Food & Drink /Drink

Tea Time

Hard iced tea takes swipe at the Claw

By: Nicole Richie

The White Claw craze of summer 2020 is riding out its tail end of superstardom, but the real star of this year’s beverage lineup is hard iced teas. After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, so it’s no wonder tea lovers, who also enjoy a cocktail, decided to combine the two.

Twisted Tea was one of the first to conquer this market in 2001; but since then, hard iced tea has been come in for the hard seltzer market. Brands like White Claw, Snapple and Arizona have been beefing up the spiked tea roster and creating their own interpretations of the thirst-quenching drink. Canned and portable, these sweet and tart hard iced teas are the perfect addition to your spring sipping line up.

Arizona Hard Green Tea

(5% ABV)

As America’s No. 1 producer of iced tea, Arizona speaks for itself. Its beloved green tea with notes of honey, ginseng and floral jasmine is all grown up. Spiked with vodka, this hard iced tea is just as delicious as its non-alcoholic counterpart. Unfortunately, you can’t get the king cans of this spiked beverage, but all the desired flavours are there, plus an added kick.

Twisted Tea

(5% ABV)

You know the expression about too much of a good thing? Well, that doesn’t apply to Twisted Tea. The original hard iced tea is an O.G. for a reason. Now available in an array of flavours, like blackberry and peach, and different styles, like lightly sweetened and half-and-half tea and lemonade, Twisted Tea remains as one of the top hard iced teas on the canned cocktail market.

Little Buddha Cocktail Co Natural Peach Tea

(4% ABV)

This organic peach tea is for the gluten-free and Keto members of your circle. This peachy hard iced tea is naturally sweetened with stevia and under 90 calories a can. Another vodka beverage on our list, Little Buddha’s tasty tea, has a touch of sweetness along with aromatic steeped tea essence, not overpowering your palate with artificial sweeteners.

Snapple Spiked Tea

(5.5% ABV)

Iced tea and Snapple are pretty much synonymous with each other. This longstanding tea maker has broken into the world of cocktails with its range of spiked iced teas. Snapple is known for its many different flavours, so obviously it had to bring that into the hard beverage options. Between the classic Long Island iced tea, watermelon tea, RaspCherry tea and more, Snapple has got a ton of options for you to drink through.

Freed Earth Green Tea with Honey

(4.5% ABV)

Freed Earth’s hard green teas are making sure you taste the tea first. Its sustainably sourced tea leaves give its spiked tea’s a true taste that makes you reach for another sip. Naturally sweetened with honey, Freed Earth’s teas are low in sugar and 100 calories, making them a guilt-free indulgence that you really want to drink!

White Claw Iced Tea

(5% ABV)

White Claw swept the nation with the release of its flavourful and low-calorie hard seltzers in 2020. So, when it started to advertise for its hard iced teas, we knew another craze was on the rise. White Claw’s vodka-infused hard tea comes in a variety of flavours, like mango raspberry and the original lemon. Slightly sparkling, these teas are sweet and refreshing and a great addition to your picnic basket.