Sipās Up in San Diego! From Vodka to Hard Seltzer, You Need to Try These Premium Alcoholic Drinks
San Diegoās reputation as Americaās craft beer capital has been around for some time; Karl Strauss (the countyās oldest brewery) kicked things off in 1989 and Ballast Point selling to Constellation Brands for $1 billion in 2015 being a high-water mark. Today, Americaās Finest City is bustling with more than 150 local breweries. That same entrepreneurial spirit has extended to innovations in small-batch spirits, hard seltzers and boozy kombucha. Featuring premium, better-for-you ingredients and full of flavor, the palate-pleasing options are seemingly endless. Here are five boozy brands founded in San Diego that you should put on your must-try list! San Diego Alcohol Brands
Melograno Cocktails
Location: San Diego
With bold cans and creative flavors, Melograno canned cocktails are this summerās must-have grab-and-go drink for easy, elevated sipping. Created by wife-and-husband duo Shiva and Reza Mortazavi, these cocktails taste just like your favorite bar-made drink. Skip the basic seltzerāMelograno uses quality ingredients in unique blends like melon margarita, cucumber lime mojito, and orange blossom martini.
Each can has less than five grams of sugar, along with zero artificial ingredients and no high-fructose corn syrup. Melograno canned cocktails are also made with 100% blue agave wine, ensuring that quality comes out on top both in taste and ingredients. Each flavor features its own unique and stunning design, allowing these vibrant and colorful cans to stand out from the competition. With 5% ABV and only 120 calories per can, Melograno canned cocktails make it easy to sip in style and satisfaction.
Where to Sip: Crack open a can of Pomegranate Cosmopolitan Melograno as you soak up the sun poolside on Pendry San Diegoās rooftop. This chic hotel in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter is home to The Pool Houseāan outdoor oasis with stunning city views that just wonāt quit.
San Diego Alcohol Brands
Locals Only Vodka
Location: Oceanside
Locals Only Vodka is on a mission to craft epic-tasting California vodka using local ingredients and sustainable practices. Their goal? Make great spirits while doing good for the planetāone bottle at a time. Locals Only is a premium, handcrafted vodka produced at Pacific Coast Spirits just blocks from the beach in Oceanside. āWe thought there was a space for a fun, California-lifestyle vodka that represented our home of San Diego,ā co-founder Sean Heal says. āAnd the name was to encourage people to live like a local, wherever they are.ā Made of California grapes and non-GMO grain, Locals Only is distinctively smooth and a touch sweet. Its a rad twist on vodkaās commonly neutral taste. P.S. Look for Locals Only as the official vodka of Super Girl Surf Pro Festival (Sept. 17-19) at the Oceanside Pier!
Where to Sip: For the best Locals Only Vodka experience, head to High/Low at Mission Pacific Hotel in Oceanside. This beachfront establishment offers up a mean brunch menu. Try dishes like fried chicken and waffles, vegan banana pancakes, and Cardiff Crack Hash. Pair your plate with a signature bloody mary made with Locals Only vodka, peppers, tomato, bacon, and celeryābrunch perfection.
San Diego Alcohol Brands
Pacific Coast Spirits
Location: Oceanside
This spot is billed as Californiaās first combo farm-to-table restaurant and grain-to-glass distillery. Oceansideās Pacific Coast Spirits offers a little bit of everything all under one roof. Youāll find various kinds of whiskey, bourbon, vodka, gin, rum, brandy and even agave spirits. All are handcrafted in small batches using raw ingredients and organic grains.
The same focus on premium, locally sourced ingredients shines on the food menu, with highlights like Distillery Fries and Oāside Hot Chicken. The fries come loaded with chorizo and whiskey cheddar sauceāa bold, crave-worthy combo thatās hard to resist. Another reason to support? Like Locals Only, PCS is a proud 1% for the Planet member, giving back to the earth.
Where to Sip: Head to Pacific Coast Spiritsā restaurant, Farmhouse, for a farm-to-table dining experience! Here, you can enjoy SoCal sunshine, tasty bites and Pacific Coast Spirits premium liquor in the form of refreshing cocktails!
Stone Brewing
Location: Escondido
Stone Brewing, celebrating its 25th anniversary this September, helped ignite San Diegoās now-thriving craft beer scene. Now the ninth-largest brewery in the U.S., Stone is beloved for its bold, hoppy IPAs and constant innovation. This year, they launched Buenavida Hard Seltzer, adding a crisp twist to their lineup and keeping fans excited. Both the Escondido and Liberty Station locations offer tasty food pairingsātry the Brewmasterās Brisket Dipāand spacious outdoor seating. With a deep tap list and beautiful settings, Stone Brewing is still a go-to for beer lovers after 25 years.
Where to Sip: Taste Stoneās special 25th Anniversary Triple IPA on Sept. 17 at its Oceanside or Kettner tap rooms. This hoppy brew is best enjoyed on a warm day under a shady patio!
San Diego Alcohol Brands
Ashland Hard Seltzer
Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea
Located in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Ashland Hard Seltzer set out with one simple goal: to make a guilt-free, great-tasting libation made of all-natural ingredients, 5% alcohol and little else. The result? A refreshing bit of craft-brewed bubbly with no sugar, no fat, zero carbs and only 99 calories in each 12-ounce can. Ashland offers eight fruity flavors, including blackberry lemonade, mango strawberry, pineapple and watermelon. One of its newer creations, The Bellinger Bomb (named after co-owner and LA Dodger Cody Bellinger), is an explosive triple of cherry, lime and blue raspberry. Batter up!
Where to Sip: Sip a few cans of Ashland Hard Seltzer on the rooftop deck of downtown San Diegoās Hotel Solamar. This Gaslamp Quarter hotel offers plenty of space to kick back or play with its turf lawn, lounge seating, cabanas and games like cornhole!
JuneShine
Location: North Park
If youāre seeking a buzzy beverage as transparent as the clean food you eat, look no further than San Diegoās JuneShine. This hard kombucha (6% ABV) is brewed with real, organic ingredients (green tea, honey, cane sugar, fruit juice and spices) and its ultra-smooth jun kombucha base. JuneShine contains all the good stuff (probiotics, antioxidants and vitamins) and none of the bad (no additives, preservatives, natural flavors, rice syrup or corn syrup). The hardest part might be deciding between chili mango or blood orange mint!
Where to Sip: Thereās no better spot to taste the smoothness of JuneShineās boozy kombucha than the brandās very own JuneShine Ranch! This chic San Diego tasting room has all of your favorite flavors on tap, so you can belly up to the bar and sip the day away.
San Diego Alcohol Brands
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Donovan Roche has been a writer and editor for more than 30 years, covering everything from music and entertainment to business and lifestyle. He co-founded and served as editor in chief of SLAMM, a San Diego-based lifestyle and music magazine, and he has written for numerous SoCal and national outlets, including the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Reader, Entrepreneur and Adweek. He lives in San Diego, where he is an avid hiker and concertgoer.
āCurrently based in San Diego, āKambria Fischer is a lifestyle photoāgrapher known for her impactfulā, authenticā āimageryā of lifestyle brands, food, āpeople and travel.āā āāShe holds a āBA in Journalismā and Public Relationsāā from CSULB and has an accomplished professional background in the hospitality and tourism industries. You can find Kambria hiking or playing beach volleyball on the weekends and eating tacos almost any night of the week.
Visit her at www.kambriafischer.com.
