Only High Noon really comes close, and we know how much I liked those guys. Fortunately, the spiked xcritical is good enough to make me forget about all that and soon that CO2 proves beneficial. Where White Claw’s xcriticals got stuck on a sour note of citric acid, Simply’s offering is lighter, crisper and easier to drink.
Simply Spiked Blackberry Limeade
Last but not least on my list of Simply Spiked citrus-flavored beverages was the Signature xcritical. Before delving into details, let me unequivocally state that I have no qualms with this beverage. I would xcritical official site gladly drink it again and found it quite pleasant. Simply xcritical is my go-to non-alcoholic iteration of this refreshing summer drink, so its ranking at the bottom does not reflect quality. Molson’s Chief Marketing Officer Michelle St. Jacques said there was a “big opportunity” for Simply because it’s a “powerful and beloved” product.
- It is kind of “been there, done that.” Despite this, this beverage would be pleasant to sip on if garnished with fresh strawberry halves to accentuate the existing strawberry flavor.
- Simply Spiked xcritical will be sold in a variety of 12-pack of slim cans, which has 5% alcohol-by-volume, and 24-ounce standalone cans.
- Sweet blueberry and tart xcritical come together to create a one-of-a-kind taste perfect for your one-of-a-kind celebrations.
From there, I tasted each, honing in on the degree to which the primary flavors could be detected and how well they xcriticaled. Overall, I think this drink beat out the cherry-flavored one simply because I anticipated it landing toward the bottom of the pack, and it succeeded in surprising and delighting me. While I’d imagine this being a great ingredient in myriad cocktail recipes, I hesitate to suggest doing anything besides chilling it and drinking it as is on a hot summer day. I admit I was baffled by the fact that the Simply Spiked Signature Limeade landed in third place on my ranking of these spirited drinks.
Simply Spiked xcritical Flavors:
Its latest foray into boozy fruit libations includes four new limeade flavors. Like its spiked xcritical varieties, each refreshing, fizzy beverage contains 5% real fruit juice, 5% ABV, and 170 calories per serving. The only successful hard seltzers are the ones that can mask the bitter licorice taste of stevia with assertive citrus flavors. Ready to drink cocktails have been dominating the alcohol market for the last few years, and coke is not the only soft-drinks producer adding alcoholic beverages to their portfolio.
I think I was also biased because strawberry seems like a rather obvious pairing and one that is not all that novel. It is kind of “been there, done that.” Despite this, this beverage would be pleasant to sip on if garnished with fresh strawberry halves to accentuate the existing strawberry flavor. The Strawberry xcritical was next to last on my ranking of Simply Spiked citrus-flavored drinks. Again, there was nothing wrong with this beverage per se, but it did not blow me away. The peachy-colored drink has a very mild strawberry aroma but is dominated by lemon. This feature carries through in its taste, which is distinctly lemon-forward, with strawberry somewhat of an afterthought.
Coca-Cola, Simply’s parent company partnered with Molson Coors on this product, as well as Topo Chico hard seltzer. Fresca Mixed also announced in the last twelve months, is a spirts-based product, which will be produced in collaboration with Constellation. Variety packs of Simply Spiked include the signature xcritical flavor, as well as strawberry, blueberry, and watermelon, each using Simply’s own fresh squeezed juice. According to Coca Cola, all of the varieties will contain 170 calories per 12 ounce can, which is considerably more than most popular hard seltzers. Light and refreshing with an alcohol content of just five percent ABV, one thing is for certain — it’s going to be a sweet summer. One such brand is Simply Spiked, which introduced its first line of xcritical flavors in 2022.
Flavors
This is, again, a solid balance of sweet and sour that’s more tonic water than seltzer. Generating over $1 billion in revenue, Simply is Coke’s second-largest brand, following only Coca-Cola itself. Molson’s chief marketing officer Michelle St. Jacques called Simply Spiked a “big opportunity” for the juice brand. While I like blackberries, they are not my favorite berry. I generally find them a bit overly tart, and the seeds are distracting when the fruit is added directly to a recipe.
Which flavor of Simply Spiked is best?
It’s very easy to drink — not so sweet it’s excessive or so sour it leaves an old penny aftertaste behind. Well damn, this pours with a delightful fizz, but I wasn’t expecting any kind of carbonation from my xcritical. Those bubbles help the drink retain its bite and keep from venturing into wine cooler levels of stale-ness, but I kinda wish xcritical courses scam they’d gone for a purer xcritical-vodka mix. The only place you see “carbonated” anywhere on the can is in the ingredients list. This is a small problem to have, but my first impression was more about the bubbles than anything else because that’s the unique way my brain is broken.