It’s been a couple years since I’ve officially shared the results of my annual search for the perfect summer libation, and most of them have been citrusy cocktails that require a little bit of mixology skillz and specialized ingredients. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve gotten lazier, so I have to admit I was pretty pleased to discover a new contender for this year.
Bravazzi Hard Italian Soda is a new product that aims to capitalize on the popularity of flavored sparkling waters like La Croix or San Pellegrino fruit sodas, but with the additional benefit of containing booze. Initially launched in Nashville and Louisville, Bravazzi is the brainchild of some alcohol industry executives who have plenty of experience with marketing and distribution, and who recognize a good idea when they taste it. The brand operates under the parent company Vivify, whose CEO, Bob Walkenhorst has a daughter who graduated from Vanderbilt.
I had the chance to speak with Walkenhorst recently and asked him why he chose Nashville for his launch. “I got to know the city while my daughter was in school here, and I fell in love with the city. I love the food and drink scene down here.” He further explained that he did the R&D for Bravazzi with a Louisville company, and the product is brewed at City Brewing Co. in Memphis — so Nashville is in proximity to those two important loci.
And “brewed” is a key word in explaining Bravazzi, because it is made in a similar fashion to beer, but from pure cane sugar instead of malted barley. That is important for two reasons. First, there’s no unnatural aftertaste as there would be if the beverage was sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Additionally, unlike those flavored malt beverages that dominated store shelves back in the days of California Coolers and certain current hard ciders and lemonades, Bravazzi doesn’t have to overcome the prevailing taste and aromas of malt.
The result is a crisp and clean beverage that clocks in at about 4.2 percent alcohol by volume, and 160 calories per can, similar to light beer. Available in three flavors, Lemon, Blood Orange and Grapefruit, Bravazzi is pretty darned crushable, but you should be able to enjoy multiple cans by the pool over the course of a sunny day and still be able to drive home if you exercise a little caution.
Aimed at wine drinkers who don’t necessarily want to fill up on wine at 13 percent ABV or more, Bravazzi is closer to a sparkling water than a beer in body and carbonation. Even though alcoholic beverages are not required to share nutritional information on their packaging, the company does because it's proud of the products' caloric content and ingredients, which include fresh fruit and vegetable juices along with the sugar and water. For comparison, a Lime-a-Rita has about twice as many calories per can and, well, it’s a Lime-a-Rita.
Available in six-packs at grocery and liquor stores, Bravazzi is priced around $10 a six-pack, pretty much in line with craft beers. I’ve also discovered that it works as a bonehead easy mixer if you want to make a fine Paloma by adding a couple ounces of tequila to a can of Grapefruit Bravazzi over ice. And trust me, you do want to.
Cheers!
