I’m Not a Mixologist but These Canned Mixers Have Me Feeling Like One

My kitchen is now my own personal speakeasy.

cans of soda and glass Toga Cox

I miss going out for drinks. There are more important things to worry about than getting my drank on, but I still miss hanging out with friends at the bar. Mainly because, at home, I don’t have a well-stocked enough bar cart to mix up any drink I want. Then Avec came knocking on my door (or, more truthfully, I stumbled upon their Instagram), and now I’m making cocktails like I’m my own personal mixologist. Sort of.

Avec is a new line of sodas designed to be mixed with alcohol. Available in five flavors —yuzu & lime, ginger, grapefruit & pomelo, jalapeño & blood orange and hibiscus & pomegranate — the carbonated drinks form the foundation for numerous cocktails. Mix tequila with grapefruit & pomelo for a less-sugary take on a classic paloma. Hoarding your whiskey? Try pairing bourbon with a can of the ginger mixer and get a Kentucky Mule.

bottle of mezcal, can of avec and glass filled with liquid
Mixing mezcal with Avec’s jalapeño & blood orange soda is as close to a spicy margarita as I’ll get in 2020.
Tyler Chin

Dee Charlemagne and Alex Doman launched Avec in June this year. Both have experience in the food and drink industry, and the pair sought to change the way we mix our drinks. Avec uses real fruit juices and whole ingredients to craft mixers that are drastically better, and better for you, than your grocery store jug mixers. No can has more than four grams of sugar, and none exceeds 20 calories, so not only is your drinking experience enhanced, but so is the morning after.

Mixing up a drink is as easy as cracking open a can, pouring it over ice and mixing in some liquor. Personally, I’ll pour half a can of Avec, pour a shot (or two) then top off with the rest of the mixer to avoid having to stir. Even after we start heading back out to drink with our friends, I’ll continue to keep my fridge stocked. These little cans have been boosting my spirits this quarantine, and I imagine they will after, too.

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