As we get ready to celebrate Memorial Day in the most unorthodox style, convenience is of the essence, and canned cocktails continue arriving in the market. Here are four new lines to keep you cool as you kick off summer in the comfort of your own quarantined home, and don’t forget to raise a can to the fallen heroes which we commemorate on this day.
Oregon’s Rogue Distillery has released four tasty cocktails made with their own line of spirits.
Rogue Distillery
Rogue Canned Cocktails
Rogue Ales & Spirits, one of the first craft breweries and distilleries in Oregon, expanded its product offering with the national launch of a sparkling canned cocktail line, featuring Grapefruit Vodka Soda, Cucumber Lime Gin Fizz, Cranberry Elderflower Vodka Soda, Ginger Lime Vodka Mule.
Inspired by the most popular cocktails at the Rogue pubs, all flavors are gluten free, made with Rogue Spirits and ingredients grown on the company’s farms in Independence, Oregon. “These drinks were crafted for life on-the go, but they are also the perfect beverage for sheltering in place,” says Hagen Moore, Rogue’s VP of Marketing & Creative. “Want a bar-quality cocktail without going to the bar? Crack open one of our canned cocktails for a delicious drink in a matter of seconds.” I found them even better poured over ice.
A variety pack is available for convenience, and since the law in Oregon has changed due to the coronavirus lockdown, Rogue is now allowed to deliver spirits including the canned cocktails, and they offer free delivery in Portland and surrounding suburbs.
Greenbar Distillery added these highball line to their already popular canned spritzes.
SHANE LOPES
Greenbar Highballs and Bitters & Soda
Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles’ first distillery since Prohibition and maker of the world’s largest portfolio of organic spirits, introduced two new lines of canned craft cocktails this spring, expanding on their existing line of spritzes. The new highball line includes Single Malt Whiskey+Soda, Coastal Rum+Cola, and City Gin+Tonic and two non-alcoholic bitters & sodas, Lavender Bitters+Soda Orange Bitters+Soda available now at retail stores in 20 states, with broader availability planned for late summer.
Greenbar Distillery used its USDA certified organic spirits and bitters, along with their long history of working with bartenders, to develop these cocktails. “If done right, canned cocktails can finally deliver on the revolution that mixologists started in the early 2000s by letting everyone drink better,” says Melkon Khosrovian, co-founder and spirits maker. Poured over ice and garnished you will swear they were made by a professional.
The new cocktails come in 12oz 4-packs with SRPs of $14.99 for the highballs and $9.99 for the non-alcoholic bitters and sodas, and you can feel good about doing your part to help the planet since Greenbar plants a tree for every case of canned cocktails and bottle of spirits sold. To date, the company has planted more than 840,000 trees.
Pulp Culture cocktails serve different purposes and display all ingredients prominently on the can.
Abildgaard Photography
Pulp Culture
These L.A. based cocktails, created by Mark McTavish of 101 Cider House and Brendan Brazier, founder of Vega, promise to deliver a better-for-you buzz and no hangover. But do they taste good? Similar to kombucha, Pulp Culture canned cocktails combine 100% raw, fresh juice, naturally fermented over three months, with nutrient-dense super fruits and immunity boosting botanical adaptogens. The resulting beverages, clocking in at 4.9% ABV, are bone dry, have zero sugar and additives and boast 6 billion naturally occurring probiotics and B vitamins.
“When wild fermented beverages are enjoyed mindfully and in their natural form, they deliver the best buzz on the planet,” says McTavish. “Beyond the alcohol itself, you’re getting the full spectrum of active components that combine to create a coveted “entourage effect.” Until now, consumers have had limited or no access to this category of full spectrum alcoholic drinks, aside from making them at home.”
The four blends are function-first formulas designed for a specific purpose – Think, Hustle, Restore and Relax – and include natural ingredients to produce different effects on your body. Like kombucha, these cocktails are raw, with live cultures rich in probiotics, a bright acidity and refreshing fizz. But they are different in that they are spontaneously fermented with no added yeast or sugar, no added sweeteners such as stevia or erythritol, and are shelf stable – no refrigeration required.
Lone River Ranch Water is a brand new competitor in the abundant hard selzer category.
Travis Hallmark
Lone River Ranch Water
Newly founded Lone River Beverage Company just launched an 80-calorie hard seltzer that is a twist on the classic Ranch Water cocktail. While the true origins of ranch water cannot be traced, legend has it that a Far West Texas rancher first concocted the lime tinged, boozy sparkling cocktail in the 1960s.
“We’ve been drinking ranch water on our family’s ranch in Far West Texas for as long as I can remember,” says Katie Beal Brown, founder and CEO. “We canned this drink to celebrate the roots of the legend and our own heritage as a family who settled here generations ago.” Canned at a sessionable 4% ABV, Lone River Ranch Water is a blend of highly carbonated seltzer water, 100% organic agave, natural lime juice and gluten free alcohol base.
Six packs are available statewide at major retailers and independent stores in Texas and Tennessee, and they are looking to expand into other markets for July and August. The portfolio will also expand later this summer with the addition of Ranch Water Spicy and Ranch Water Rio Red Grapefruit.