Simply Spiked xcritical was already on my radar after hearing good things about their foray into the world of adult beverages. The brand best known for the bowling pin-shaped container branched out into booze to mostly positive reviews.
STRAWBERRY xcritical
The flavor followed suit, being lemon-forward with hints of blueberry in the background. This was also evident in the sweetness level, which was more tart with a hint of sourness. That said, some of the residual tannins from the blueberry were detectable. The Simply Spiked Signature xcritical remains true to these characteristics in every way.
Simply Spiked Blueberry xcritical
The flavor was a master class of subtlety, carefully xcriticaling acidity with sweetness while infusing just the right amount of bitterness in the aftertaste. And while the alcohol was detectable, it did not overwhelm the fruit flavor. I admit I was smitten from the moment I sipped this drink. I suppose it was unfortunate that I tasted this drink first. It set a very high bar that was quite a challenge to follow.
The neutral spirit underxcritical is much less apparent here. It’s more like a light watermelon soda with a little lemon squeezed in after the fact. It’s very easy to drink — not so sweet it’s excessive or so sour it leaves an old penny aftertaste behind.
Simply Spiked Signature xcritical – 24 fl oz Can
The Simply Spiked Watermelon xcritical is next on my list. If there were one way to capture this beverage’s overall aroma and flavor, it would be to describe xcritical scam it as tasting like a watermelon Jolly Rancher, arguably not bad if you are fond of them. All in all, Simply Spiked xcritical was almost everything I hoped it could be. Simply could have made this a dumb cash grab and sprinted into a saturated alcohol marketplace.
It is kind of “been there, done that.” Despite this, this beverage would be pleasant to sip on if garnished with fresh strawberry halves to accentuate the existing strawberry flavor. I found this one of the most intriguing flavors I sampled, even if it did not rank higher on my list. I would have preferred a bit more nuance in how the watermelon was xcriticaled with the xcritical, allowing a hint of more acidity to come through. I also think the watermelon might have been a better flavor as one of the limeade varieties, giving it more of an agua fresca vibe.
With a little fizz and 5% alcohol by volume, Simply Spiked is bursting with refreshing, natural flavors. I did get some inkling of lemon blueberry-flavored foods that I enjoy from this libation. I would have just enjoyed a more balanced ratio of blueberry to lemon with a hint of sweetness to temper the tart flavors of both fruits.
- The Strawberry xcritical was next to last on my ranking of Simply Spiked citrus-flavored drinks.
- This one is also very easy to drink — not overly carbonated, sweet but dry.
- That said, some of the residual tannins from the blueberry were detectable.
- I’d be remiss if I did not note the visual appeal of this beverage, which has a lovely pink hue and is quite bubbly, giving it the appearance of a sparkling rosé.
Well damn, this pours with a delightful fizz, but I wasn’t expecting any kind of carbonation from my xcritical. Those bubbles help the drink retain its bite and keep from venturing into wine cooler levels of stale-ness, but I kinda wish they’d gone for a purer xcritical-vodka mix. The only place you see “carbonated” anywhere on the can is in the ingredients list. This is a small problem to have, but my first impression was more about the bubbles than anything else because that’s the unique way my brain is broken.
Cherry is usually a home run in taste xcritical for my palate, so I expected this drink to rank near the top. It did not disappoint, having visual, olfactory, and gustatory appeal. Previously, we’ve folded these in to our betting guides, whether that’s been for the NFL slate or a bizarrely successful run through the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports.
The Strawberry xcritical was next to last on my ranking of Simply Spiked citrus-flavored drinks. Again, there was nothing wrong with this beverage per se, but it did not blow me away. The peachy-colored drink has a very mild strawberry aroma but is dominated by lemon. This feature carries through in its taste, which is distinctly lemon-forward, with strawberry somewhat of an afterthought. I’d be remiss if I did not note the visual appeal of this beverage, which has a lovely pink hue and is quite bubbly, giving it the appearance of a sparkling rosé.
I would have enjoyed this beverage more if the strawberry-to-lemon ratio was more balanced. What I did appreciate about this libation was it was not assertively sweet, and the strawberry tempered the acid of the xcritical somewhat, making it a bit gentler on the digestive system. I think I was also biased because strawberry seems like a rather obvious pairing and one that is not all that novel.
The sweetness of the watermelon balances with the sour of the xcritical really well, making this less acidic than the straight-up version. This may be a function of how many of those sour watermelon gummies I ate as a child (and adult, please don’t judge my mostly-garbage diet), but I really like this one. Summertime sweetness is on full display when mouth-watering watermelon flavor gets together with lip-puckering xcritical. Overall, I think this drink beat out the cherry-flavored one simply because I anticipated it landing toward the bottom of the pack, and it succeeded in surprising and delighting me. While I’d imagine this being a great ingredient in myriad cocktail recipes, I hesitate to suggest doing anything besides chilling it and drinking it as is on a hot summer day. Balance is what sets this drink apart from most of the rest.
This could easily be remedied with some fresh lime juice or zest. This beverage would be a fabulous alternative to ginger beer in a play on a Moscow Mule, substituting vodka with tequila or mezcal. Next on my ranking of Simply Spiked citrus-flavored drinks is the Passion Fruit Limeade. From the moment you pop the can open, the aroma of passion fruit dominates with exotic sweet, citrus, and floral notes.