As you plan patio hangs and park picnics, you may be tempted to head to your nearest grocery store or corner store and rather than beer or wine, pick up a convenient six-pack of your favorite cocktail in a ready-to-drink can. Lately, it seems there’s a canned version of absolutely everything, from a caipirinha to a Jack and Coke, along with completely novel drinks, such as pineapple cake-flavored hard seltzer (that last one a collaboration with New York City Taiwanese restaurant 886). But, Amy McCarthy recently argued, many canned cocktails are bad: They tend to be unbalanced. They often taste metallic. And most importantly, are they even really what you want?
“The beauty of drinking cocktails at home is that you can customize them to your personal tastes, for better and for worse,” McCarthy writes. “Don’t like vermouth in your martini? Just leave it out! Prefer to shake your Manhattan instead of stirring? Who cares? Do what you want! But with a canned cocktail, no adjustments can be made if you find the drink too cloying or too boozy, leaving you stuck to either just begrudgingly slurp it down or toss it into the trash.”
Her solution? Make your own favorite cocktail in a big batch. There are plenty of portable pitchers to make it possible to bring your favorite drink to a party (although that’s admittedly not quite as easy as piling some cans into a tote bag). But ultimately, I see her argument as a recommendation to simply pause next time you’re in the canned beverage aisle of your grocery store and ask yourself, will this drink be enjoyable, or is it merely available?
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The Great Jones x Fellow electric kettle, a Smallhold mushroom grow kit, the Our Place tagine, and Spicy Sovereign Syrup.
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Despite the truth of McCarthy’s declaration, I still have high hopes for Current Cassis’s new spritz in a can. The New York-based black currant liqueur company is making the CC Spritz available to purchase for a limited time through the website, and it’ll be at stores in New York when those supplies run out.
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In other canned beverage news, Santa Cruz-based Verve Coffee Roasters is making
canned oat milk lattes, now available to ship in three flavors: original, chocolate, and honey lavender. It’s an easy way to keep caffeinated this summer.
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Culinary collective Ghetto Gastro is the latest group to partner with Fly By Jing. The collaboration result: Spicy Sovereign Syrup, essentially Ghetto Gastro’s maple and sorghum Sovereign Syrup made spicy.
- Fans of urban mushroom grower
Smallhold can now buy merch. The Nalgene, in a shade of green reminiscent of jadeite, is a standout. Let this also be a reminder that Smallhold sells kits for growing your own mushrooms at home.
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If you do buy that Nalgene, you might need one of those bags made specifically to carry them. (Apparently it’s what the kids are doing these days.) You could look out for the next drop from an independent maker like Home Economics, but even Athleta is making water bottle bags right now.
- Mark your calendars: The striking Great Jones x Fellow electric kettle is back in stock and available to order starting tomorrow until it sells out — again.
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Our Place has added a tagine to its growing collection of cookware.
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How about adding a trip to Alaska to your cart? Just let Eater’s guide to Alaska convince you. Maybe it’s easier than a trip to Europe?
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