When people first hear the term, some may think of something that’s supposed to relieve the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Still, people who know their drinks will immediately remember the beverage that saw popularity in the 80s and 90s.
The California cooler was the first wine cooler invented by Michael Crete. The most common cooler beverages afterward were wine coolers till the early 90s, when they were pushed out of the market. However, recently, these are making a comeback and can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
So, what is a cooler drink?
Cooler drinks, also called wine coolers, are beverages containing quality alcohol, refreshing juices, and carbonated water. Coolers are particularly common among young adults since they can be found in a large variety of flavors and have a lower alcohol content than most cocktails.
In this article, we’ll explore what some of the most popular cooler drinks are. Also, we’ll share the recipes for the best cooler beverages.
Popular Alcoholic Coolers
Coolers originated in the United States in the 1980s and quickly gained popularity among young adults. Today, there are many different brands of coolers available, and each offers a wide variety of flavors.
These ready-made cocktails are light in alcohol content and can give you the light kick you need with a flavor of your liking. Check out the complete history of wine coolers here.
Let’s take a look at the most popular coolers.
1. Seagram’s Escapes
This alcoholic cooler beverage comes with as many as 21 flavors with a 3.2% alcohol content and seven spiked drinks with an alcohol content of 8%. Except for one canned drink, they all come in bottled packaging, so if you are thinking of gifting the boxed pack, do add a bottle opener as a handy and complimentary gift.
2. Jack Daniels Cooler
In this beverage, Jack Daniels is mixed with actual fruit juices to make a refreshing cooler drink. The most common are Watermelon punch, Southern Peach, Lynchburg Lemonade, etc.
3. Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer
With an alcohol percentage of 4.5%, this drink has seen popularity because of its sugar-free and low-calorie content (90 calories (per can). Its most popular flavors are Black Cherry, Pear Elderflower, Grapefruit, etc.
4. Corona Refresca
Corona Refresca is the best cooler to enjoy on a beach. It is a malt drink with fruity flavors with an alcohol percentage of 4.5% for most of its flavors, except Refresca Mas packing 8% alcohol content.
5. Truly Hard Seltzer
These contain 5% alcohol content and are refreshing and mild beverages with 1% sugar and 100 calories per can. They come with a large variety of flavors; check the best flavors of Truly here.
Best Non-Alcoholic Cooler Beverages
Lately, non-alcoholic coolers have gained popularity, and the good news is that they are really easy to make. The best thing about them is that you can spike them up with a dash of your favorite alcohol to make an alcoholic drink.
Let’s look at some of the best non-alcoholic coolers you can make at home.
1. Lemon Iced Tea
This non-alcoholic cooler is great to tackle the heat from the summer and help you relieve stress and fatigue.
Ingredients (1 serving):
- 1 bag of black tea
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- Sugar to taste (usually equal amount as lemon juice)
- A dash of salt
- 3 mint leaves
- A lemon slice for garnishing
- Ice cubes
Make the tea like usual, or you can check out this video on how to brew the best black tea.
Add lemon juice to it with a dash of salt, and let it cool in the freezer; add mint leaves and lemon slices and top it up with ice, and you have your cooler beverage ready to be served and relished. Simple, right?
2. Pomegranate Cooler
A relatively simple drink to prepare. This summer cooler gives a citric punch and is sugar-free if you use a sugar-free soda.
Ingredients (1 serving):
- 1/2 pomegranate
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- A dash of black salt
- Ice
- 6 oz. carbonated water
To prepare it, separate the arils of pomegranate and add them to the blender, transfer soda and lemon juice and blend well. Strain the mixture, add ice, and top it off with black salt for garnishing.
3. Watermelon & Coconut Cooler
This summer cooler goes well with snacks and is a perfect summer party drink. You can substitute grated coconut with coconut juice, but grated coconut is recommended, as it does not affect the natural flavor of watermelon and orange.
Ingredients (1 serving):
- 6 oz. watermelon juice
- 3 oz. of orange juice
- 1 tablespoon of grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of simple syrup
- 5 mint leaves
Start by blending watermelon juice with orange juice. Then add grated coconut, lemon juice, simple syrup, and five mint leaves to add reinvigorating taste. Top it up with ice. Cheers!
Summary
Now you know some popular and easy-to-make cooler beverages, but it is a drink with alcohol content usually less than 10%, with fruity flavors and a carbonated twist. Previously, wine coolers were sugar bombs, which resulted in their popularity decline, but sugar-free coolers are reviving their popularity.
