Review: Soma Hard Seltzer
Soma Hard Seltzer was released exclusively in Northern California June 2020. It is now available in the 32 states 21st Amendment distributes. It is made with purified water, Champagne yeast, alcohol from dextrose, and natural flavors sourced from Virginia Dare, a Brooklyn New York flavor extract company that opened in 1923. Soma is named for the South of Market District in San Francisco, home of the 21st Amendment Brewery’s 2nd Street Brewpub. 21st Amendment was opened in 2000 by Co-Founders Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan. Shaun is also the master brewer. 21st Amendment Brewery is best known for their fruit flavored beers including Hell or High Watermelon, Hell or High Pomegranate, Hell or High Water Mango, Moon Boots Strawberry IPA, and Brew Free of Die Blood Orange IPA. For six months they brewed small batches to get the flavors correct. Soma Hard Seltzer is currently available in a four flavor 12 can variety pack. The current lineup includes, Watermelon, Mango, Black Cherry, and Guava Passion Fruit. Each 12 ounce can weighs in with 4.6% alcohol, 100 calories, 2 Carbs, and 0 sugar grams. Read more 
Review: Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer
Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer was first released March 2016. It was created by three titans in the beverage universe. Sean Cusack Co-Founder of Waterloo Water, David Barnes Co-Founder of Waterloo Water and founder of Treaty Oak Distilling, and Clayton Christopher Founder of Sweet Leaf Tea, and Co-Founder of Deep Eddy Vodka. Since then they have had two reformulations of Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer. They also recently released a 12 can 4 flavor Tropical Variety Pack. Originally made with an orange wine alcohol base, Mighty Swell is now made from a cane sugar alcohol base. Mighty Swell was also originally made with 11% fruit juice. The current formula includes 2.5% white grape juice from concentrate. Read more
Review: Licor 43 Horchata
Licor 43 Horchata is one of two products made from a Licor 43 base. The other is Licor 43 Baristo which blends Licor 43 with Arabica coffee from the Canary Islands. Licor 43 is named for the 43 natural ingredients used in crafting it. Licor 43 was inspired by an ancient recipe dating back to 209 BC, and was a favorite drink of the Carthaginians. The Zamora family purchased a distillery in Cartagena Spain in 1946 and began production. Today Licor 43 is the best selling liqueur in Spain. In creating Licor 43, 43 natural ingredients are macerated in a blend of alcohol and water. The liqueur rests for 6-9 months in stainless steel tanks. The spirit is micro filtered at subzero temperatures prior to bottling at 62 proof. A creamy fusion of traditional horchata from Valencia Spain is blended with the Licor 43 base before bottling at 32 proof. Horchata from Spain is made from tiger nuts, blended with sugar and is sometimes flavored with cinnamon and lemon. Read more
Review: Corona Limonada
Corona Limonada was just released. It joins the growing list of hard seltzer lemonades that by my count now number seven brands. This is Corona’s third 12 can 4 flavor variety pack they have released in 14 months. It seems to be paying off as Corona is already the fourth best selling hard seltzer on the market today. Corona Limonada is made with carbonated water, alcohol from sugar, cane sugar, natural flavors, Mexican lime juice concentrate, citric acid, and lemon juice concentrate. Each 12 ounce slim can weighs in with 100 calories and 4.5% alcohol. Read more
Review: Two Lane Hard Seltzer
Two Lane Hard Seltzer was released March 2021. Two Lane American Golden Lager was also re-released. Two Lane is a collaboration between Country Music Star Luke Bryan and Constellation Brands. The beer was originally released February 2020, but production was paused September 2020 due to Covid. Two Lane Hard Seltzer and American Golden Lager are produced at Home Brew Mart in Daleville Virginia. This is the same brewery that makes Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer. Two Lane Hard Seltzer is made with water sourced from the Blue Ridge Mountains, alcohol from sugar, natural flavors, carbon dioxide, citric acid, and sucrose. Each 12 Oz. Slim Can weighs in with 110 calories, 4.5% Alcohol, 3 Sugar Grams and 4 Carbs. Read more
Review: Bumbu Creme
Bumbu Creme was recently released. It is made from the Original Bumbu Rum base that is distilled in small batches in Barbados and blended by hand from select sugarcane grown in eight countries including Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guyana, and Honduras. Once extracted the cane juice is fermented with a yeast strain that dates back to 1840. Bumbu is distilled using continuous stills and aged for up to 15 years in Grade A once used bourbon barrels. Native Caribbean Spices are blended with the rum. In crafting Bumbu Creme rich dairy cream is blended with the Bumbu Rum base before bottling at 30 proof. Read more
Review: Blind Pickle Hard Seltzer
Blind Pickle Hard Seltzer was recently released. If you were expecting Deep Ellum Brewing Company to play it safe in selecting their hard seltzer flavors you obviously haven’t tried their line of craft beer. While this is the worlds first Pickle flavored hard seltzer, there are already several pickle flavored vodka brands, including Deep Ellum Pickle Vodka. Pickle is one of five hard seltzers currently crafted by Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas Texas. The other flavors include Blind Lemon, Blind Lime, Blind Peach, and Blind Berry. Blind Lemon was the first hard seltzer they released in October 2019. It is named for blues legend Lemon Jefferson who began his career on the streets of the Deep Ellum Neighborhood. Each flavor is made with water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. Blind Pickle is the first of a rotating seltzer series of Limited Release hard seltzers planned at Deep Ellum. Read more
Review: Bacardi Tropical Rum
Bacardi Tropical Rum is the newest addition to Bacardi’s stable of flavored rum. That list currently includes Limon, Lime, Coconut, Dragonberry, Pineapple, Mango, and Raspberry. It is made from a molasses rum base. The molasses is fermented with Le Levadura, a single strain of proprietary yeast, for 30 hours in closed fermentation tanks. The fermented spirit is split. Some is column distilled. Some is beer distilled. Each is aged separately in charred American White oak bourbon barrels. Once mature the rums are blended and filtered through a mix of charcoal made from tropical woods and coconut shells. Natural flavors are blended before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Cigar City Seltzer
Cigar City Seltzer was launched February 2021. It is produced at Cigar City Brewery in Tampa Florida. Cigar City Brewery was founded by Tampa Native and fifth generation Floridian Joey Redner, and they began brewing beer in 2009. This brewery currently produces 180,000 barrels of beer annually. This is the equivalent of 2,000,000 cases of beer. Cigar City was acquired by Canarchy in 2016 at a cost of $60 million. Canarchy is a consortium of craft breweries that combined are now the 8th largest brewery in the US. This group includes Cigar City, Oskar Blues Brewery, Squatters Craft Beers, Wasatch Brewery, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Perrin Brewing Company, and Three Weavers. Not only does this group craft dozens of beers but several make their own hard seltzer. This includes Perrin Clear Coast, Oskar Blues Wild Basin, and Deep Ellum Blind Lemon. Cigar City Seltzer is made with water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. Each 12 oz. slim can weighs in with 100 calories 5% alcohol, 0 sugar and 1 carb. Read more
Review: Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary
Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary is one of three flavors in the new Grey Goose Essence product line. The other varieties include Strawberry & Lemongrass and Watermelon & Basil. Every couple of months a new brand releases their own 0 sugar botanical blend of infused vodka. Next month Belvedere will be releasing their Organic Infusions Vodka which will consist of Pear & Ginger, Lemon & Basil, and Blackberry & Lemongrass. Grey Goose Essences starts with the Grey Goose vodka base made from soft winter wheat and pristine spring water filtered through Champaign limestone in the Cognac region of France. Each Essences variety is infused with real fruit and botanical essences. Read more