You’re sitting on the backyard patio, about the flip the steaks. It’s time for another refreshing adult beverage. You’re too old to be playing beer pong, so no light beer for you. Hard seltzer doesn’t have enough flavor—or booze—to scratch the itch.
Why not crack open a… cocktail?
Slim white cans filled with fizzy water seem to have taken the beverage business by storm over the past few years, but now it’s time for the next evolution—high-end canned cocktails with both personality and punch.
Boulevard’s Fling Craft Cocktails are cocktails—in a can. The stylish cylinders are up to 9% ABV with grown-up flavor profiles that’ll pair well with a medium-rare ribeye or a caprese salad with garden-fresh tomatoes. Best of all, no need to break out the shaker. Just crack the can and you’ve got a perfectly mixed Mai Tai, G&T or margarita.
Natalie Gershon, Vice President of Marketing for Boulevard Brewing Company, tells us that while Boulevard loves beer—their successful thirty years and counting proves it—sometimes they just, well, craved something else. So, in the spirit of Boulevard founder John McDonald’s charge to “do something different,” this felt right up their alley.
“Consumers love spirits, and with the installation of our state-of-the-art canning line, offering well-made classic cocktails in a can seemed like the perfect first step into the non-beer world,” Gershon says.
Canned cocktails made an appearance in the nineties, but they’ve come a long way from overly sweet malt-based beverages and wine coolers that were popular then. Fling uses real spirits from distilleries (several local) and the drinks range from five to nine percent ABV.
The brewery’s ready-to-drink canned cocktails launched last April at Kauffman Stadium and come in six artful flavors, and they plan on releasing more. Boulevard partners with Kansas City studio Whiskey Design to create the colorful and super-Instagrammable Fling can designs (#HaveAFling).
“We wanted to make something that was beautiful inside and out,” Gershon says. “And just like our beers, we were excited to offer an interesting variety of types of cocktails, each with their own distinct personality.”
Whether you’re having a night on the couch with girlfriends watching The Bachelor, tailgating before a Royals game or glamping, a simple crack of a Fling will satisfy your thirst for a fresh cocktail. We asked Gershon what her favorite Fling flavor is: “That’s like asking, ‘which is your favorite kid?!’ There is certainly one, or more, for every occasion so I can assure you, they all have a home in my fridge. I do find myself reaching for Blood Orange Vodka Soda most often. It’s so refreshing!”
Blood Orange Vodka Soda: At just one hundred calories, this spritzy and refreshing blood orange cocktail, featuring award-winning 360 Vodka, is your sunny patio BFF.
Cucumber Lime Gin and Tonic: G&Ts are a timeless classic. Boulevard’s version bursts with notes of floral, herbal and zesty citrus tastes and aromas and is cooled down with cucumber flavor. Builders Botanical Gin from Restless Spirits Distilling Co. in North KC is used in this cocktail.
Margarita: On the rocks? How about in the can? Margarita is a perfectly tasty blend of sour and sweet with a hint of salty. The boozy drink is crafted with American Agave Spirit from Mean Mule Distilling Co. in the Crossroads.
Mai Tai: While we’d all love to be sitting on a beach sipping a Mai Tai, Boulevard’s take on the tropical tiki classic gets us close enough. Virgin Islands rum and juices bring a fruity balance of lime, orange, almond and spice to this bev.
Rye Whiskey Mule: The mule combines spicy rye whiskey with ginger and lime for a bold take on a beloved cocktail. Copper cup optional.
Bourbon Smash: No cocktail shaker needed for this bourbon bad boy. This full-flavored and robust treat blends straight whiskey with sweet vanilla, lemon and hints of apple.
To find Flings near you, try Boulevard’s handy Beer Finder. Learn more about the entire line at boulevard.com/fling and #HaveAFling by following @flingcocktails on Instagram and Facebook.
