There’s no slowing down the RTD category! Consumers love the convenience and variety offered by RTD beverages. Starfish Junction hosted Spiked, a beverage tasting event with canned cocktails, hard seltzers, cider, and boozy lemonades and teas at Aqueduct Racetrack on Feb 11, 2023. If it was spiked, twisted, or sparkling, you could find it at Spiked! Here are some of my favorite finds from the event. 

Brooklyn Brewery doesn’t just make craft beers, they also make hard seltzer. Try Grapefruit, Lemon Cloudberry, Black Cherry, and Apricot. They are only 100 calories and have a 5% abv.

Montauk Brewing Co. sampled their Wave Chaser India Pale Ale and Easy Riser Belgian White Beers as well as Strawberry Lemonade, Original Lemonade, Pink Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade, Lemon Lime Hard Seltzer, Raspberry Lime Hard Seltzer, Mixed Berry Hard Seltzer, and Black Cherry Hard Seltzer.

Remember to drink local and try these boozy beverages!

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery makes some of the best beers, but did you know they also have a distilling company? Dogfish Head Distilling Co. makes culinary craft cocktails including Vodka Lemonade with Strawberry & Honeyberry, Gin Crush with Lemon & Lime, and Vodka Crush with Blood Orange & Mango. These beverages have a 7% abv and are a great way to get the party started.

Destination Unknown Beer Company won the LI Craft Classic in 2017 and continues to be a Long Island favorite. Their Red and Blue Greaterades are 7.5% abv and are a great way to stay hydrated while getting tipsy! This was by far my favorite drink at the Spiked event, definitely head down to the DUBCO breweries and try these.

Hive is a ready to drink craft cocktail sweetened with organic wildflower honey. Choose from Tequila with Ginger, Lime & Honey, Gin with Lemon, Juniper Berry & Honey, Bourbon Rosemary, Lemon & Honey, Vodka with Cranberry, Lime & Honey.

Doc’s Cider poured their Draft Framboise Raspberry Cider and Hard Apple Cider. Enjoy the crisp, fruit forward taste of these delicious ciders produced in the Warwick Valley.

Wild Basin Hard Seltzers are made with real fruit juices and are only 100 calories. Try Peach, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Black Cherry, Cherry Lemonade, and Strawberry. These seltzers are created by craft beer pioneers, Oskar Blues Brewery in the Rocky Mountains in Northern Colorado.

The Synergy Brew Project from Riverhead, NY poured their Blue Beer Don’t Care Blue Sour. This beer is blue-colored and has a 5.2% abv. Enjoy savoring this subtle yet sour beer.

Follow Starfish Junction Productions on Facebook for fun upcoming events. Cheers!