Thanks to the video sharing social media site, Tik Tok, along with clever marketing to millennials and Gen Z-ers, White Claw and other hard seltzers have been rapidly increasing in popularity. Being an older millennial, I have been a bit slow to jump on this bandwagon. Also, I haven’t been too into sparkling waters even without alcohol- I’m looking at you LaCroix- and I typically opt for a glass of red or a hard cider. But thanks to the pandemic, and some off-the-list Costco shopping, curiosity got the better of me, and I purchased a 12 pack of White Claw on our bi-monthly trip last week.
Over the past couple days I’ve been trying the flavors in the pack, which include black cherry, raspberry, ruby grapefruit, and lime. The flavor of the black cherry took some getting used to; I was taken aback by the slight bitterness, but it wasn’t bad in the end. I thought that the ruby grapefruit flavor was the best, something that surprised me, as I am not a huge fan of grapefruit. All flavors were good enough chilled on their own, but they also make a good mixers. Here are five recipes that I tried using fruit we happened to have in our kitchen. Including grapefruit.
Spiked grapefruit juice:
Juice from one medium grapefruit, freshly squeezed
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 can White Claw Ruby Grapefruit
Sparkling Margarita juice:
4 oz. Simply Limeade
1/2 can White Claw Lime
1 slice of lime, leftover from Taco Tuesday
sugar for rim
If you want more of the margarita feel (and alcohol content), you can throw in a shot of tequila. I prefer a resposado tequila such as Kirkland, or Petron or Casamigos, if you’re feeling fancy.
White Claw Mojito:
We happened to plant mint for our bunny, so we had plenty to experiment with. I chose not to muddle the mint so that the flavor wouldn’t be overwhelming as this one definitely tasted more like a soda with a hint of mint without the rum. With the rum, it was pretty much a classic mojito.
1/2 can White Claw Lime
2 tsp. simple syrup (you may also use granulated sugar, just be sure to mix well)
1 shot rum (optional)
1 lime slice
1 sprig of mint, with about 7-10 mint leaves
Sparkling Berry Lemonade:
4 oz Simply Lemonade with Raspberry
1/2 can White Claw Raspberry
Blueberries and Strawberries for garnish
College-days Mimosa:
This one had me almost wishing that I was back working on my undergrad, with a hard seltzer in hand. Almost. Instead of champagne, I tried using a White Claw for this brunchtime special. I quite enjoyed it, and would have it again with a weekend breakfast of French toast sticks and tater tots. Salud.
4 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 can White Claw Ruby Grapefruit
Orange peel for garnish if you’re feeling fancy
Here’s to summer days filled with good food, good friends, and great memories. Cheers!
The Cranky Camper 