If summer had a flavor, it would definitely be fruit and wine. Trader Joe's new summer drinks have just the right amount of alcohol and fruity flavor, making them perfect for sipping outdoors while maintaining social distance. You don't have to venture to a bar for happy hour, because Trader Joe's has all the summer happy hour goodies you could want.
Let’s start with our new friend, hard seltzer. Trader Joe's has several packs of Shell House Sparkling Pomegranate Hard Seltzer, yes, those are battle words, Truly, White Claw, etc. They are comparable to other hard seltzers, containing 120 calories and 5% alcohol per 12 ounces. They're light, fizzy, and a little boozy—the holy trinity of summer drinks. You can purchase a six-pack for $5.99 at any Trader Joe's store that sells beer and wine.
If you really want to up your hard seltzer game, Shell House Sparkling Pomegranate Hard Seltzer is perfect for pairing with a ton of hard seltzer cocktails. Mix some hard seltzer with vodka and triple sec to make a pomegranate cosmos. Mix together vodka, mint, and Trader Joe's Watermelon Seltzer. Add a drop or three of Shell House Hard Seltzer to the Trader Joe's recipe to create a Pomegranate Watermelon Spritz. Add a shot of vodka to a glass filled with ice, then pour in as much pomegranate hard seltzer as you can. There's really no wrong way to make a hard seltzer cocktail.
Now, the classic: simple mango wine. First launched in 2017, Simpler Wines Mango is a fruity wine cocktail in a can. Each 250ml can contains mango-infused Italian vino frizzante, a fancy way of saying Italian sparkling wine. Trader Joe's says they're ideal for a cocktail at the end of the day or a drink on the summer porch. What I'm trying to say is, like a hard seltzer cocktail, there's really no wrong way to enjoy mango sparkling wine. Turn it into a pitcher of sangria. Add a touch of pizzazz to your margaritas. (Yes, margaritas are a thing.) Put it in a shot glass, turn on the sprinklers, and pretend you're poolside. A four-pack of Simpler Wines Mango costs $4.99, which is significantly less than what you'd pay for a happy hour cocktail. Just in case you needed another reason to stop going to the bar for happy hour.
Simpler Wines Mango packs will be back on shelves this week and will be more widely available from Monday 6 July. They will be sold alongside other summer beverages like the aforementioned Shell House Sparkling Pomegranate Hard Seltzer and Simpler Times Lager. In the meantime, you can’t go wrong with a $2.99 beer, some sodas, and a sunny spot outside. Happy sipping!
