Spirited Kosher: Fun or Sophisticated – What’s your preference?

Mar 7, 2022 by

By Chef David

The distilled spirit industry is revamping, adapting to accommodate home consumption, and ready-to-drink products. Kosher consumers will be seeing new, innovative kosher-certified products with something new for everyone. The profile of drinkers is changing, beer is no longer just a masculine drink and cocktails are no longer feminine. The beverage industry is responding by introducing gender-neutral products. Social drinking has been migrating from bars to homes, a gradual change created by generational preference but accelerated by COVID. The result is the growth of Ready to Drink alcoholic products.

Kosher consumers are seeking out different brands, interesting blends, and the ability to offer prepared libations at home. Now there are refreshing options with different flavor profiles, in attractive packaging. These alcoholic beverages are conversation starters. Claffey’s Cocktails introduced an alcoholic ice-pop. Austin Eastciders has positioned their flavored ciders as being sparkly, but slightly dry.  It is definitely not your run-of-the-mill hard cider. Both products are certified kosher by the OK.

FUN  – Frozen Wine Pops

Claffey’s Cocktails, founded by Chris Claffey, introduced a wine-based freeze pop to complement their line of tropical seltzer cocktails. The alcoholic ice pop launched in 2014, offering nostalgic flavors like cherry, grape, and pink lemonade. Caffrey’s Frozen Cocktails defined itself with clever taste combinations and enticing names. For example, Grab Apple presents a crisp tart apple taste. They also offer Cherry Lips, Blue Ice, Modern Mango, and Party Purple. For the winter holidays, they sold a limited-edition line which included Fire and Ice, Berry Bubble, and Carmel Apple. Each ice-pop has an enticing message, aimed at the young at heart, Carmel Apple is ‘crisp and sweet for the ultimate seasonal treat’.

Claffey’s Frozen Cocktails provide a connection to childhood memories, with a bright alcoholic ice pop. This is a novelty, which can easily become a habit. In addition to being kosher, it is gluten-free and contains no artificial sweeteners. Each pop is 100 ML, contains 6% alcohol, and 90 calories. They are designed to travel and freeze in about 6 to 8 hours into a refreshing slushy-like consistency.

There is a definite alcoholic component to Claffey’s taste profile, which is distinctly sour. Despite the visual connection to the ice pops of our youth, each ice-pop is clearly labeled for Adults Only, a Premium Wine Product, they are not easily mistaken or confused.

Frozen Cocktails are a fun way to spice up a party, especially during the summer, a thirst-quenching refreshing treat to serve.

SOPHISTICATED CIDER

Austin Eastciders has taken cider to a whole new level, with imaginative tastes, which tantalate the palate, presenting bubbly, dry-ish beverages, mimicking champaign, fresh, fragrant, and provocative, with 5% ABV. Their ever-growing list of flavors begins with the Original Dry Cider, and then goes wild, with their fall flavors (which we sampled) Blood Orange, Pineapple, Cranberry, Blackberry, and Spiced Peach. The combinations are as exotic as the tastes, which keep their brand vibrant and addictive. We sampled the Fall taste line and found each can presents an alluring aroma, with a subtle taste, amplified by an after taste. This cider is surprisingly sophisticated, flavored naturally, made with real fruits, watch out for pulp!

Each flavor is created with a distinctive taste profile. Blood Orange Cider our favorite flavor is described as blended blood oranges from Italy with bittersweet heirloom apples to create a cider with a zesty twist. It can be described as medium-bodied, bittersweet, and crisp. There are hints of raspberry, grapefruit, and an aroma of citrus, apples, orange zest. In contrast, the Cranberry has a tart flavor of cranberry, crisp apple, and ripe berries. This cider is well suited for a holiday meal, presenting an aroma of ripe berries. Just reading their description makes me thirsty.

Austin Eastciders is not sweet, rather it is created in the tradition founder Ed Gibson brought from England’s cider country to Austin, Texas. Gibson combines his encyclopedic knowledge of cider with his business partner Mark King to develop this distinctive brand. They use cider apples sourced from Europe to create a more complex flavor profile, mixed with Pacific Northwest apples, to provide balance. Austin Eastcider uses juices from concentrate, for example, their pineapple cider uses pineapple concentrate, while blood orange contains red raspberry concentrate with whole blood orange puree. An alcoholic beverage that sounds healthy.

The calorie count is reasonable, their light ciders contain 90 calories per can, while others range are 150 – 160, comparable to beer, but marketed in a way similar to a bottle of wine, as a beverage with a taste profile and recommended pairings for enhancing each dining experience.  An example is Cranberry paired with hearty stews, turkey, cinnamon desserts. I feel they all would pair well with a shabbos lunch. This positioning places ciders as a key part of meal planning, elevating it from being a six-pack you pick up on the way to a party to a sophisticated spirit.

REMEMBER WHEN?

The choice of kosher beverages was limited to beer, wine, or hard liquor. Thanks to Austin Eastciders and Claffey’s the world of kosher spirits has continued expanding, offering whimsical fun taste combinations. Crowding around the table with family and friends for Purim is a perfect opportunity to introduce these refreshing low alcoholic choices which are naturally fun to sip.  Both Austin Eastciders and Claffey’s can be purchased online, or use their sites to find local retailers.

What will you be serving at your Purim Seudah?

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