Wine Coolers Are Back. This Time, They’re Artisanal

Brewers are reinventing your not-quite-favorite beverages, from hard lemonade to malt liquor.

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By Adam Erace

March 15, 2017 at 12:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the March 20, 2017 issue of businessweek.

The Classic: Bartles & Jaymes
The Upgrade: Ramona wine coolers, $19.99 for a four-pack of 250-milliliter cans; franklywines.com

“For a lot of people in their 30s, wine coolers have legit emotional resonance,” says Jordan Salcito, beverage director at the Momofuku Group and Ramona’s creator. “That was the first time I thought, Oh, this alcohol thing is pretty tasty.” Made from organic zibibbo grapes (a Sicilian strain of muscat), natural grapefruit flavor, and cane sugar, Ramona’s first creation has the fizzy, subdued sweetness to complement a cookout.
Also try: Garden Party Botanical hard sodas, whose whimsical floral messaging (debut flavors are violet and ruby) belies a serious punch: Their 8 percent alcohol by volume is about the same as an imperial India pale ale ($9.99 for a four-pack of 12-ounce cans; Target and Whole Foods locations in Indiana).