From Cocktails to Rosé, Here are 7 Non-Beer Drinks for Memorial Day
If you’re already stocked on bourbon and Bud, here are a few additional drink choices to fill the cooler this Memorial Day Weekend.
Memorial Day Weekend looks a little different this year, but a day off is a day off. And that means drinking (probably). You might not need anything else if you’re already stocked up on bourbon and Bud Heavy, but here are a few options in case you’re looking for new ideas.
Canned Cocktails
RTD’s, or ready-to-drinks, used to be the laughing stock of the beverage industry. It was a great way for distilleries to ditch product that wasn’t quite up to snuff. Now it’s a booming sector with everything from vodka/soda equivalents like White Claw and Truly to fancy cocktails in a bottle like Crafthouse Cocktails.
Prairie Minnesota Bootleg
Prairie, best known for its organic vodka and gin, released a line of sparkling canned cocktails. All three – Grapefruit, Cucumber Lemonade, and Minnesota Bootleg – are excellent additions to the bottom drawer of my fridge, with the third option being the star of the lineup.
I had no idea Minnesota had a state cocktail, but if Prairie’s Minnesota Bootleg is any indication of it, I might be moving to the Twin Cities.
Leinenkugel Spritzen
Stiegl popularized mixing beer and juice with its radler, but it was Leinenkugel that brought the shandy to the masses. Now it’s trying its hand at a new combination. Leinenkugel Spritzen is the first beer with a splash of seltzer. If you love beer but are missing the fizz of a Natty Light hard seltzer, Leinie’s got you covered.
The Leinenkugel Sprizen lineup includes Grapefruit, Raspberry Lemon and Pineapple Strawberry. You don’t have to guess which to pick up though; they come in a variety pack so you can dabble in all three!
Spirited Drinks
I used to be a firm believer that spirits and their bottles were inverse in quality. A fancy bottle, like say a jazzy glass trumpet, probably contained terrible vodka. Now with the fierce competition for eyeballs, clever bottles have become far more than a novelty.
No. 3 Gin
If you still believe like Boozist of old, just give No. 3 Gin a shot. It’s one of the most beautiful bottles I’ve seen and a similar statement can be made about the gin within. It’s a London Dry Gin, but unlike some it perfectly balances the juniper with citrus and spice.
For those who re-discovered gin via new western-style options (taste less like a Christmas tree) and want to jump over to the classic side of the spirit, you can’t pick a better option than No. 3 Gin. Get the ball rolling with a classic martini or a simple G&T.
Gin & Tonic Recipe
- 2 oz No.3 Gin
- 6 oz Tonic
- Pink Grapefruit Wedge
- Rosemary Sprig
Build over ice in a highball glass and gently stir. Garnish with rosemary and pink grapefruit wedge.
Headwind FWD Pacific Northwest Vodka
Headwind puts Portland in a bottle and brings it to those of us who’ve never made it to that neck of the woods. Its flagship Headwind FWD Pacific Northwest Vodka is made from gluten-free corn and filtered twice, the second of which is through Pacific Northwest timber. And while that additional filtering removes impurities, it also leaves behind a taste of the Pacific Northwest.
You probably already have plenty of ways to use vodka, but it’s officially spritz season so I’ll leave you with that recipe.
Headwind Spritz Recipe
- 1.5 oz Headwind Vodka
- 1 oz Aperol
- .5 oz simple syrup
- Soda
- Slice & squeeze of lime
Combine Headwind Vodka, Aperol, simple syrup in a tall glass with ice. Mix and add a squeeze of lime. Top with soda and a slice of lime for garnish.
Ready for Rosé
I try to avoid being a seasonal drinker, but rosé tends to be relegated to summer. If you need an official kickoff for rosé season, there’s no better time than now.
Sterling Vineyards Rosé
With pools starting to reopen, even in a limited capacity, canned drinks are front of mind. Like fancy liquor bottles and RTD’s, wine has made great strides in getting good options into alternative packaging.
Sterling Vineyards is a perfect example of this. Its Napa Valley wines are a far cry from the boxed wine of old, and the aluminum bottles and screw caps make them a great choice for a poolside party. It’s the easy way to take great rosé wherever you go.
Minuty Prestige Rosé
Rosé isn’t just a party drink. Château Minuty is crafting rosés fit for any table, from the affordable M de Minuty to the luxurious Minuty 281.
I’ve found the sweet spot is its new Munity Prestige. At $30 it’s attainable yet still shows off what rosé can truly be. It brings a taste of the beautiful French Riviera to my landlocked location in Charlotte.
Teetotalers
While I’m not sure how many sober people read Boozist, but I know they make up a significant portion population. Mocktails and non-alcohol beers are becoming much more prevalent, both in bars and on retail shelves. Like the others mentioned above, the products have evolved significantly since they first hit the market.
Golden Road Mango Cart NA
O’Doul’s is probably the first name that comes to mind, but many well-known breweries have added a non-alcohol beer to their lineup. The latest to join the party is Golden Road Brewery. Its fruit cart lineup has long been a personal favorite, and now it has extended the roster to include Mango Cart NA (0.5% ABV). You won’t mistake it for the standard wheat-ale, but it’s a solid alternative and the mango flavor picks up the slack without venturing too close to tasting like juice.
Soundtrack for Memorial Day Weekend
If you’re stuck inside or you just don’t feel like firing up the grill, Drizly has made a very mediocre version of Nick Offerman’s yule log video. What it lacks in any semblance of quality is made up for by the offer of $5 off delivery via Drizly when you enter ‘YULETIDEBURGER’ as a coupon code.
