Review: Nashville Teas and Lemonades

TailGate Brewery makes a collection of classic beers, and surprisingly it’s also behind a tea-and-lemonade brand called Nashville (named after its home city). Both tea and lemonade can be useful cocktailing ingredients, so let’s give these canned offerings a shot. All come in massive 16 oz. containers.

Nashville Lemonade – If this had had a bit of pulp in it, I’d have been convinced it was homemade. Mind you, one can will get you 76% of your recommended daily allowance of sugar, but the tart lemon notes are authentic and crisp, effectively cutting through all that sweetness. It’s for sure a decadent treat on its own, and a useful shortcut for cocktailing as a lemony mixer. A-

Nashville Sunshine – A mix of sweet tea and lemonade — Nashville’s answer to the Arnold Palmer. It’s surprisingly fruity up top, almost like it’s made with Nashville’s peach tea instead of sweet tea, with a squeeze of lemon added to the mix. After the rush of sweet fruit fades, the tea comes into focus — particularly on the expressive nose, once it gets some time in glass. Ultimately the balance between the two halves is pretty spot on, making for a beverage that might be better than the sum of its parts. A-

Nashville Sweet Tea – A moderate to strong sun tea flavor kicks things off — classic and vaguely minty — until a healthy sweetness comes into focus and takes over. Though it’s sweetened just with cane sugar, the character hits as equal parts brown sugar and honey thanks to the interaction with the underlying tea. At 180 calories per can, that sugar is doing an awful lot of the talking — but damn if it doesn’t take you on a trip straight back to Sunday afternoons in the South. B+

Nashville Peach Tea – I’m not really a fan of peach (or really any fruit) in my tea, but for some I know it’s the only way to fly. The flavor is not inauthentic or overloaded, but the extra sweetness is palpable. At 180 calories per can it’s a lot to manage in sugar alone — and the fruit notes become even stronger as the tea warms up. Too much for me. B

each $24 per 12 pack of 16 oz. cans

The post Review: Nashville Teas and Lemonades appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.