By Rick Riozza
Craft cocktails’ popularity is soaring. Folks at the bar are readily paying $25 for a five ounce libation; and, that has caused many hard liquid lovers to try their hand at concocting their own stylish craft at their own abode—or, at parties!
“Old style” or those “Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix types” quite often bring back bad memories of college hangovers. Many and most have moved on; those who haven’t—we’ll, there are die-hards in every occupation!
But a brand new market of non-alcoholic cocktail mixers continue to come on the scene. As your friendly neighborhood wine steward at the Palms Springs Ralphs Market, my jurisdiction also covers the liquor aisle, where I get to see the new stuff fit themselves in on the shelves. And one of the new “kids on the block” just in, is the brand, FICKS Premium Cocktail Mixers.
So for professional edification, I decided to check out this cocktail mixer that touts its claim of transparency and its use of natural ingredients. Here’s their latest PR: “it is the mixer for “active people”, with low calories (around 35 per 3 fluid oz ) that when added with 1.5 oz alcohol equates to around 135 calories total per cocktail; and to boot, some additional electrolytes/vitamins are added by the company.
“FICKS started when college roommates Ron and Mike couldn’t find calories on their beer cans. Curious about how many calories and sugar were in their drinks, they were shocked to find companies didn’t actually have to tell them. They decided to “fix” the lack of transparency from Big Alcohol by starting a company committed to keeping sugar low, but taste and authenticity high.
“Mike and Ron release their first product – FICKS Premium Cocktail Mixers. An industry first to marry all natural ingredients with lower sugar, their mission of creating better for you bar products was in motion. To keep flavor great, but sugar low, they source fresh fruit to flavor each mixer. FICKS searches the globe for the best all natural ingredients to deliver bar quality cocktail taste. From Mexican limes and agave nectar, to California and Texas grapefruits, you can be confident FICKS cocktails keep it real.
“After years of early morning deliveries to liquor stores, FICKS got its big break with a test in Target. One issue though…no free shelf space. Not a problem! Mike and Ron built wooden stands for all California Target stores testing the mixers. Six months later, FICKS is one of the top selling mixers, and gets permanent shelves in all California stores. Ron and Mike high five.”
With the mixers booming, and established relationships with the best fruit suppliers in the country, FICKS decided to race with the seltzer crowd and take its low sugar, real fruit mission to alcoholic drinks. Ron and Mike began brewing hard seltzer flavored with real fruit, rather than just natural flavors and added sugar, to avoid the chemical taste they got from Big Seltzer brands. FICKS Real Fruit Hard Seltzer was born.
FICKS uses infinitely recyclable glass bottles, aluminum cans, and paper boxes to package their products in a journey towards a plastic-free supply chain. They ask that you please recycle FICKS products after enjoying.
And now: our reviews of the stuff:
The refreshing FICKS Premium Margarita Mix does indeed taste like a homemade margarita without the work. There were the bitter notes and acidity of real citrus, as well as a sweetness that was neither syrupy nor synthetic. One could see a real tavern serving this up—but we won’t go there figuratively, nor maybe literally.
Though the natural flavors of the mix stood out, it’s not a real bomb blast for those that actually like a “sweeter” cocktail. A squeeze of fresh lime is well recommended, but that’s always the case with any Margarita mix—who doesn’t add fresh lime! And because of its lighter flavors, you’ll wish to drink up at a good pace—heavy ice can be the death of the cocktail.
Don’t have time to prepare your own? Or do you simply like the convenience or a sweeter taste? A premade margarita mix is a quick and easy option.
Servings: about 10 servings per bottle
Ingredients: water, lime juice, agave syrup, cane sugar, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavors, citric acid, Stevia rebiana extract
FICKS Premium Bloody Mary Mix. This stuff is very good on its own for mocktails and such. Good tomato and veggie flavors, but not that much heat. This does work out well because every other Bloody Mary aficionado has their own heat and spice level they gravitate to.
The ratios the label suggests of 3 ounce FICKS to 1.5 oz of alcohol works well—but again some like it hot, some like it strong. I love to add the Crater Lake brand of Cayenne Chili Vodka or their Hatch Chile Vodka. Those vodkas are great on their own, but they give a good kick to the Bloody Mary, Bloody Caesar, or Bloody Grampa (made with Grappa) that you’re serving.
The FICKS Moscow Mule Mixer takes a pure ginger juice base and blends it with fresh Colima lime juice for an amazing but simple mule cocktail mule mix. Lower in sugar too!
We think these mixers are a hit. They don’t taste at all like Splenda-filled chemicals. The good news or bad news is that the bottles are big enough for 10 cocktails. The rest is up to you. Cheers!
