Memorial Day is usually the kickoff to summer, and it’s such a good feeling to know that warm weather is sticking around for a while. I love that there are so many ways to take advantage of it here in Arkansas.
Whether you’re on the hiking trail, enjoying the lake, entertaining in your back yard or hanging out poolside, being outdoors between now and September means getting thirsty. Here are a few of my suggestions for refreshment to share this summer.
Ready to Drink
Cutwater Spirits makes summer cocktails easy breezy. The roster includes several takes on margaritas from lime to mango, and lots of other cocktail varieties. No muss, no fuss — just chill, open and enjoy.
If hard lemonade is your choice, give Monaco a sip. Monaco’s other fruit-forward, ready-to-drink cocktails — citrus rush, cranberry, black raspberry and blue crush—are the essence of convenience and refreshment.
Hard seltzer is the fastest-growing adult beverage around, and High Noon’s line of seltzers is one reason. There are a lot of flavors to choose from here. Luckily, there’s a variety pack that lets you try all of them. Real tequila + real juice = delicious libations. Did I mention they’re only 100 calories per can?
Wine in a Can
Yes, you can have great wine flavor from a can! Underwood Cellars offers still wines (pinot gris and rosé) and sparkling wines (sparkling bubbly rosé) that go from the deck to the lake to the pool without the hassle of glass bottles. (And are very tasty.)
Low/No Alcohol
If you’re putting a pause on your alcohol intake, but don’t want to miss out on flavor, Lyre’s has a ton of spirited options that really hit the spot. Lyre’s American malt (bourbon), agave blanco (tequila) and white cane spirit (rum) taste great sipped straight or mixed into mocktails.
For wine aficionados, Giesen offers no-alcohol rosé and sauvignon blanc, Freixenet makes several varieties of alcohol-removed sparkling wine and Heart of Hand makes California chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of convenient drinks that are ready at a moment’s notice (click here to find more). Make this the summer of refreshment with any or all of these terrific drink choices.
Clark Trim is a wine enthusiast, hospitality specialist and the owner of Colonial Wines & Spirits.