The Splurgy Drink I’m Buying at Whole Foods All Summer

Stephanie Ganz
Stephanie Ganz
Once a professional chef (in the lifetime before kids), Stephanie Ganz has written for Bon Appetit, Eater, BUST, and Virginia Living and is a regular contributor to Richmond Magazine. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, two girls, and one excellent cat. Follow her online: @salganz (Instagram) and @onioncloute (Twitter).
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published Aug 3, 2022
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

I’ve tried my fair share of hard seltzers over the years — some good, some OK, some instantly regrettable. When I’m shopping for a hard seltzer, I’m looking for a party in a can. A drink that instantly transports you to the core of fun itself. Enter: Smooj. Smooj (even the name is fun) is a carbonated, alcoholic smoothie loaded with fruit, and it’s exactly the kind of Spring Break Foam Party in a can I’m looking for.

Credit: Stephanie Ganz

What’s So Great About Smooj?

A pandemic brainchild from the team at Ann Arbor’s HOMES Brewery, Smooj isn’t another hard seltzer; it’s an answer to hard seltzer. One that says, “We’ve got a better idea.” I first stumbled upon Smooj at Whole Foods while looking for Fun Drinks to take to the pool. At $17.99 for four 12-ounce cans, a case of Smooj feels like a bit of a splurge, but that tracks with the luxuriousness of sipping this fruit-loaded, lightly alcoholic (5% ABV) beverage. It feels like a treat because it is. 

Smooj is available in three original flavors: a dreamy, dessert-like Strawberry Banana; Tropical Trip, a blend of passionfruit, mango, guava, pineapple, and coconut that tastes like a vacation in St. Croix; and, my personal favorite, Piña Colada, perfect for getting caught in the rain. In addition to these main flavors, Smooj also releases limited-edition “Lab Drops” in select markets in flavors like Prickly Pear Piña Colada, Orange Delight, and, the most recent, Cherry Cola.

Credit: Stephanie Ganz

What I love most about Smooj (besides how tasty it is) is the transparent, readable ingredient list. The ingredients in the Piña Colada flavor are carbonated water, pineapple purée, cream of coconut, key lime purée, and alcohol. That’s it!

Shelf-stable for up to five months and best served chilled, Smooj should be stored upside down. That way, when the fruit juices settle in the bottom, they’ll mix up perfectly when you flip the can (but don’t get too flippy — these are carbonated). And, as is befitting a brand this joyful, Smooj has great merch, including a tie-dye bucket hat (I want it), a frisbee, and a super cute beach towel because you’re definitely going to want to bring these smoothies to the pool.

What splurgy item are you buying at Whole Foods this summer? Tell us in the comments below.

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