Do alcoholic beverages really taste good? In men’s world where machismo is the name of the game, that question is irrelevant.
But there are men you can’t force to drink beer or any spirit for some reason, even if their lives depended on it, but aren’t willing to give up their pride. Here’s where Mike’s Hard Lemonade can come in handy.
Brief History of Mike’s Hard Lemonade
Mike’s Hard Lemonade is relatively young compared to other alcoholic beverages on the market, having been launched only
in 1999. The name was derived from its founder, Anthony von Mandl, who established this relatively new concept called “ready-to-drink” beverages.
Von Mandle is the founder and chairman of the American private alcoholic beverage company, The Mark Anthony Group. The company’s mission is to “provide products that are of the finest quality and value in their category”.
The company started as a one-man wine-importing venture and eventually grew into the level it is now – the largest ready-to-drink manufacturer in all of North America.
The concept of this beverage stems out from the fact that 25% of men didn’t particularly like to drink beer, but have nothing else in their hands. That idea has brought the company its first 10 million cases of sales without spending a single dime on advertisements. Currently, it delivers around 21 million cases per year.
It is said that when Mike’s Hard Lemonade was introduced in Canada, it used vodka. However, to boost sales among the US market, it eventually used unflavored malt liquor as this beverage’s base.
Significant Timeline
In 2009, it introduced Mike’s HARDER Lemonade and Mike’s HARDER Cranberry Lemonade. In 2010, it added Mike’s HARDER Mango Punch and Mike’s HARDER Black Cherry Lemonade. It also won ‘Company of the Year’ from Beverage World Magazine in the category under $1 billion revenue companies.
In 2011, it debuted Mike’s LITE Hard Lemonade. It also bagged two ‘IMPACT Hot Brand’ awards consecutively for Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
IN 2013, it introduced its FROZEN line that featured its four most popular flavors. It also introduced that year as part of its seasonal product line the Mike’s Hard Blood Orange.
In 2014, it changed its packaging to be more eyecatching, with the name “Mike’s” in the center of the iconic lemon-shaped logo. This first name basis signifies how it connects to its loyal drinkers.
Mike Hard Lemonade Cost
Mike’s Hard Lemonade prices can vary per variant and can be bought in packs. A 6-pack of 11.2 fl. oz. bottle typically costs between $9 and $10, while the 12-pack of the same bottles can cost around $17.
The following are the different varieties you can find in the market.
- Mike’s Hard Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Strawberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Peach Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Watermelon Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Pink Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Cranberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Lemonade Light
- Mike’s Hard Black Raspberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Cranberry Passionfruit Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Blackberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Hard Smashed Apple Ale
- Mike’s Hard Limeade
- Mike’s Harder Lemonade
- Mike’s Harder Black Cherry
- Mike’s Harder Cranberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Harder Mango Punch
- Mike’s Harder Strawberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Harder Strawberry Lemonade
- Mike’s Harder Strawberry Pineapple Punch
- Mike’s Lite Hard Lemonade
- Mike’s Strawberry Margarita
Properties and Other Details
Mike’s Hard Lemonade is under the classification of beer which makes it not required to divulge any nutritional labeling by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The only sure thing is it contains fresh lemon juice, high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, and a patented neutral malt base.
This malt base uses a sweetener which is grown from a stevia plant called Rebiana-A. This assures the consumers that no aspartame or phenylalanine can be found in the beverage.
What’s nice is that it is considered vegan if you are watching what you eat. Despite yeast being used in the fermentation, a proprietary multi-stage filtration removes the yeast from the malt and the gluten from the finished product.
The Alcohol By Volume (ABV) of its product line across all flavors and formats range from 3.2% to 8%. A bottle of the original version of Mike’s Hard Lemonade has 5% ABV and around 220 calories.
Serving Suggestion
Mike’s Hard Lemonade is a premium malt beverage infused with natural flavors. With this, you can match your favorite flavor with just about anything. But you surely can do unconventional pairings from time to time.
Some enthusiasts suggest the following pairings:
- Mike’s Hard Lemonade with burgers
- Mike’s Hard Smashed Apple Ale and grilled chicken
- Mike’s Hard Peach Lemonade and grit cakes with grilled corn
- Mike’s Hard Black Cherry Lemonade and summer peach cake
On the other hand, you can use Mike’s Hard Lemonade as ingredients to some cocktail drinks. Here are a couple of recipes to follow:
- Mike’s Hard Lemonade LITE-arita
Ingredients:
1 bottle of Mike’s LITE Hard Lemonade
6 oz. tequila
1 12-oz. can frozen limeade
Instructions:
- 1.Mix all the ingredients
- 2.Serve over ice
- 3.Garnish with lemon wedge
- Cranberry Orange Hard Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of fresh orange juice
1 cup of cranberry juice
2 tsp. orange zest
3 bottles Mike’s Hard Lemonade
Ice
For garnish:
Fresh cranberries
Orange slices
Instructions:
- 1.Mix together the sugar, cranberry juice, orange juice, and zest in a pot over medium heat.
- 2.Whisk until sugar has dissolved. Wait for 4 minutes more.
- 3.Let cool, then refrigerate. This can last for 3 days.
- 4.Serve by filling the glass with ice and adding one part cranberry-orange simple syrup.
- 5.Add two parts Mike’s Hard lemonade.
- 6.Garnish using orange slices and fresh cranberries, then serve.
