This spring, don’t forget your bar cart when you let the sunshine in and liven things up. Here are seven fun discoveries that deserve a look, including a baseball-connected cocktail and the world’s first corn liqueur.
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1. Celebrate team spirit with a limited-edition canned cocktail co-branded by Cutwater Spirits and the Atlanta Braves. You can sip on a zingy vodka mule — a mixture of vodka, ginger beer, a splash of bitters and a hint of lime — at home, or order a can at the ballpark. Four-packs of 12-ounce (7% alcohol by volume) cans retail at $12.99 and are available at Little Five Points Package, Mac’s Beer & Wine and Truist Park.
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2. Nixta licor de elote is the world’s first corn liqueur, crafted using a 4,000-year-old cooking process (nixtamalization) to unlock the full flavors of the grain. It has savory and sweet hints of roasted corn — like sweet cornbread — and makes a great addition to a cocktail. A corny old-fashioned could be your signature drink, and the design of the bottle is a conversation starter. Find 750-milliliter bottles ($31.99) online at Astor Wine & Spirits and Blackwell’s Wine & Spirits. Nixtalicor.com.
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3. Just north of Atlanta in Forsyth County, Legends Distillery opened its new tasting room in November, 2020, pouring three award-winning whiskies and vodka. Legends uses a patented purification process that removes impurities without compromising taste. Its small-batch Straight 87 bourbon (87 proof) has sweet notes of vanilla and caramel, along with toasted grain and a leathery finish. It’s a bargain at $34 per 750-milliliter bottle, and the flat-front bottle looks great on a bar cart. Find it at more than 240 locations in Georgia, including Total Wine, Toco Giant Package and Tower Beer, Wine and Spirits. Legends gin is set to release this fall.
4. Whether you want to explore a new region, sip a particular style of wine, or you just want to have a fun tasting, In Good Taste sends the experience straight to your door. A carefully packed tasting kit includes eight 187-milliliter bottles of wine. The California Wine Mixer takes your taste buds on a tour of the Golden State’s vineyards, while Wild Child has a mix of adventurous varietals. When you find a keeper, order full bottles, ranging $19-$32. Just want a summer of rosé? There’s a box of that for $65 at In Good Taste.
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5. Want to keep opened bottles of wine fresh for up to two months? Repour wine savers were created by a chemist who was tired of wasting wine. The one-time-use stopper is filled with absorbent filters that remove oxygen from the space above the wine, which prevents oxidation. All you need to do is push the stopper into the bottle. It works. Four-packs of Repour are $9.99 and 10-packs sell for $17.99. Find them at Decatur Package Store and Purple Corkscrew.
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6. Ardbeg’s 5-year-old expression Wee Beastie is a new permanent addition to the distiller’s core range. It’s a feisty peat bomb of a single-malt Scotch, aged in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, and has a long saline finish, with hints of cocoa. It’s an ideal choice for a smoky cocktail. Wee Beastie is part of the Monsters of Scotch Tour of Ardbeg’s new offerings. It’s priced at $43.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle. Find it at Total Wine, Greene’s and Decatur Package Store.
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7. For a zero-proof margarita with a hint of smoke, use Optimist Smokey. Inspired by the high desert, the distilled nonalcoholic spirit sips like tequila. Its flavor profile is a spiced botanical blend, with slightly floral and gently bitter notes. It joins Optimist’s Bright and Fresh blends in 750-milliliter bottles that retail for $35 via optimistdrinks.com. The trio offer all the complexities and nuance needed for a craft cocktail without the alcohol.
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