Food Hacks
These 15 Hacks Will Turn Hard Seltzers Into Full-On Cocktails
Don’t underestimate the power of fresh fruit or simple syrup.
We are in peak hard seltzer times. There is nary a bar nor a college fridge that isn’t stocked with a six-pack of some spiked bubbly water. If you’re looking for a more innovative way to sip on your hard seltzer than just drinking it straight from the can, perhaps one of these hard seltzer cocktail hacks will quench your thirst. There are, as they say, no laws when you’re drinking Claws.
Summer is supposed to be all about sangria, spritzes, and margs – but sometimes, all you have to work with is a can of hard seltzer. You don’t have to be a mixologist to elevate your White Claws, and you don’t need to go to a boozy brunch to enjoy a seltzer cocktail, either. With these hacks, you can get creative with your favorite Truly, High Noon, and Spindrift flavors just by using the items you already have in your kitchen.
Here are 15 hard seltzer cocktail hacks you’ll want to try out for your next night in:
1Add Fresh Fruit
Add a lemon or lime to White Claw Pure, the hard seltzer equivalent to a vodka soda, for a little extra pizazz. Pair your Grapefruit Truly with a squeeze of actual grapefruit. And you can never go wrong with fresh strawberries in a glass with your spiked seltzer of choice, either.
2Mix With Juice
Blood Orange Truly with orange juice or a Black Cherry Rosemary BON&VIV with some cherry juice is an easy way to up your seltzer game. It’ll also keep you from knocking back your hard seltzer like it’s (non-alcoholic) water.
3Sub It In For A Non-Alcoholic Soda Or Mixer In A Cocktail
You can’t really go wrong pairing a spiked seltzer with a clear spirit. Sub out soda in your vodka soda for a lime hard seltzer. Pretty much any citrus-flavored hard seltzer with a little honey will go great with gin.
4Add It To Your Aperol Spritz
If you’re an Aperol Spritz fan, make a hard seltzer version of the cocktail, subbing in your seltzer of choice for either the club soda or the prosecco — bonus points if it’s an orange-flavored seltzer.
5Make A Wine Spritzer
Wine spritzers typically mix white wine, club soda, some bitters, and citrus. Try using your hard seltzer of choice in place of the club soda for a boozy brunchtime drink.
6Add Mint, Lavender, Or Your Cocktail Herb Of Choice
Another easy way to make your hard seltzer seem extra fancy? Add a sprig of lavender or a few mint leaves. A little greenery goes a long way to make your drink look cute and taste even better.
7Try A Hard Seltzer & Gin Rickey
A gin rickey is like a less sweet gin and tonic that’s typically made with gin, soda water, and lime. Just sub in a lime hard seltzer for the soda water, add honey or sugar if you want some more sweetness, and enjoy!
8Make A Hard Lemonade Or Limeade
You can always buy a Truly hard lemonade, but if you can’t find a pack in stores there’s a workaround. Make your own hard lemonade by mixing a lemon Truly with some lemonade. Or, if you’re not a fan of the citrus fruit, you can also make a hard cherry limeade by adding cherry hard seltzer to your limeade of choice.
9Add It To A Margarita
Mix up a makeshift margarita with lime hard seltzer, tequila, lime, and agave. Add some salt or sugar to the rim of your glass and you’re good to go!
10Make A Knock-Off French 75
The French 75 is usually made with gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. If your bar cart isn’t stocked with champagne, swap the sparkling wine for a lemon hard seltzer instead.
11Add A Splash Of Infused Simple Syrup
Imagine: cardamom-infused simple syrup with a grapefruit hard seltzer. Jalapeño-infused simple syrup with Mango White Claw or Lime Truly. These could be your reality with just a simple syrup infused with your flavor of choice.
12Try It With Tequila In A Paloma
Grapefruit hard seltzer was made to be added to a Paloma. Just add it to grapefruit juice, tequila, lime, and a little sugar for a drink that will make any season feel like summertime.
13Make It A Mojito
Trade out the club soda in your mojito for some lime hard seltzer. Just be sure to keep the white rum, mint, and lime.
14Seltzer Up Your Sangria
Add Blackberry Hibiscus Press, Raspberry White Claw, or really any berry-flavored seltzer to your next batch of sangria for a fizzy and fun cocktail.
15Combine Two Flavors Or Brands
Arguably the easiest way to level up your hard seltzer is by combining two of your favorite flavors together. Try Blood Orange and Mango. Combine Lemon and Lime. Heck, try Rosé Truly and more Rosé Truly. When it comes to hard seltzer cocktails, more is always more.
At the very least, just pour your hard seltzer into a champagne flute to feel fancy with very minimal effort.
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