Chicago-based White Claw Spirits Co., a brand of The Mark Anthony Group of Companies, unveiled its White Claw Tequila Smash, a tequila drink that balances seltzer, tequila, and fruit flavors — without added sugar and 100 calories in each can.
“White Claw pioneered the ready-to-drink category, which continues to be one of the fastest growing beverage categories and ripe for disruption. Following the success of our White Claw Vodka + Soda launch last year, we seized the opportunity to bring decades of beverage research and flavor innovation to another popular spirit, tequila,” said Phil Rosse, president of Mark Anthony Brands Inc., in a statement. “White Claw Tequila Smash is a revolutionary new way to enjoy a tequila drink with friends.”
White Claw began its research into a new kind of tequila drink more than three years ago, it says. This odyssey led the company to the lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico, where White Claw sources tequila from non-GMO blue weber agave grown on a family-owned organic farm — it is then aged at least six years, the company notes. On this same farm, White Claw invented a way to capture a liquid with the freshest, most aromatic flavors of agave before they're lost in the tequila-making process¬ — called Agua Dulce, it says.
Bringing together real tequila and real fruit juice — White Claw flavors plus new notes inspired by tropical fruit flavors in Mexico — White Claw Tequila Smash is available in four varieties.
White Claw Tequila Smash Strawberry Guava: Guava is native to Mexico, used for centuries in food and drink, including aguas frescas. Its complex, sugary taste sensations blend with a rush of rich strawberry flavor and tequila’s roasted agave notes.
White Claw Tequila Smash Pineapple Passion Fruit: Passion fruit is popular in Mexican aguas frescas, too. Its vibrant taste sensations pair with tangy pineapple flavors and balance out roasted agave tequila notes.
White Claw Tequila Smash Mango Tamarind: Fresh, real tequila tastes combine with lush, buttery mango flavor, a complement to the tart flavor of tamarind, a fruit found in all kinds of authentic sweet and savory Mexican food and drink recipes.
White Claw Tequila Smash Lime Prickly Pear: A mash-up of flavors of lime and prickly pear, whose leaves and fruits are native to Mexico. They combine with fresh tequila notes for a fruit taste sensation, it says.
Packaged in 12-ounce cans, White Claw Tequila Smash is rolling out in the United States now, available in variety eight-packs with a suggested retail price of $18.49-$18.99.