By Rick Riozza
Even with all of the seltzers and ready-to-drink can cocktails flooding the market, there are always a few standouts. I’m not a big a fan of either—but, I’ve just sampled a few of the Seaborn Margarita Cocktails and I found them to be delicious. They are not on the sweet side at all, and the fruit flavors are interesting and inventive.
I understand that Ralphs Market over in Indio has had this product on their shelves for some time. We recently received some samples over at our Palm Springs location and that’s when we tried them out. And this is what we learned:
Crafted in San Diego, California, Seaborn celebrates their passion for the lifestyle that surrounds the sea with their love of sharing good times and great cocktails. They set out to create modern, better tasting ready-to-drink cocktails inspired by the classics. Seaborn hard agave cocktails are made with organic cane sugar and all natural ingredients. Their new craft Margarita is a refreshing cocktail with authentic south of the border flavor.
Of interest for a lot of folks is what’s all this “agave” product that we see in a lot of new alcoholic beverages? We tequila drinkers already know a bit about the agave plant; but products derived from the agave plant can be found in several business branches, such as medicine, food, fuel, cleaning, cosmetics and recycling.
Although agave is most often associated with tequila, the plant has been used to make alcoholic drinks in Mexico for thousands of years. Agave is the term used to describe spirits such as tequila, mezcal, and other lesser-known varieties which are distilled from any species of the agave plant. The agave plant is a flowering succulent, indigenous to Central Mexico which also yields byproducts such as binding agents and sweeteners.
Agave, also known as maguey, was considered sacred by many Mesoamerican civilizations. Pulque, a milky beverage made from the fermented sap of the plant, dates to at least 2000 BC, and in the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors likely introduced distillation methods for turning agave into mezcal. Tequila, a type of mezcal derived from blue Weber agave, was first commercially distilled by the famous Cuervo family in 1758 but blue Weber is just one of hundreds of species of agave.
Agave, which some folks call “agave wine” is very similar to tequila since they derive from the same plant, but agave wine contains much lower alcohol content. This means agave wine has identical flavors but not as strong of an alcohol taste to it.
The Seaborn Agave is organic Blue Agave that is sustainably farmed and fermented by a family-owned and most award-winning distillery in the heart of Jalisco, Mexico in the city of Tequila. Their cocktails are sweetened with organic monk fruit extract and organic cane sugar for the perfect balance of sweetness. Seaborn does not use any artificial sweeteners or ingredients.
The PR on their website, seaborncocktails.com particularly states: We only use the best quality organic and natural ingredients to give our Margaritas a refreshing and authentic south of the border flavor.
Here are a few quick reviews of the Margarita line-up according to their website:
The Strawberry Hibiscus Margarita smells of fresh strawberries, with subtle hints of watermelon and flowers with herbaceous undertones. A full blast of ripe strawberry, melon, lime and, of course, hibiscus. Once again transported to Mexico: it’s jamaica.
The Coconut Lime Margarita has an elegant, faint coconut with a hint of tropical spice. An explosion of freshly cut coconut, followed by mint, lime skin, and a fresh sugarcane sweetness that rounds-out the experience; nuances of fresh mint leaf linger in the best of ways.
The Passion (Orange) Guava Margarita immediately transports you to Hawaii—in a seamless succession, smells of passion fruit with subtle citrus and crushed guava. A blast of guava and citrus with subtle candied elements that are washed over by pure, ripe aromas.
The Pineapple Mint Margarita embodies seductive aromas of newly cut pineapple and fresh-picked mint leaves. Fresh, supple layers of fresh pineapple and mint, the balance and length are striking: close to perfection.
A fun aspect to their website showcases a few of the sport celebrities that exemplify the spirit of Seaborn:
“Lindsay Perry is a true renaissance woman. From surfing, modeling, singing and songwriting to being a content creator for global brands like Billabong, RVCA and Sony, Lindsay is a creative force. We had the opportunity to catch up with her and talk about life as a musician and creative director along with her latest endeavor and design studio called Distinctive Noise.”
“From pioneering huge barrels at the Wedge in Newport to launching Kelly Slater’s professional surfing career, Danny Kwock is a bona fide living legend. DK was at the forefront during Quiksilver USA’s early beginnings—shaping and guiding the company into the mega brand it is today. An instrumental force within the action sports industry and beyond, DK’s creative presence and influence will be felt for many years to come.”
Cheers!
