These Hard Seltzers Taste Just Like Classic Cocktails—No Fancy Mixers Required
If you struggle to decide between White Claw or fancy cocktail for your happy hour drink of choice, we have news that will make that hour even happier: You don't have to decide between the two anymore.
This week, Anheuser-Busch launched a three-flavor line of Social Club Seltzers. Each one tastes like a different classic cocktail—just with zero shaking, stirring or additional ingredients required. The only effort needed will be pulling the tab back to crack open the 12-ounce, 150-calorie can. (BTW, that calorie count is about equivalent to the level in the mixed drinks these mimic.)
According to a press release from parent brand Anheuser-Busch, the three flavors currently available include:
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Old Fashioned, with a mix of blood orange, warm spices and smoky oak flavors
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Sidecar, featuring stone fruit and fresh lemon notes
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Citrus Gimlet, which blends bright citrus and juniper
Designed to be more "sessionable" (AKA you can drink more than one throughout the evening without waking up with a pounding headache the next day), these hard seltzers contain 7% alcohol. That makes them fall on the higher-booze range of typical spiked sparkling water, and about on par with hard kombucha. Considering the typical traditional cocktail has about 20% or more ABV, per the National Institutes of Health, you'll definitely feel the difference tomorrow.
The Social Club Seltzers combine a couple buzzy trends in one: Spiked sparkling water and ready-to-drink cocktails, which 55% of consumers are turning to for ease of enjoyment when no mixologists are nearby (like during quarantine when bars are closed), according to 2019 Nielsen research.
They're available at select Walmart and Safeway locations, and can also be ordered on Drizly in certain parts of the country. If you can't find them near you or prefer to brush up on your home mixology skills, we've got you covered with our DIY recipes for a 5-minute Old Fashioned Cocktail, a refreshing Sagey Gin Gimlet and a well-balanced Tangerine Bourbon Sidecar. Just maybe stick to one serving per night!