CAnE Collective Drink Mixers
Step Up Your Cocktail Game with these Flavorful Mixers
This pandemic is wild. It’s pretty clear that COVID-19 has disrupted our typical routines and all around way of life. I am especially reminded of this when it comes time to celebrate holidays and special events. This past Father’s Day, I was wondering how we could celebrate my dad, while maintaining social distancing.
While scrolling through Instagram, I saw a post from Arli’s Appetite of a cocktail made with CAnE Collective Mixed Berry Punch. I clicked on CAnE Collective’s page and was immediately infatuated with their cocktail mixers and all of the potential drinks I could make.
CAnE Collective is a Black-owned company based out of Baltimore. Clinton Jackson Alexander, Aaron Joseph and Ezra Allen came together to put the C, A and E in CAnE Collective. They felt that something had been missing from the spirits industry—in particular, from their favorite spirit, rum. Combining their decades of experience in the bar and hospitality industries, they created mixers for craft cocktails.
CAnE Collective brings the flavors produced from innovative mixology to anyone’s home. As much as I love a cocktail, I don’t always know what flavors work well together. CAnE Collective takes away the guess work and (often unsuccessful) experimentation, leaving you with a quality cocktail created with your favorite spirit. No need to muddle, squeeze or juice any ingredients. Pop the top off the bottle, pour in a glass and enjoy!
CAnE Collective comes in clutch now more than ever. While bars have reopened, I, personally, am too cautious to visit one. I can shake up or blend the perfect summer cocktail from the corona-free comfort of my own home.
You can purchase CAnE Collective at Alma Cocina Latina, area farmers markets or local liquor and wine stores (see their Instagram for up-to-date information). I purchased my bottles from Quarry Wine & Spirits. You’ll find CAnE Collective mixers in the refrigerated cases, to keep the products fresh.
CAnE Collective has five flavors of mixers: Bonvivant Mixed Berry Punch, Passionfruit Jalapeño, Tropical Green Orchard, CAnE Southside and Guava Tiki Punch. My mom and I picked up one bottle each of the Guava Tiki Punch, Passionfruit Jalapeño and the Tropical Green Orchard. All of the CAnE mixers have suggested anchors/spirits, both on the bottle’s label and online.
The Guava Tiki Punch received an audible “mmm” from both my mom and me. The first sip introduces grapefruit to your palate, but the smell of the mixer is a tropical guava. The mix gets a sweet touch, to balance out the acidity of the grapefruit and lemon, from a spiced pineapple syrup.
For a mixer that’s a bit more tart than sweet, try the Tropical Green Orchard. This mix is made with green apple syrup, Wight® Tropical Green Tea (also a Baltimore-based company) and lime.
Perfectly balancing sweet and heat, the Passionfruit Jalapeño can make a fantastic margarita. The mix, made with passion fruit, jalapeño, demera, orange and lime, was Aaron Joseph’s submission for Patron’s Margarita of the Year back in 2018. That mild kick of heat at the end of each sip is the best way to unwind after a long day.
Each mixer blends seamlessly with the spirit it was paired with. With little to no effort, I mixed up Passionfruit Jalapeño margaritas and daiquiris, as well as mimosas made with Prosecco and Brut, accompanied by each mixer.
I typically shy away from sweet drink mixers because they upset my stomach (and usually leave me with a monster hangover). CAnE Collective doesn’t use any hard-to-pronounce ingredients like large-batch, mass produced companies do.
I loved the Passionfruit Jalapeño and Guava Tiki Punch so much that I went back to Quarry Wine & Spirits to pick up two more bottles to take back to Virginia Beach. As of last weekend, I officially ran out of Guava Tiki Punch and I’m not sure how I’ll survive without it in my oversized mimosas.
So, skip the bars, stay home and enjoy a fun, fruity cocktail made with CAnE Collective mixers. If you drink enough, you may even transport yourself, mentally, to a tropical island paradise. That’s the closest I’m getting to a vacation right now.