We all know a guy who avoids fruity drinks like the plague and wouldn’t be caught dead holding a cocktail glass. But honestly? Everyone loves a fruity cocktail, whether they will admit it or not.
We love them so much that we created an abundance of botanical, fruity flavors in our hard kombuchas and seltzers. But we aren’t the only cool kids on the block, so here are some of our favorite fruity alcoholic drinks.
Margarita
In the history of cocktails, few have had the cultural staying power of margaritas. Immortalized by Jimmy Buffet’s fictional municipality, these salty and sweet tequila cocktails practically beg to be consumed while your toes are in the sand.
The iconic glass, heavy and wide, is fun and functional, holding the ice needed to perfect the blend of the marg’s unique flavors. Sweet, sour, and salty (thanks to the classic salt rim), margaritas are iconic for a reason.
The margarita holds the title of the most popular cocktail in the United States and will remain there as long as Jimmy Buffet’s still around to sing its praises.
The classic blend uses lime, but brave explorers have ventured to create some delicious variations of the old favorite. Mango, pomegranate, and strawberry mint are just a few creative options, but we prefer to spice up a marg with a bit of Pineapple Chili hard kombucha.
If you own a blender and are hosting a cocktail hour, try adding a fruit of your choice and toasting to the good life.
Daiquiri
The daiquiri is another favorite among cocktail imbibers. In its purest essence, a daiquiri is a blend of rum, sugar, and fruit.
The daiquiri’s history dates back to Cuba in the late 1800s, where an American engineer named Jennings Stockton Cox was working in the iron mines of Daiquiri and brainstormed a way to make efficient use of the then-rationed Bacardi supply.
The cocktail remained popular in the island nation until 1909 when the USS Minnesota stopped by the mining town, and Jennings Cox himself served the sailors. The sailors were so taken by the daiquiri that they brought it back stateside.
American author Earnest Hemmingway was famous in Cuba for his “Hemingway Daiquiri,” a twist on the classic with double the booze. Legend has it he once consumed seventeen in a single sitting. That might make for a great story, but we definitely don’t recommend it.
You can amplify the fruitiness of a daiquiri by mixing up a strawberry daiquiri, which is essentially the same cocktail with a few ounces of frozen strawberries. Unique, fruity, and delicious, this one checks all the boxes.
However, daiquiris, especially frozen ones, are known for being absolutely packed full of sugar. If you’re looking for a drink that brings the bright, fruity vibes that the daiquiri is known for without the sugar crash that comes with it, consider a Black Cherry hard kombucha instead. It comes with a hint of lime that’s reminiscent of a daiquiri, which is the perfect match for the boldness of black cherry.
Blue Hawaiian/Hawaii
Another classic cocktail served in a fun glass is Blue Hawaii and its closely related cousin, the Blue Hawaiian.
Blue Hawaii is a tropical cocktail that mixes rum, pineapple, sweet and sour mix, and Blue Curaçao, a liqueur flavored with the peel of bitter orange citrus fruit from the eponymous Dutch island.
Made on the rocks or blended, the drink is served in a distinctive hurricane glass and has a strikingly unique blue color. It was invented by Harry Yee, a bartender in Waikiki, when a Dutch distiller asked him to make a drink that featured Curaçao liqueur. He returned with the drink and allegedly named it after a Bing Crosby song that was performed in Waikiki Wedding and re-popularized by Elvis’s film Blue Hawaii.
The Blue Hawaiian is a closely related drink that uses cream of coconut instead of sweet and sour mix. Essentially, it is a Pina Colada with Curaçao. Delicious, sure, but definitely a sugar bomb.
To steer clear of all that sweetness, try an alternative exotic brew in the form of our Passionfruit Simcoe hard kombucha. With no sugar and no carbs, you can take a trip to the tropics without worrying about what it might do to your bikini body.
Mai Tai
The Mai Tai is arguably the most popular tiki drink ever. In fact, the cocktail was so popular in the forties and fifties that it allegedly depleted rum supplies.
Legend has it that the drink was first made in 1944 when Trader Vic made it to showcase his favorite rum. He complimented the flavor by adding lime, orange Curaçao, orgeat, and simple syrup. After mixing the ingredients and serving it to his Tahitian friends, they allegedly proclaimed, "Maita’i roa a’e." Which loosely means, “This is out of this world.” and so the name was adopted.
There is a dispute over who actually made the first Mai Tai, however. Donn “the Beachcomber" Beach claims he inspired the cocktail before Vic ever served it up, but either way, it’s still luscious and perfectly tropical.
The drink itself is just fruity enough without being too sweet, and the lime and mint garnish is said to symbolize the palm tree you will wish you were drinking it under. Pineapple and orange juices are found in some Mai Tais and will up the sweetness of the blend.
Like most tiki drinks, though, the Mai Tai is notorious for its sugar content, and how could it not be, with those ingredients? You guessed it—we have the perfect alternative.
Guava Citra hard kombucha features juicy pink guava, complemented by brilliant citrus-forward flavors. You know what it doesn’t feature? Sugar, carbs, or gluten. This brew tastes like a warm Hawaiian day, so get ready to enjoy the glow.
Flying Embers
If all of these unique and delicious alcoholic drinks have you salivating, join the club. We love fruity cocktails, but the amount of sugar in them can cause more than just a toothache.
That’s one of the reasons all of our blissful blends lean on whole plant botanicals, superfruits, and adaptogens. Our cocktail-Inspired fermentations are sure to surprise you with a surprisingly low amount of sugar—zero, that is.
Our Citrus Sessions 12-pack includes three unique hard kombucha flavors with high ABVs. The Midknight Mimosa is our take on the brunch staple minus the midday headache. The Midknight Valencia orange is sweet with little astringency making it a perfect pairing for the natural tartness of kombucha.
Our Grapefruit Tangie has double the citrus and an ABV of 8.5%. Herbal and tart grapefruit meets floral and sweet tangerine. Aromatic compounds from the citrus plants, terpenes, elevate your cocktail routine. The result? A Paloma—but with a superfruit upgrade.
Rounding out our collection is the Black Lime Mojito. A zesty twist on a classic, made with fresh muddled mint, bright lime aromatics, and just a hint of coconut. It’s a breezy and boozy cocktail alternative perfect for enjoying on long summer days.
So, if you don’t have a blender or the time to mix up a fruity cocktail (or you just want to skip overloading on sugar and carbs), grab a can of Flying Embers and enjoy.
Sources:
What America Is Drinking: Margarita Tops The List Of America's Favorite Cocktail | PR Newswire
Hemingway Daiquiri | Thrillist
The Best Mai Tai Recipe Is the Trader Vic's Original | Eater