Canned Beverages To Tote On Your Summer Hikes
Quench your thirst during fresh-air pursuits with these 11 packable potables.
Before you don your cargo shorts, lace up your Timberlands, pack up some jerky, and update your favorite trail app, think about what you want to sip while you saunter around in the great outdoors. The ready-to-drink category is as exciting as ever, with cocktails, wines and spritzes packaged in lightweight, non-breakable cans that will easily go where you do. What’s more, many tout moderate ABV levels that will safely accompany you on that extra mile (or five). Load up the cooler and pop the top on these summer quaffers:
Square One Organic Cocktails
Founder Allison Evanow is one of the pioneers of the organic spirits movement, and now she and her team have taken some of their favorite full-strength cocktails made with their products and canned them at half the ABV (7.5%). The brand new line uses all organic ingredients: Square One’s organic vodka, real juice, botanical extracts and no artificial preservatives. "Our consumer wants a light but complex tasting cocktail, not a hard seltzer with one flavor, and certainly not a flimsy diet version of an original," said Evanow in a statement. The new line of lightly-carbonated drinks comes in Pear of Roses which also has hints of lavender, rosemary and lemon; Basil Berry Fizz with basil, strawberry and lemon; Mediterranean Pearl, a complex combination of bergamot, orange, pomegranate, coriander, star anise and lime; and Cucumber Therapy, a refreshing blend of cucumber, rose, ginger and lime. They are being rolled out first in California and then the rest of the U.S. throughout the summer. (4-pack/$19.99).
Rogue Canned Cocktails
The Oregon producer—the U.S.’s only farmer-brewer-distiller-cooper—is getting into the RTD game with a new line of 100% natural, gluten-free, bar quality canned cocktails. “These drinks were crafted for life on-the go, but they are also the perfect beverage for sheltering in place,” said Hagen Moore, vice-president of marketing and creative, in a statement. The four flavors, which have 7% ABV, were inspired by the most popular libations in Rogue pubs: Cucumber Lime Gin Fizz, Cranberry Elderflower Vodka Soda, Ginger Lime Vodka Mule and Grapefruit Vodka Soda. (4-pack/$14.95; 8-can variety pack/$19.95.)
Cutwater Spirits Canned Cocktails
The San Diego distillery, whose products have consistently won top medals in the NY International Spirits Competition, has released more than 18 canned cocktail classics using its portfolio of craft gin, whiskey, bourbon, vodka, rum, and tequila. Co-founder and master distiller Yusett Cherney originally launched them to take along during his two favorite pastimes: fishing and hiking. On the lower ABV side, Cucumber Vodka Soda (5% ABV) also has the refreshing flavor of grapefruit; Rum & Ginger (7% ABV) blends white rum and spicy ginger beer; Whiskey Lemon Tea (7% ABV) mingles bourbon with herbal tea and sweet citrus; and Tequila Paloma (7% ABV) has a floral aroma and a smooth finish. (4-pack/$9.99-$12.99.)
Novo Fogo Sparkling Caipirinha
Brazil’s national cocktail, a combination of lime, sugar and cachaça, gets a carbonated twist in these three versions from Novo Fogo. Fresh, shelf-stable and made with 100% natural ingredients, the libations come in original Lime as well as Passionfruit and Mango. You can enjoy them right from the can or on the rocks in a tumbler with or without a slice of lime, and they range from 8.2% to 8.5% ABV. (4-pack/$15.99).
HOXIE Spritzer
America’s first top shelf dry wine spritzer is vegan, gluten-free, boasts just 90 calories per can, a moderate ABV of just 5%, and contains all-natural ingredients including seasonal fruit and muddled herbs. Creator Josh Rosenstein wanted to modernize the spritz; the result is a sessionable bevvy perfect for day drinking. HOXIE comes in four flavors: Grapefruit Elderflower (made with chardonnay), Lemon Ginger Rosé (with chardonnay and mourvèdre), Peach Blossom Blush (with chardonnay and mourvèdre) and Cold Cola Rouge (with chambourcin that’s undergone carbonic maceration for extra fruitiness.) (8-cans/$28).
Greenbar Distillery Canned Highballs and Canned Spritz
Los Angeles’ first distillery since Prohibition, which also has the world’s largest portfolio of organic spirits, offers three canned highballs and three spritzes. Developed with bartenders and made with USDA-certified organic spirits and bitters, they are perfect for on-the-go summer fun. On the Highball side is Single Malt Whiskey + Soda (7% ABV) made with three-year-old single malt, ginger liqueur and apple bitters; Coastal Rum +Cola (7% ABV) with silver and spiced rums and house-made cola; and body and spicy City Gin + Tonic (8% ABV). The Spritzes, all at 6% ABV, come in zesty and fresh Orange, lush and tangy Hibiscus and bright and spicy Ginger. What’s more, for every case of canned cocktails sold Greenbar plants a tree. (4-pack/$14.99.)
Five Drinks Co. Canned Cocktails
Made with just five ingredients as the name suggests, this line of canned sips from the Miami producer is ready to go wherever you are. Watermelon Vodka Soda (5.9% ABV) is sweetened with monk fruit and also has lime and basil water; their Paloma (9% ABV) is sprinkled with salt to make it extra mouthwatering; a traditional Moscow Mule (9% ABV) gets a dash of the tropics with the addition of tamarind and coconut water; a Mojio (9% ABV) has tangy passionfruit; habanero and hibiscus give the Margarita (10% ABV floral spice; and the Gin & Tonic (11% ABV) is true to the original with nothing more than gin, tonic and lime. (4-pack/$9.99)
Espritza Sparkling White and Rosé Wine
ALDI devotees: if your location of the beloved German-based grocery chain sells alcohol, you’ll want to snag a few six-packs of these seasonal wallet-friendly canned wines just released this spring. The fruity Italian white is refreshing and lively with notes of lemon zest and vibrant acidity, while the pink version (also from Italy) has fruity notes of strawberry and raspberry and juicy acidity; each is 10% ABV. (4-pack/$4.99).
Backpack Wines
Founder Jim Doehring launched this wine brand whose expressions hail from Washington State vineyards for “anyone who wants to enjoy wine wherever life takes them,” be it the beach or pool or hiking or biking trail. Bubbly Rosé (11.5% ABV) is made with 100% syrah sourced from the Columbia Gorge and shows notes of strawberry and rose petal, while Cheeky Rosé (11.5% ABV), also made with syrah, is drier. Rowdy Red (12.5% ABV) blends merlot and syrah with dark cherry aromas and smooth flavors of black cherry, plum and subtle spicy. Snappy White (11.5% ABV) is a chardonnay with a touch of sweetness and hints of green apple and Asian pear. (4-pack/$10).
Bev
The Los Angeles-based beverage company that strives to foster a more inclusive drinking culture offers three dry wines crafted in Sonoma. Blanc (11% ABV) has notes of green apple, white nectarine and citrus; Rosé (11.9% ABV) smells and tastes of raspberries, strawberries and white peach; and Gris (11% ABV) is reminiscent of elderflower, pear and grapefruit. Founder Alix Peabody has also established a #ServeOurServers Relief Fund that accepts online donations; they also matched the first $3K in donations and will be donating 100% of all online sales to the fund. (8-pack/$49, $39 via bev club.)
Lifted Libations
This line of canned drinks uses only organic spirits, organic fruit extracts and pure Colorado water with no added sugar; they are also gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan and kosher. The brand focuses on vodka soda with four expressions, each with 5% ABV: Orange, Lime, Grapefruit and Currant. (4-pack/$24).
Tips for enjoying canned boozy beverages on the go:
You can obviously drink them straight out of the can, but to keep these beverages extra-cold especially during ambitious outings chill them in the cooler over ice on the way to your destination, then transfer them to an unbreakable Winesulator and tumblers from Brümate, which maintains the perfect temperature for up to 24 hours. Their Champagne flute keeps spritzes and carbonated cocktails extra fizzy, too.
To moderate the drinks’ ABV even more, consider pouring them over ice and adding a splash of club soda.
If you want to be extra crafty don’t forget the garnish! Take a few sips out of the can then add orange or grapefruit peel, a lemon or lime wedge, a cucumber slice, fresh strawberry or a mint sprig, depending on the flavor of the drink.