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White Claw is arguably the most popular hard seltzer on the market today. It’s the only brand of hard seltzer to experience a nationwide shortage (the White Claw Summer of 2019 saw several markets cleaned out of most flavors), inspire a bootleg merch market, and be the subject of countless memes and a fan base so loyal that the brand has come to represent its own athleisure-y lifestyle.
Of course, if you’re over the age of 30 there’s a high chance you just don’t get White Claw. Don’t beat yourself up about it, you probably never will.
if you’re on the fence, let us break it down. The brand — as cringeworthy as it sounds — resonates with its targeted market of Gen Z (*sigh* or Zoomers if you prefer) and the last wave of Millennials. Owned by Mark Anthony Brands, which also owns Mike’s Hard Lemonade, White Claw touts itself as a low-carb, 100 calorie, gluten-free, “naturally” flavored hard seltzer, with 5% alcohol by volume. It’s advertised with the tagline “Made Pure.” Now if that doesn’t sound like some Gen Z #brandspeak, what does?
As is often the case, the devil is in the details with all the “Made Pure” talk. The ingredients listed on the can include carbonated water, alcohol, citric acid (which is sometimes completely chemical), and natural flavors. Natural Flavors, according to the FDA, can mean anything from plant-derived essential oils to any product resulting from roasting, heating, or enzymolysis (using an enzyme to extract flavor from a natural compound). As with La Croix, we don’t know how many black cherries went into your can of White Claw Black Cherry. In fact, the drink may not even contain anything derived from an actual cherry (apple and grape are often used to mimic other fruit flavors cheaply).
White Claws are simple, an entire case costs about the same as a great cocktail at a good bar, and they aren’t nearly as heavy and don’t get you as sh*t-faced as something like a Four Loko. (Guess which oft-banned company is back to help Juggalos transition over to hard seltzer, according to CBS?)
Perhaps above all else, White Claw has succeeded because the brand is meme-worthy, meaning drinking the stuff can be approached with anything from total irony to genuine enjoyment. And, as anyone who has belted out Tom Jones on karaoke night knows, the former can quickly lead to the latter. There is nothing to get about White Claw — they just provide a very simple, affordable pleasure. Not a bad pitch when the world is burning.
Here’s a little audience breakdown:
Who Will Hate White Claw?
Cocktail snobs and people looking for a single-drink buzz. White Claws are, for better or worse, a product of their time. They’re simple, convenient, aesthetically pleasing, meme-worthy, and basic AF. They’re the fast fashion of the alcohol world. If any of that rubs you the wrong way, you’re just never going to like these.
If your poison is a three-ingredient negroni or you appreciate the timelessness of a crafted sazerac, White Claws aren’t going to win you over. Same goes for anyone who wants to get drunk quick.
Who Will Love White Claw?
Generation Z, La Croix fans, anyone young enough to not know what a Zima is and anyone looking for a light and low-calorie hassle-free alternative to beer, malt beverages, or cocktails. A White Claw is the perfect drink to have in hand for a pool or beach party, comes in a people-pleasing variety pack, and has enough flavors for everyone to have a favorite.
It’s instant gratification in a can, light enough to deserve a guilt-free second serving, and completely burnable after about 20 minutes on a treadmill. If that shit is your jam, you’ll be hyped.
Okay Already, Get To The Ranking
Since the summer of 2019, White Claw has introduced three new flavors to their line: Watermelon, Tangerine, and Lemon. As you can imagine, introducing new flavors completely changed the game, so we’ve refreshed our ranking to include them. Bring your arguments in the comments.
White Claw Ruby Grapefruit
Sorry to all the Ruby Grapefruit fans out there, but this is White Claw’s worst flavor. When popping open a can, you’ll be instantly greeted with a pleasant burst of fragrant grapefruit. The smell is shockingly natural, the sizzle of the bubbles suggests a refreshing crispness, ideal for a warm spring day.
Unfortunately, it basically tastes like nothing. Like, at all.
One of the most popular flavors of La Croix is Pamplemousse (grapefruit) and considering White Claw’s Ruby Grapefruit is just Pamplemousse + alcohol it should be, by all accounts, superior. It’s not. The flavor is completely front-loaded, it all hits you at once and it isn’t pleasant on the palate. The kick of the alcohol doesn’t do much here, it just kind of muddies the flavor of the grapefruit — making it not as refreshing as a La Croix and not as good (or effective) as grapefruit soda with a splash of gin or vodka.
The Verdict:: As bad as licking a rind. Only worse because you have 12 ozs of it to endure.
White Claw Watermelon
It took a great deal of internal debate to come to this conclusion but White Claw Watermelon is the second-worst flavor across the entire line, just barely holding an edge over Ruby Grapefruit by not having as appetizing a smell. What I’m saying is, tasting White Claw Watermelon will disappoint you, but coupled with the smell, it won’t surprise you that it’s this bad. The smell is reminiscent of watermelon Jolly Ranchers and the overly candied flavor has an unappetizing flat after taste that lingers on your palate way longer than it’s welcome.
The aftertaste is so bad that you’ll find yourself drinking more just to get a brief burst of candied watermelon to cover it up.
The Verdict: Avoid it if you can. Unless White Claw Ruby Grapefruit is your only other option, you shouldn’t pick up White Claw Watermelon. Even if you’re curious. Trust.
White Claw Natural Lime
What’s funny about White Claw’s “Natural Lime” flavor is how incredibly artificial it smells. Make no mistake, there is nothing “natural” about this drink, as soon as you pop open a can, you’ll be greeted by the familiar smell of fake-ass lime. It’s a bit like when you order a “fresh margarita“ only to find out it’s made with sweet and sour or margarita mix. Sure, it’s freshly mixed, but it isn’t exactly what you assumed when you read the word “fresh.”
The White Claw Natural Lime presents the same problem. The smell isn’t “natural” and it doesn’t taste like fresh-squeezed lime — though it certainly tastes more natural than the smell would lead you to believe.
The Verdict: Hmmm, it’s… okay! It’s hard to hate this but its also very easy not to love it. It’s not winning any White Claw doubters over, but it’s solid enough to avoid being definitively disliked. By all accounts average.
White Claw Lemon
White Claw Lemon
White Claw Lemon makes White Claw Natural Lime feel kind of redundant. The former is an improvement over the latter in every way — the taste is more subtle, it pairs better with White Claw’s alcohol base, and the scent is refreshing and less floor-cleaner-esque.
White Claw Lemon tastes less like the juice of a lemon than it does the rind, making your White Claw feel much more like straight vodka with a lemon twist than it does your average spiked lemonade, albeit much lighter.
The Verdict: Lemon over Lime.
White Claw Black Cherry
Oh, well this is awkward. Meet White Claw Black Cherry, my old favorite flavor. I don’t want to sound dramatic or anything, but White Claw Black Cherry smells of pure candied death.
I truly hate the way this flavor smells but the taste is still on freaking point, even if it’s not at the top for me anymore. It’s deep cherry flavoring pairs well with White Claw’s alcohol base and it hits the hardest of any of the flavors. It’s truly earned its designation as a “Hard Seltzer” and as a stand-alone drink.
The Verdict: The decider. If you don’t like White Claw Black Cherry, you probably just don’t like hard seltzer to begin with.
White Claw Tangerine
White Claw’s brand new Tangerine flavor is one of the best in the entire line, which is surprising because new flavor packs are often nothing more than curious after-thoughts after the buyer-base starts to tire of the same old flavors. Smell-wise, the White Claw Tangerine is shockingly close to the actual smell of a freshly peeled tangerine, and the flavor is not unlike — and this is going to sound slightly wrong — an overripe tangerine. Sure, you don’t want to experience the fermenting bitterness of an actual overripe tangerine, but in alcohol form, that bitter base with subtle fruity top notes hits the spot just right.
To kick it up a notch, mix it with your favorite gin, and enjoy a very tasty gin and soda.
The Verdict: Somebody’s favorite. While it isn’t mine, White Claw Tangerine is bound to be somebody’s favorite flavor. Trust that person for drink suggestions.
White Claw Mango
Ahh, White Claw Mango. Let me tell you a lit bit about this drink — up until the moment I first experienced the sweet kiss of White Claw Mango, I had already decided this flavor would be on the bottom of the tier. White Claw Mango was for a time, the hardest flavor to get your hands on during the great White Claw drought of Summer 2019, so when I finally tried the flavor for the first time I was salty at having to spend a day traveling to different markets to find a case.
That was then, and this is now. White Claw Mango is everywhere, and the flavor is pretty. Damn. Good. In terms of fruit, mangos just don’t do it for me. Never been a fan and if I don’t have a bottle of Tajín handy, forget it, I will pass on mango every time. But the Mango White Claw offers something that the flavors that come before it just don’t hit on as well. It’s as pleasantly aromatic as Ruby Grapefruit, as crisp and refreshing as Lemon, and just as solid a flavor combination as the Natural Lime, except it isn’t as tired formula as lime + alcohol — so it feels like something new.
The Verdict: Almost essential. If your question is why have a White Claw over any other hard seltzer? The answer is because the Mango White Claw is fire, so shut up, drink it, and stop asking dumb questions, Cousin Greg.
White Claw Raspberry
Raspberry makes Ruby Grapefruit seem completely redundant. While it’s initial aroma isn’t quite as sense-awakening and pleasing as its grapefruit sibling, in terms of flavor, balance, and bite it delivers nicely on all fronts. This flavor has a great balance of bitter and sweet notes, it’s not overly fragrant or artificial tasting, and the flavor of White Claw’s clean alcohol base cuts through to make you feel all 5% of that alcohol by volume.
It’s the most subtle of the flavors, where Natural Lime smacks your tastebuds with sour sensations, and Ruby Grapefruit travels flat and unenthusiastic across the palate, Raspberry delivers an even punch that is as refreshing as it is aromatically pleasing. The drink plays it safe with subtlety, but it’s better for it. White Claw Raspberry is a pretty good indicator of whether or not you’re into what White Claws can provide. If you try the Raspberry White Claw and fail to enjoy it, these drinks probably aren’t for you, my friend.
The Verdict: You need a case! In our original ranking, I placed White Claw Raspberry right in the middle. I was wrong. This is the tops baby. A persistent White Claw habit has opened my eyes and I see the error of my ways. White Claw Raspberry is the only flavor you need to drink.
The ladies of HBO’s Betty are glorious to behold in action during their new series. Let me back up a moment to properly introduce them. In 2018, filmmaker Crystal Moselle — director of the Sundance-acclaimed documentary The Wolfpack — brought the world a narrative feature called Skate Kitchen. The movie revolved around an introverted teen skateboarder, Camille (Rachelle Vinberg), as she navigated friendship within a group of NYC skateboarders, portrayed by a real-life gathering of female skaters known as the “Skate Kitchen” group. Their adventures, although fictionalized, represented an authentic portrait of the group’s culture and presence, which resonates on social platforms and inspired HBO to continue the characters’ stories within a six-part TV series.
The young women of Betty — including not only Rachelle Vinberg but Ajani Russell (as Indigo), Dede Lovelace (as Janay), Nina Moran (as Kirt), and Kabrina “Moonbear” Adams (as Honeybear) — are a trip to behold. As they glide through streets that make up the male-dominated world of NYC skateboarding, the diverse group comes together amid occasional clashes while navigating life’s challenges and, somehow, allowing us all to absorb some coolness while watching. Rachelle and Ajani (who, like the rest of the principal cast, are actual Skate Kitchen members) were gracious enough to speak with us by phone about continuing the group’s legacy with the Betty series.
Enlighten me here, ladies. There are so many shots of you (in both Betty and Skate Kitchen) where you’re skating down New York City streets, weaving in and out of traffic. Do you guys really do that on any given day?
Rachelle Vinberg: Oh, heck yeah. Remember recently, Ajani, when we were skating, and I almost died? No wait, it was you that almost died, and then [drivers] were like, “Why do you guys have to go so fast?” We almost got hit by a car. It was a weird day in Union Square. It’s very true. I think that happens more so when you’re in a group, and that’s what you do. It can be dangerous, and it’s a little scary because you try to keep up with everybody else, and you’re all super excited with the adrenaline rush.
Ajani Russell: Crystal loved the very natural moments. She’d be like, “Okay, go skate and do your thing, and we’ll follow you guys around.” The cameras have to be able to keep up. The guy on the skateboard, his name is Joey, he’s our skate cam, he’s really amazing. Luckily, he’s a good skater, but I remember when we were filming the TV show, and someone was trying to skate with the camera, I think it got dropped. Maybe it was during a photoshoot that [my character] did, but you gotta be careful with that camera.
Rachelle: Yeah, the camera got dropped on me once. It was weird, it was crazy.
The skating is real, but there are lots of movies and TV shows that try to capture youth culture. Do you guys feel pressure to be authentic in your portrayal?
Ajani: I think that just us being given the platform for our experiences, we wanted to be authentic because it is our story, and we want our ideas to come through clearly. I feel like that’s such a driving force for our motivation, and we are friends and hang outside the Skate Kitchen work. Because we’re so close and got to know each other so well before we started working together, it just contributes to the authenticity of the project.
Rachelle: I definitely agree, and I want to be authentic, and Crystal does, too. That’s why she had us be consultants on the show, so we actually had a voice, and we could say, “Maybe this is a cool idea, but it wouldn’t be realistic.” We were very quick to say that, and a lot of times, we’d say, “Just so you know, that’d never happen.” And then most of the time, they’ll think of something that’s real that would happen within this world, and we’re very well-versed in this world because we’re a part of it.
Your roles obviously weren’t intended to match up to your real personalities, but what do you love most about your characters?
Ajani: I love how imaginative and creative that Indigo is. She finds herself in a lot of tight and tricky situations, but she doesn’t panic over it too much. She just sees a problem and tries to fix it, and I love also how much she cares about her friends. She loves them almost to a fault. She’d risk everything for the people that she loves and gets a little carried away sometimes.
Rachelle: Now that I think of it, I think that Camille is a little bit like the opposite when it comes to that. She’s a little bit selfish. One thing that I like about her is that when she’s trying to navigate through situations, it’s kind of like she’s not trying to be bad or anything, but it happens because she doesn’t have the best intentions all the time. But I guess I like how she just can’t really get away with that shit. She has a conscience, and she’s not very good at lying. It’s just funny and relatable.
Now that you have followings, do you feel more pressure when you go skating?
Rachelle: Yeah! I do, for sure. I’m trying to get over it.
Ajani: No, I don’t really feel very pressured. It doesn’t really affect me.
Rachelle: That’s good, I want to get to where I’m like that more. I think for me, it’s more like I’m going to the park and owning who I am and not thinking, “I suck.” But that’s like the Camille in me.
Ajani: I was never a park skater to begin with. When I started, I had a few bad experiences in a skate park, so I kind-of avoided them and still do, to this day. I like street skating where I can skate alone or be with my friends, but I don’t have to be around skater…. boys, specifically.
Rachelle: I realized that I don’t actually like to go to parks a lot. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because I’m feeling nervous.
Speaking of nerve-inducing, injuries do happen. Rachelle, you’ve actually experienced the dreaded “credit-carding” trauma and, later, portrayed that injury during Skate Kitchen. Have either of you been through even worse?
Rachelle: [Laughs] Well, credit-carding definitely makes you go through a lot. That, and hitting my head. I don’t like to think about getting hurt because it’s just scary. Like breaking an arm or getting all kinds of hurt. Ajani were you there when [our male friend] hit his head and started bleeding?
Ajani: Yeah, he was bleeding out his nose and even convulsed a bit, and then we rolled him over. And then we cleaned up the blood because we didn’t want the skateboarders to skate through the blood.
Rachelle: And who cleaned up the blood?
Ajani: The girls. The boys were all skating through the blood. I used my shirt, and then I threw it out. Well, there were some dudes who were helping. But I’m always afraid of messing up my face. As a model, you need a face. Gotta keep mine intact.
Should I even ask whether the quarantine atmosphere is affecting your skating right now?
Rachelle: Yeah, no one’s really able to skate right now with the parks locked up, the schoolyards locked up, that kind of thing.
Ajani: On the West Coast, it’s been…. yeah. Other than going to the store, I really don’t go outside very much, so I see a lot of walking around, and I’m not used to seeing people walking in L.A.
Rachelle, you’re New York-based, but Ajani is bicoastal. How does the skate culture differ on each coast when there’s no pandemic?
Ajani: On the West Coast, the weather is nice most of the time, so skaters here are really lucky because they can go all year round, whereas with New York winters I find it difficult to skate. It rains a lot, and I don’t think there’s a single indoor park in New York.
Rachelle: Yeah, there actually is an indoor park coming, but there’s one other thing. Because there are winters, the New York roads are a lot crustier because of potholes and all of that. So I think that skaters in New York, they’re a little more raw, and they’re kind-of known for that, and it’s seen in their style as well. You can kinda tell where someone is from by the way that they skate.
Ajani: Yeah, their mannerisms are different.
Rachelle: In New York, they’re like, doing lowrides and going fast.
Ajani: More of a street-skating style there. In L.A., there’s more bowls and just more skate parks, and they’re bigger because there’s more space. Larger obstacles, and they’re very creative here, because skate culture’s so big here. In New York sometimes, there’s a skate park, but it doesn’t feel like there were necessarily many skateboarders that plan the skate park.
Rachelle: That’s a thing, but I feel like New York skaters are more creative because they have to work with what they have, and everything in California’s pretty perfect.
Ajani: Yeah, the sidewalks in California are all flat and smooth, because nobody uses them or walks on them. The ones in New York are so used and cracked and dismantled. You get better faster in New York because the learning curve is steeper. But then you won’t because of the weather!
Do you guys remember the moment when you found out the Betty show was going to happen?
Rachelle: Honestly, I remember Crystal telling us, “I don’t know if this is gonna happen, but they came to us, and they potentially want to shoot.” This was probably the fall of 2018. It all happened fast.
Ajani: It’s only been four years since we met. Barely, even.
Rachelle: No, it’s four years next month.
Ajani: Yeah, It’ll be our anniversary!
Aww, you guys are such good friends. Is it difficult to portray conflict between your characters?
Rachelle: Sometimes, but not a lot because there is real conflict a lot of times.
Ajani: Being very strong personalities, we’re all very stubborn. We realize that.
Rachelle: We’re very stubborn, strong, and opinionated, but we also definitely get over things pretty easily. We never actually want to fight, and we’re not like that to want to have conflict all the time.
HBO’s ‘Betty’ debuts on Friday, May 1 at 11:00 pm EST.
Here are your quick, editorial-free NXT results for April 29, 2020. Tonight’s episode included Charlotte Flair defending the NXT Women’s Championship against Mia Yim and Keith Lee defending the North American Championship against Damian Priest. Make sure you’re back here tomorrow for the full Best and Worst of NXT review.
NXT results:
1. Interim NXT Cruiserweight Title Tournament match: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott defeated El Hijo del Fantasma with a crucifix pin.
– In a promo from earlier in the day, Dominik Dijakovic took issue with Johnny Gargano’s words last week and challenged him to a match.
– During the commercials, El Hijo del Fantasma fought off the masked kidnappers again, this time inside the Performance Center.
2. Candice LeRae defeated Kacey Catanzaro. LeRae entered with a new theme, new gear, and a new entrance video that dubbed her “The Poison Pixie.” Johnny Gargano gave her a complimentary ring introduction and remained at ringside during the match. LeRae pinned Catanzaro with a new finisher called “The Wicked Stepsister” for the win and put her opponent in the Gargano Escape after the match.
Why does Cinderella always have all the fun? Well, tonight belongs to the WICKED STEPSISTER. @CandiceLeRae defeats @KacyCatanzaro in 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 fashion!
#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/vbkLmzSy3k
— WWE (@WWE) April 30, 2020
– Backstage, Damian Priest cut a promo about his upcoming match with Keith Lee.
– Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher entered the arena and Riddle surprised Thatcher with a game show segment, The Newly-Bro-ed Show. With Byron Saxton as the host, Riddle and Thatcher played The Newlywed Game, soundtracked by canned laughter and applause. Thatcher didn’t really get it. The game was interrupted by an attack by Imperium’s Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel. They posed over Thatcher with the tag belts after beating him up.
– An ad about WWE’s relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation aired.
– Adam Cole revealed that William Regal set an NXT Championship defense for him next week against Velveteen Dream. He cut a promo about how he still doesn’t think Dream is worthy.
3. NXT Women’s Championship match: Charlotte Flair (c) defeated Mia Yim by submission, tapping her out with the Figure Eight. Io Shirai confronted Flair after the match.
– Another apocalyptic vignette played for Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux. Their arrival was promoted for next week.
– We learned that also next week, Finn Balor will address the attack on him.
4. Dexter Lumis defeated Shane Thorne by knocking him out with the kata gatame choke.
– Backstage, Keith Lee cut a promo on Damian Priest.
5. Interim NXT Cruiserweight Title Tournament match: Drake Maverick defeated Tony Nese with a bulldog off the top rope.
– Flair vs. Shirai, Gargano vs. Dijakovic, and Cole vs. Dream were promoted for next week.
6. NXT North American Championship match: Keith Lee defeated Damian Priest, pinning him with two Spirit Bombs.