Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Drinks Juice Boxes for Adults: mar-GO-ritas
Posted by Chris Chamberlain on Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 7:32 AM
Named after the last names of brothers Antonio and Sal LaMartina and their friend Craig Cordes, the product was invented out of frustration, as the twenty-something founders were tired of being prohibited from carrying glass containers to the beach or the pool. Since they were still young enough to remember sipping out of Capri Sun pouches, the trio began to investigate creating an adult version of that kiddie favorite.
Their resealable flexible packaging recently won the beverage industry's top award for ingenuity, and the hooch inside ain't bad either. Planning ahead for the inconsistent liquor laws that vary from state to state, the Cordina boys recognized that a liquor-based product would not be as successful in areas that don't allow liquor sales in groceries or convenience stores. But they were also smart enough to avoid the malt liquor concoctions that are flavored to taste like margaritas or wine coolers or any number of nasty faux cocktails.
Margaritas have to be made from tequila, right? Well, not exactly. What you really want to taste is the base flavor of tequila, which is agave. Brilliantly, instead of distilling the agave into a spirit, mar-GO-ritas are made from a fermented blue agave. This means that the government classifies the product as a wine instead of a liquor and allows it to be sold anywhere that wine is available. Including hopefully in Tennessee supermarkets soon.
At about 8 percent alcohol, mar-Go-ritas pack about as much kick as the version you'd get at your favorite bar. Made from agave wine, lime, lemon and orange juice and sugar, the drink contains no artificial ingredients or colors. Simply leave a pouch overnight in the freezer and you've got a great frozen drink you can enjoy through the included large-caliber straw. Or if you prefer your margaritas on the rocks, just chill it in the refrigerator and pour it over ice.
Tart enough without being overly sweet, mar-Go-ritas would be a great addition to your cooler for outdoor picnics and pool parties. I only wish they had come into my life sometime before Labor Day. I'm not willing to put them away with my white shoes until next spring. They might just have to travel to some football games this fall.
Expect to pay about $10 for a four-pack of pouches (each one is 375 ml, or 12.7 ounces), and one pouch is really more than enough for one person. Unless you're packing it in your lunch box ...
Already growing rapidly in terms of distribution, Big Easy Brands is hard at work on the next great ideas in juice boxes. Expect to see daiq-GO-ris, piña-GO-ladas and GO-jitos on the market soon. Just in time for next summer, I hope!
Comments (8)
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Love the flavor of agave -- I bet these are great. Where are they that I may procure them?
They are available at many liquor stores in town. Especially those with a cooler section, if you know what I mean...
mar-GO-ritas are much superior to the malt based Fakearitas and comparable to a pre-made Cuervo mix. No, they're not better than ones you might make by hand with fresh squeezed lime juice and a floater of Cointreau, but hey, you can take them on a boat!
As far as former Zima drinkers go, I will not admit to any knowledge of that demographic. Though I do remember that they used incongruously to sell that crap at Nashville Sounds game.
I was actually going to mention how the go-cup has earned Savannah a soft spot in my heart, but since the post was about a product out of New Orleans, I self-edited.
Thanks for the reminder, S L. I need to take a stroll down River Street again some time soon.
