Champagne Taste on a White Claw Budget

Sunday Brunch has been a tradition between my friends and me for as long as we’ve been old enough to drink. Nothing starts the week better than spending a Sunday morning with a mimosa in one hand and a dollar bill to tip a Drag performer with the other. Between glasses, we spend time sharing plans for the next weekend while dreading having to go back to work the next day. This is a small luxury we love to take part in, but sadly that came to an unforeseeable break when COVID-19 resulted in a Stay at Home Order. With these new guidelines and restrictions in place, my workplace found it better for everyone to work from home, so I ran to the nearby grocery store after my last shift.

While shoppers stripped the store shelves bare of toilet paper and pasta, I went straight for the REAL essential items you’ll need during a global pandemic: WINE & SPIRITS. Like kids at the end of summer camp, we pinky swore to keep our Sunday brunch tradition fro.m the comfort of our homes. Through the power of FaceTime we had virtual cocktail hours, game nights, and Sunday Brunch. One Sunday morning, I came across a dilemma: the last bottle of champagne ran dry. I searched the pantry and found absolutely nothing; no champagne, no prosecco, no riesling, NOTHING. It seemed as though I didn’t plan on staying in place for this long, and learned a valuable lesson to over prepare.

The next day, I got my face mask and made my way to my local grocery store and looked for my favorite bottle of wine. As thankful as I am to have the opportunity to continue to work, hours had been reduced so budgets needed to be adjusted. So it was a sad realization when I arrived at the store to find that my favorite bottle of sparkling wine was sold out and the next best thing was out of my new price range.

I was ready to give up and go home empty-handed when I spotted the sign I was looking for from the corner of my eye. A big yellow sign advertising a case of White Claw, Hard Seltzer for a reduced price sale. Having never tried the popular drink, I was curious and delighted to see that it was within my budget. I got the variety pack and went on my merry way home. The drink didn’t taste terrible, but I knew I could do better. I started thinking about sharing a drink with my best friend when I got an idea. Without a second thought, I headed for the fridge and grabbed a carton of my favorite fruit juice, Peach flavored Jumex. This childhood favorite is a staple in every Latin household. I poured myself a glassful and prepared myself to blend my favorite childhood drink with my soon to be new favorite drink. I poured what was left of the can of lime-flavored White Claw into my glass of peach-flavored magic. The result was nothing short of amazing. I shared the combination with my best friend and brunch buddy, and she agreed. It was a beautiful alternative to my favorite brunch drink and we have been drinking these “mimosas” ever since.

Looking on the brighter side of things, this moment of quarantine has not only been a time for self-reflection and improvement, but it's been a catalyst for innovation and creative thinking. If it wasn’t for a smaller budget and an increased demand for sparkling wine, I would not have been inclined to try the White Claw that would result in my new favorite drink.