It’s only been a month since everyone went back to school, and you already need a drink! But are you tired of your typical selection of liquors? Whether you need something exciting that will get the party started or just something sweet to sip on while you cry alone in your dorm room, I’ve got you covered.
And please remember: Always drink responsibly.
1. 360 Double Chocolate Vodka
Prepare for trouble and make it double with one of the most decadent double chocolate liquors from 360 Vodka. This rich chocolate cake in a bottle goes down so smooth that you don’t have to mix it with anything, but you certainly can if you want to create some of the most indulgent cocktails.
Thirty-five percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and naturally gluten free, this vodka is available at most retailers and even online.
2. Revel Stoke Roasted Pecan Whisky
Roasted pecan is one of the more unique profiles in Revel Stoke’s whisky lineup, but it’s just as delightful. Enjoy the 35 percent ABV, the woody pecan flavors, the modest sweetness and the warm praline finish, perhaps as dessert after a fine Thanksgiving meal.
This autumnal whisky is available in stores and online.
3. 2 Towns Ciderhouse Made Marion Hard Cider
Oregon’s own 2 Towns Ciderhouse Made Marion flavor combines fresh-pressed, locally grown Marion blackberries with Northwest apples for a tart and tangy taste with a sweet finish.
With a 6.0 percent ABV, this cider knows how to have a berry good time. Use the Cider Finder on 2 Towns’s website to see if this refreshing liquor is available near you.
4. Oddka Fresh Cut Grass Vodka
Who knew that licking the inside of a lawnmower could taste so good? Oddka lives up to its name by presenting one of the most unique flavors of vodka available on retail shelves. Despite the initial grass note and aroma, the taste underneath is surprisingly sweet and citrusy.
Oddka also sells four other unconventional flavors: Electricity, Apple Pie, Salty Caramel Popcorn and Wasabi. At 45 percent ABV each, I would not recommend operating that lawnmower afterwards if I were you.
5. Amethyst Lavender Gin
The 45 percent ABV is not the only stress reliever in the most elegant of liquors. Amethyst Handcrafted Gin distills eight traditional botanicals and then adds a breeze of lavender for a light and lovely flavor that mixes well with summery fruits.
Although it’s only available in select locations in California and Washington, you can call or email to order the gin online.
6. Peanut Butter and Jam Old Fashioned
Embrace your inner child with this nostalgic bourbon. Infused with salted peanut butter and warming raspberry jam, this boozy take on a classic childhood sandwich comes in a bottle that is sealed with a raspberry-scented wax as mouthwatering as the liquor.
This PB&J also has a 36 percent ABV, so there is no room for cutting crusts off here. Created and sold by Firebox, it’s a shame that this pre-made cocktail is not available in the United States.
7. Stolichnaya Hot Jalapeño Vodka
One sip of this flaming hot vodka with a 37.5 percent ABV will turn you into a walking fire hazard. The pure and passionate jalapeño flavor is so spicy that even Stoli recommends mixing the liquor with tart fruits to curb the heat.
Check your local liquor store to see if this fireball is available nearby, and if not, you can purchase it online.
8. Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer
Spare your mouth the chewing, and just drink your pizza whole with Tom and Athena Seefurth’s “first culinary beer.” The beer is actually brewed with an entire margherita pizza in the mash and steeped to create a remarkably tasty liquid blend of tomato, garlic and Italian spices with a 4.7 percent ABV.
Pizza beer is supposedly available at “loads of locations across the country,” but if you really want to try it that badly, you can drop the Seefurths an email on their website.
9. Smirnoff Cinnamon Churro Vodka
Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but this vodka is so delightful. Smirnoff, one of the most recently popular brands of liquors, went and liquified a churro, so the beloved dessert could be a part of every meal. The cinnamon and sugar flavor makes for a fine addition to a hot mug of cocoa and mixes well for a sweet and creamy cocktail. The 30 percent ABV helps to heat things up a little faster.
This liquor can be found in most retail stores nationwide and can even be purchased online.
10. Friends Fun Wine Cabernet Coffee Espresso
You can take the product out of Miami, but you cannot take Miami out of the product. That is the philosophy of Friends Fun Wine, the company behind the world’s first coffee wine. Java and vino together at last in an 8.4 oz can for a sweet, low calorie, gluten-free fiesta.
At just 6 percent ABV, you will really taste the fresh Cabernet grapes, bold espresso and notes of smooth, delicious chocolate. For those that prefer white wine, Friends Fun Wine also offers Chardonnay Coffee Cappuccino. Both flavors are available at retailers nationwide.
11. UV Blue Vodka
Ever wondered what an alcoholic Jolly Rancher would taste like? UV packaged the answer in a bottle of neon blue raspberry vodka with a 30 percent ABV.
The sweet flavor and fun color spikes the entertainment level of any party and makes for some kickass Jell-O shots. You can buy UV liquors at most retail stores nationwide.
12. Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
Here’s a vodka just for you Southerners. Firefly’s Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka was first distilled appropriately in South Carolina, with tea from a neighboring plantation and Louisiana sugarcane. Multiple testimonies confirm that this poolside refresher tastes exactly like good old-fashioned sweet tea despite the liquor.
Thirty-five percent ABV but smooth all the way down, this vodka is tasty enough on its own, but mix it with lemonade for some extra fun in the sun. This treat is so good that even the Northerners will want to give it a go, and they can because Firefly is available for purchase in numerous locations across the country.
