Tag Archives: ready to drink

Booze News Weekly

Booze News Weekly / December 30, 2015 / No Comments.

Do you ever find yourself getting bored with your go-to booze? When you’ve grown tired of that mundane drink order, we’ll be here to walk you through what’s new and noteworthy this week:

Sky-High Brews
Wheter you love to fly, or there are fewer things you have more than strapping yourself into a metal death capsule, there’s one thing that always makes your flying experience better: booze. For some reason, tossing back a cold one at 36,00 feet has a certain magic to it. Well, now you can make sure your beer preferences won’t be neglected with Travel Pulse’s new ranking of airlines based on their beer selection. Coming in at number 1 is Delta Air Lines, while the worst is Spirit Airlines.

Own Your Whiskey
Have you been craving a more hands-on experience with your whiskey? But you don’t really know where to start? WELL, Whiskey Lab may be perfect for you. This new, miniature container is not a rapid-aging product, but instead a mimc of the traditional barrel again process. With several different wood options and a bulb feature to let you watch the coloration, we can only begin to imagine the possibilities with this one.

A Pretty Penny
British distiller William Lowe has released a new record breaking spirit by the name of Watenshi Gin, meaning “The Japanese Angel.” It’s not the contents, nor the design that is shattering trophies, no; it’s the price. Coming in at £2000 (just shy of $2200 USD), this gin is the most expensive on the market. Why? Well, Lowe, the owner of the homegrown Cambridge Distillery, reserved 15 mL of evaporated gin from hundreds of batches of his award-winning Japanese Gin to cobble together this elite version. It’s best enjoyed neat in one of the two glasses that come with the purchase.

An Eastern Twist
The vodka known for its beautifully painted bottles has added another variation to its collection: Absolut India. The limited edition mango & pepper flavored vodka acquired its artwork after Absolut crowd sourced designs from artists all over India. Then, artist Shaheen Baig combined them into the stunning final product. No word on if the vodka will be available stateside, but we’d love to get out hands on a bottle.

Don’t Mess With Texas
The family owned, ready-to-drink cocktail company, Austin Cocktails, has added to their family of drinks. Their two new flavors, Fred’s Ruby Red Cocktail and Bergamot Orange Margarita make a total of 5 offerings from the two year old business, co-founded by Jill Burns and Kelly Gasink. The drinks use only 5x distilled vodka and premium tequila to create their yummy dispositions. Cheers!

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Booze News Weekly

Booze News Weekly / March 25, 2015 / No Comments.

Do you ever find yourself getting bored with your go-to booze? When you’ve grown tired of that mundane drink order, we’ll be here to walk you through what’s new and noteworthy this week:

It’s (pre-mixed) Margarita Time – Celeb chef Sandra Lee recently launched a line of bottled margaritas, celebrating her coined catchphrase, “It’s cocktail time!”—and it really is. The ready-to-drink margs come in two flavors; Key Lime and Strawberry, each made from real fruit, sugar, tequila and triple sec. Talk about a real bang for your buck.

Hornitos Spiced Honey – Featuring 100% blue agave, this tasty tequila brand has infused their classic liquor with a natural honey flavor and a special spice blend to create a tangy new flavor. Mix it with lemonade or your favorite soda for sweet and spicy kick.

The Spring/Summer Shandy – Providence, Rhode Island’s Narragansett Beer announced this week that they will releases two of their seasonal blends—Narragansett Del’s Shandy and Narragansett Summer Ale—earlier this year. For us northerners, this is excellent news because we are so sick of winter we might as well skip spring all together and celebrate summer.

Off to the Races – Bourbon giant Old Forester released a ready-to-serve Mint Julep cocktail just in time for spring. Sold in a commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle, the 60-proof pre-mixed cocktail is made with Old Forester Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; all you need is a silver cup of crushed ice and you’ll be set for the races.

Strong Bow Cider’s 2 New Flavors – To extend its “Cider At Its Bestest” campaign, Heineken USA’s Strongbow cider brand is adding two new flavors to their portfolio, Strongbow Red Berries and Strongbow Ginger. The pair will make their debut in the company’s new 12-bottle variety pack along with Strongbow’s existing flavors, Gold Apple and Honey.

Burnett’s Fruity Flavored Vodka – The well-known vodka brand introduced two additions to its already diverse group of flavors—Cherry Limeade & Apple Berry. The fun new flavors will be found on shelves starting early this April and can be purchased in four different sizes (depending on how hard you’re trying to party).

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Malibu Pops The Cork On The Bubbly World

Our Stories / February 3, 2014 / No Comments.

Malibu is encroaching on the sparkling wine world with their first bottle of bubbly. The Malibu Rum Sparkler debuted last week as the brand’s newest sparkling rum creation.

The new innovation is a fruity mix of Malibu rum and coconut water that has been infused with bubbles. Stick a cork in the bottle and you have Malibu Rum Sparklers. Bottled at 11% ABV, the sparklers will be available in Coconut and Peach flavors for $16.99 a piece. No word yet on whether new flavors are still to come but we have a feeling this is only the beginning for Malibu Sparklers.

So would you buy a sparkling rum drink in a bottle? Bubbly cocktails and spritzers are having quite the moment right now – mostly because they’re so easy to make. Though we would prefer a fresh sparkling rum cocktail, we’re willing to give Malibu Sparklers a try. Our only hang up: we wish the sparkling component was something boozy (like Champagne or Prosecco) rather than just bubbly water.

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Tequila. Straight Up, Extra Dirty

Our Stories / August 26, 2013 / 1 Comment.

It all started as a mixed drink in a restaurant in Arizona. George Duerr spent years experimenting with different recipes before creating his signature tequila cocktail. Customers loved it so Duerr decided to bottle it. Wouldn’t you?

But this isn’t your typical margarita or Bloody Mary. Duerr’s concoction of tequila, pineapple juice, cinnamon and other secret flavors has earned the name Dirty Tequila. The drink starts as blue agave silver tequila and with the addition of the flavors plus agave nectar, you have a sweet but smooth tequila drink. Duerr suggests drinking it chilled neat, on the rocks or adding it to your favorite tequila cocktail to give it an extra kick.

Right now, Dirty Tequila is available in Arizona, California, Nevada and Colorado at $19.99 (750 ml). Next up: Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas. They hope to keep going until they reach the rest of the U.S. We can’t decide if we would drink this straight, but it would probably make a good addition to a cocktail.

How would you drink Dirty Tequila?

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Bottled Cocktails by the Bartender of the Year

Cocktails / August 18, 2013 / No Comments.

Margaritas in a bottle, cosmos in a can, or daiquiris in a pouch, we’ve seen it all. Usually they’re full of sugar, lack flavor and taste nothing like the cocktails we love. Ready-to-drink options are nothing compared to the drinks that we order at our favorite bars but Charles Joly might be getting closer to the real thing.

The famed bartender teamed up with friend and nightlife veteran, Matt Lindner, and created Crafthouse Cocktails. For years the pair fielded requests from patrons about drink recipes and how to recreate the cocktails they ordered in bars. Joly knew there was a need for a premium ready-to-drink option and so he set out to make one, and ended up with three. Crafthouse Cocktails debuted in Chicago at the end of July with two flavors: Moscow Mule and Southside. A Paloma option will follow next month. The cocktails are served in 750 ml bottles, much bigger than your typical ready-to-drink options.

So what else makes these different from the sticky, sickeningly sweet ones that are out there now? Recently named American Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail, Joly made sure that every ingredient going into the Crafthouse bottles was something he would use at his own bar. No fake syrups, no cheap alcohol. The Moscow Mule, for example, features vodka from a small distillery in upstate New York with real lime juice and homemade ginger beer. Sounds like something you would get behind a bar, not in a bottle.

Crafthouse will stay in Chicago for now. Joly and Lindner hope to expand nationally once popularity increases. The $20 bottles have about six cocktails in them and have a snap top closure to keep ingredients fresh. Compared to a six-pack of premixed cocktails (about $7.99) they’re on the pricey side but when you’re paying $12 for a Paloma at a bar, they’re worth it.

If you’re looking for something easy to serve at your next party but still want the quality of a classic cocktail, we suggest Crafthouse. We haven’t tried them yet but these might be the ready-to-drink cocktails that make their way onto our shelves.

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How Much Alcohol is in a BuzzBallz (Alcohol Ball Drink)?

Cocktails / July 5, 2013 / 12 Comments.

We’ve seen our fair share of ready-to-drink beverages, but Buzzballz are a breed of their own. The boozy balls are by far the most bizarre premixed cocktail to hit liquor store shelves.

A former high school teacher created the brand back in 2008. They’re small, ball shaped containers filled with a lot of booze. Recently, they’ve had a bit more time in the limelight—winning awards and distribution across the country. So what’s all the buzz about? Here’s what you need to know:

Buzzballz are 20% ABV. A lot of alcohol for such a little ball.
The ballz come in several different flavors including Stiff Lemonade, Strawberry Rum Job, Limey Bastard and Red Hot Morning Shot. Yes, we’re aware of how ridiculous those are.
They’re made using 100% real juice and natural flavors, which is a refreshing change from the norm.
You can buy them “by the ball” ($3.99/ball) or in a mix & match 24 pack.
Not only are they unbreakable and recyclable, Buzzballz are floatable. Aka they’re the perfect accessories for whatever beach or pool you’re spending the weekend at.
If you’re not into the hard stuff, you can try Tropic Chillerz, the wine and fruit juice version of Buzzballz.

These aren’t the classiest drink you’ll ever have, but we bet you’ll drink them anyways. So grab some Buzzballz, hop in the pool and buzz responsibly.

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Best Bottled Sangrias

Our Stories / June 26, 2013 / 16 Comments.

If Forrest Gump were a fan of drinking, he would probably say “summer and sangria go together like peas and carrots.” Seriously, it’s not summer until you make a pitcher of some fruity sangria goodness to enjoy on your back porch. Making sangria from scratch is always interesting, but sometimes you want to enjoy a glass or two with minimal effort. That’s when you need to grab a bottle of sangria from the fridge and throw some chunks of fruit in your glass.

If you’re looking for a good bottled sangria to buy, here are some of our favorites:

Pomagria

Pomegranates are awesome, but we don’t always think to use them in sangria. This bottle of ready-made sangria combines pomegranate juice, grape wine, orange wine and other natural flavors.

Senor Sangria

This sangria was created by a husband/wife team that used to be known in social circles for bringing awesome homemade sangria to parties. They offer a red version and a white version, but all are equally fresh and delicious.

Real Sangria

There’s a reason why this product is called Real Sangria – it’s imported to the U.S. from Spain, home of “real” sangria. Their sangria is light-bodied and produced from fine Spanish red wine and a blend of natural citrus fruit flavors. It is mostly made from the Tempranillo and Garnacha grape varieties, which are grown in the hills of La Mancha, Valencia, Alicante, and Rioja regions of Spain.

Madria Sangria

Madria Sangria comes in two flavor varieties: Traditional and Moscato. The Traditional is ruby red and has all natural citrus flavors of orange, lemon and lime. The Moscato is more tropical and has a blend of Moscato wine with hints of orange, peach and apple. In addition to being in larger bottles, they also make smaller bottles for a personal serving size.

Please Note: This article was originally published on 6/26/13 and updated on 2/13/23.

Myx Fusions & Nicki Minaj, A Love Story

Our Stories / June 15, 2013 / 1 Comment.

The latest ready-to-drink beverage has debuted and this time wine is the alcohol of choice. Myx Fusions is new to the scene and their serving up a moscato wine cooler.

The single serve moscato bottles are fruit infused and come in three different flavors: Original Moscato, Peach Moscato and Coconut Moscato. No need to keep reading if you’re not into Moscato, and our teeth hurt just thinking about it. They come in 6.3 oz. bottles with screw cap tops, so obviously very classy. They’re currently sold in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Las Vegas but have plans to roll out nationally soon.

The real kicker is that Nicki Minaj is the new face of their brand. This is giving us a pretty good image of what Myx wants to be… out of control, ridiculous and unpredictable come to mind, Bold move Myx, we’ll see how it works out for you.

Free Stuff People Sent Us That We May or May Not Like. Round XXVII.

Our Stories / June 6, 2013 / 1 Comment.

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We love competition here at DIA. So when SmarteRita told us they were going to send us a bottle of their own booze and a bottle of Skinnygirl, it was music to our ears.

SmarteRita is a low-cal, ready-to-drink margarita. At only 100 calories per serving, they claim to be the “smarter” choice. Aka smarter than Skinnygirl. To make things fair, we set up a blind tasting and had our DIA marg experts try both.

At first glance, Skinnygirl won us over with their fun, sexy bottle and classic design. The SmarteRita was a little tacky for us; it reminded us of a diet juice bottle we would buy in the grocery store (and only if it was on sale).

Looks can be deceiving. SmarteRita has a crisp, refreshing lime flavor. It was light and sweet, like an authentic margarita should be. The Skinnygirl on the other hand was salty and bitter. It tasted like someone poured a margarita, extra salt included, into a bottle and called it a day.

Needless to say, six out of our eight DIA tasters chose SmarteRita over Skinnygirl in the blind tasting.

Here’s the real kicker though. Both ready to drink cocktails are about 12.5% ABV with 100 calories per serving. But Skinnygirl is $17.99 a bottle and SmarteRita is only $12.99.

Have you tried SmarteRita or Skinnygirl? Taste them against each other and let us know which one you chose. We’re picking SmarteRita for sure.

Busted: Slim Lizzy’s Ready To Drink Cocktails

Our Stories / June 3, 2013 / No Comments.

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Big surprise: there’s another low-cal ready to drink cocktail option on the market. But this time, the cocktails aren’t just cutting the calories. They’re ripping you off.

Slim Lizzy’s Cocktails are all about lowering the alcohol content in their premixed cocktails. They’ve introduced three ready to drink cocktails (Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri and Cosmo) that target women who don’t want to overindulge but still like to enjoy a cocktail. Talk about a stereotype. We are not advocating over-indulgence, but assuming that women cannot monitor how much they drink and control themselves seems outrageous.

Instead Slim Lizzy’s is “solving” this with a 45 calorie per 4.5 oz (half a cup) and 5% ABV cocktail, essentially the same alcohol content as a beer. The drinks will be available in frozen pouches ($1.99) and 750ml bottles ($9.99).

For all of you that don’t feel like doing the math (we don’t blame you), here’s what we realized. A 750 ml bottle is about the size (and amount of alcohol) as two bottles of beer. Do you really want to pay $9.99 for that?

If low-cal beverages are your thing, and you’re trying to waste money, then go ahead, try Slim Lizzy’s. But be forewarned, it’s a bust. You’re better off mixing your own cocktail with as much alcohol as you want.

If anyone has tried it please let us know what you think in the comments.