Canned cocktails hit the market

Several distillers recently rolled out ready-to-go mixed drinks - made with real spirits and not malt - that are now available in cans. According to The Bar Blog, the drinks are selling well in test markets.

These beverages, while new in the U.S., are old news in other countries. I used to work in a promotions business that pushed these products in the late 90s, when seemingly every brewer and distiller was releasing coolers - and Mike's Hard Lemonade was the category leader. The appeal - mainly for women - was the sweet taste and seven-percent alcohol content. (And the virtue industry bristles at the appeal of lower-alcohol alcopops - a pejorative term for a legally available product that young people happen to enjoy.) Malt has a funny taste and why these new products took so long to hit the market is a mystery.

On an interesting side note: Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma, the maker of Sol beer, introduced Sol Citric, a malt cooler, earlier this summer, which is sold in Mexico's ubiquitous Oxxo convenience stores. The new product mainly competes with tequila coolers - especially Herradura's New Mix.

For something completely different, I tried canned pulque a few months back. It still tasted rather unappealing - just like fresh pulque - but at least I avoided the seedy pulqueria atmosphere.