-owned Fabrizia bases its ready-to-drink line on a small-batch, handcrafted limoncello, made with Sicilian lemons. The three varieties include Italian lemonade, which mixes limoncello with vodka; Italian margarita, which blends limoncello with premium tequila; and an Italian breeze, adding cranberry and raspberry juices to limoncello for a fruity blast. The 12-ounce drinks have 100 calories each and are about 7% ABV. ($39.99 per 24-can pack, fabriziaspirits.com)

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