In Brief . . .

Alternative drinks…
Smoothie King, a New Orleans-based company that operates smoothie bars throughout the country, has introduced Gladiator Low Carb Meal Replacement smoothie mix. Each serving offers 1 gram of carbohydrates and 45 grams of protein. The formula is available in Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry flavors…
Kenover Marketing, Brooklyn, N.Y., recently received the award for Best New Beverage Item for its Stamford Hill Touch O’Peach Classic Brewed Tea at Kosherfest 2004 in New York City…
Fizzy Lizzy LLC, New York City, recently unveiled Fuji Apple-flavored Fizzy Lizzy All Natural Sparkling Juice…
Coffee/Tea…
Starbucks, Seattle, has introduced Chantico, a hot chocolate-like drink steamed with cocoa butter and whole milk…
The Teacrest Corp., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has introduced T42 English Breakfast Tea, the newest addition to its line of classic teas. The sweetened tea has 45 calories, and retails in gourmet markets and natural food stores in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic states and Florida…
Javo Beverage Co. Inc., Vista, Calif., has introduced shelf-stable concentrated beverage mixes. The concentrates are available in Espresso Latte and Triple Mocha Latte flavors for pouring over ice, and Vanilla Cappuccino and Mocha Cappuccino for blending with ice…
Schokinag Chocolate North America Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., has added three new flavors to its European Drinking Chocolate line: German Chocolate Cake, Extreme Dark and No Sugar Added Triple Chocolate. The line of drinking chocolates is sold in 12-ounce canisters for a suggested retail price of $11.99…
Davidson’s Inc., Reno, Nev., recently announced that more than 100 organic loose leaf teas are now available for bulk and retail sales...
Political Grounds, a subsidiary of Rushmore Enterprises LLC, Seattle, recently unveiled a line of premium coffees labeled with satirical messages. Available in 16-ounce packages, the coffee is sold with labels such as “Roast the French” (French roast); “Yasser R a-Rat” (medium Guatemalan); “Say Howdy Saudi” (decaf); and “Flubba-Dubya’s Campfire Coffee” (Kenya)…
Wine/Spirits…
United States Beverage LLC, Stamford, Conn., has unveiled Cranberry Apple Winter Breeze Seagram's Coolers. The new seasonal flavor will be available through January. The Cranberry-Apple addition marks Seagram's Coolers 20th anniversary, for which it has developed a new bottle and graphics...
Palm Bay Imports, Syosset, N.Y., has released MandraRossa wines from the Settesoli winery in southwest Sicily, Italy, in the United States. The MandraRossa Fiano 2003, Chardonnay 2003, Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2002 and Shiraz 2002 are sold for approximately $8.99 per bottle…
Baja Bob’s, San Diego, Calif., has introduced Bar Mixes, a line of low-carb Martini mixes with less than 2 grams of carbohydrates per drink. Sweetened with Splenda, the mix flavors are Cranberry Cosmo, Sour Apple, Luscious Lemon Drop and Blue Raspberry…
Beer…
Saint Arnold Christmas Ale has been released for the holidays from Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, Texas. The use of five malts gives Saint Arnold Christmas Ale a full flavor and relatively high alcohol level, according to the company. It was introduced into Saint Arnold's rotation of seasonal brews in 1995…