Well, well, well. Another Memorial Day Weekend has rolled around and we’re so ready for warm-weather vacation season.
Even though it’s not officially summer yet, the three-day weekend kicks off the summer season for most of us.
That means an extra day for brunching, an extra day to sleep in and an extra day to drink frosty beverages!
As you can imagine, we get sent a lot of products to test out and in the past weeks we’ve been treated to samples of several new or otherwise noteworthy cocktail concoctions, so we figured we’d share with you our three favorites as inspiration for your cocktailing, picnicking, music-festing and splish-splashing needs all summer long.
We narrowed down our list to two canned creations we think you’ll love, as well as a new boozy ice pop that’ll give you a nice buzz to go with your brain freeze.
Cheers to the weekend, cheers to summer and cheers to beverage companies making our lives easier and boozier.
For a canned cocktail fit for a queen, check out New York’s QNSY (pronounced Queensy in honor of the home borough of the husband-and-wife founders). Available in three flavors (Cosmo, Lovely Rita and Mojito), you’ll never know they’re not made with hard spirits. Each is made with real fruit juice and pure cane sugar, but the sweetness is counter-balanced by a low 5% ABV and 150 calories per 12-ounce serving. Our favorite is the Lovely Rita over lots of ice. And maybe a tiny umbrella or two.
$18.99 per 4-pack shipped from Half Time Beverage
Why should kids have all the fun sucking on long cylinders of fruity flavored ice? We’ve tried a lot of boozy pops in our time, but Cooloo really delivers a kick through real spirits, including rum, tequila, gin and vodka. Flavors include Mai Tai, Piña Colada, Paloma, Gin & Tonic and Cosmo. They’re great right out of the freezer, but if you’re shy about deep-throating a tasty tube in front of others, you can also serve them over ice right out of the refrigerator or freezer. We fell in love with the Gin & Tonic because it’s a little less sweet than the rest (balanced by the bitterness of the quinine). But all flavors are only 5% ABV and a mere 110 calories a pop, so even if you like things sweeter you won’t be overdoing it.
$18.99-$23.99 per 12-pack, available at several local liquor stores
Ranch Water has become our go-to in restaurants and bars these days (when we’re in a margarita mood and don’t want all the syrupy sweetness), so we were pleasantly surprised at the first sip of Modelo Ranch Water, now available in Texas and select Ranch Water-loving states. (It’s so exclusive, they don’t even promote it on the Modelo website lest someone in, oh, Alaska gets jealous. Even though there’s no tequila whatsoever in these cans, the hint of agave tricks our taste buds into thinking it’s the real stuff. These aren’t as sweet as some other canned Ranch Waters we’ve tried and at only 4.5% ABV and a really low 100 calories per 12-ounce can, we can really feel good about polishing off an entire six-pack over a few hours for way less booze and calories than a single margarita most places.
$9.99 per six-pack, available locally via Drizly and in beer, wine and liquor stores citywide.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Happy Summer and Happy Almost Pride Month!
