Cheers to Chilling Out: Here Are Houston’s Newest Hard Seltzers

Cheers to Chilling Out: Here Are Houston’s Newest Hard Seltzers

Mom Water, new to the Houston market

FOR THE SECOND installment of our Chill Out series (our first was on ice cream, in case you missed it), we are popping the top on refreshing hard seltzers and spritzers because, well, it’s August. From ranch water to tongue-tingling spritzers and Mom-approved vodka cocktails perfect for the pool, we say, yes we can!


That's Tight

Watertight Cocktail Co.'s new canned drinks (photo courtesy of Dani Parsons)

The founders of Houston’s Yellow Rose Distilling and Austin’s Revolver Brewing have cracked open a cool new collab. Watertight Cocktail Co.’s agave-sweetened canned cocktails launched exclusively in Texas this spring, and will soon go national. Each drink is 130 calories with 6 percent ABV. Try sipping the Beach Margarita, Guava Paloma and Mango Sipper to make August a bit more bearable.

Europe in a Can!

Bright, eye-catching and eco-friendly Lila offers gently sparkling wine in varietals including French rosé, Italian pinot grigio, and Italian sparkling frizzante made with prosecco. The latter is full of refreshing citrus and tropical fruit aromas, mixed with a hint of honeysuckle and juicy nectarine. All wines contain zero added sugar and are low in calories and carbs.

Oh Yes, on Sundays We Brunch

Ohza, “the original canned mimosa,” is an impressive line of sparkling canned wines created for brunch wherever you may wander. Think instant mango mimosas, grapefruit mimosa, fizzy red sangria, fizzy white sangria, and classic bellinis, for the beach, the lake house, the back yard, that outdoor concert or pool party. Note: Classic Bellini was the best we tried due to its true peach and prosecco flavors. Happy Sunday Funday!

This One Is So Cliché

Cliché is a wine-based seltzer for wine lovers seeking a more elevated seltzer option. The new brand is being launched in Houston, Austin and Dallas. Unlike malt-based seltzers, Cliché stars California white wine, sparkling water, and meticulously sourced natural flavors. Renowned Napa winemakers Dave Phinney (creator of the wine brands The Prisoner, Orin Swift and Locations) and Joe Wagner are the team behind the brand. Cliché is available in two flavors: lemon with blueberry and Mirabelle plum and hibiscus.

Roseade Is Summer Aid

She’s svelte, lemony and bubbling with rosé. Roseade spritzer is packaged in (cute!) slim pink cans that are easy to pack, and its flavors of rosé and tart lemonade are spot-on fresh sans the canned taste. To cool down fast, try it over ice. Its four-pack box makes a fun hostess gift!

Karbach Goes Ranch

Texas-based Karbach Brewing Co. is on the hunt for a Karbach Ranch Water Wanderer to celebrate the expansion of its Ranch Water Hard Seltzer, an iconic, refreshing Texas beverage that recently debuted. The official Karbach Ranch Water Wanderer will win $10K to travel across Texas and the Southwest spreading the word about the Ranch Water and encouraging folks to do some exploring in their own region. Ice down some Ranch Water and prepare for a thirst-quenching bubbly drink much like beer, but lighter with a hint of lime.

Be a Cool Mom

Mom Water is a ready-to-drink cocktail made with lightly fruit-infused vodka and water. Unlike many hard seltzers, it has zero carbonation, zero sugar and zero carbs, and weighs in at just 90 calories per can. After enjoying a similar drink on vacation and not finding anything else on the market like it, founder (and mom!) Jill Morrison left her lifelong career in healthcare to bring her new drink to life. With several flavors with girl names like Julie, Sandy and Karen, Mom Water is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and just launched in Texas. Find it at major retailers.

Food

The gallerist's beloved dog Tuta, Anya Tish, and artist Adela Andea with Anya

LAST THURSDAY, DAWN Ohmer, gallery director of Anya Tish Gallery, called to tell me Anya died on June 12 in her hometown of Kraków, Poland. It was a tearful call, the kind of call I am resigned to receiving more often as I get older. For many of us in Houston’s art community — gallery owners, artists, collectors, and arts writers — the news was sudden and unexpected. Death is a look away from rationality, and it is hard to imagine someone you cared for and who cared about you no longer being present physically, in the flesh, in the here and now.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Gragner's (photo by Marco Torres)

THE MUSEUM DISTRICT hasn't always been the easiest place to open and operate a restaurant, for some reason. But there's a Houston couple who seems to have gotten the hang of it — and today they unveil their newest concept on Binz St.

Keep Reading Show less
Food