Sometimes Foodie: Something Bubbly to Ring in 2022?

Sparkling Cranberry Apple Cider - Aldi

Hello, my name is Maria, and I am thirty...four? years old? Yup, I'm 34. I constantly forget how old I actually am. (Probably because I'm not big on Birthdays and don't like to celebrate mine.) Anyway, long story short, I am 34 years old and I still don't like the taste of alcohol.

I'll go out with friends and get a drink to be social, or grab a signature cocktail at a wedding, but I have never had an adult beverage I truly enjoyed. Drinking it feels like a chore, or like medicine, and half the time I wish I could pinch my nose and just knock it back to get it over with. Which is probably why I have only ever been drunk once in my entire life.

So, now you know. I rather sip on sodas and seltzers than anything boozy to ring in the new year. So when I spotted these at Aldi I thought, I really like cranberry, so why not give this a shot?

The bottle is brown glass, and the label looks very no-frills and generic. Not super cute, but it's got a real bottle cap that requires of bottle opener (which is fun since I rarely get to use mine) and it's nice to hold in your hand.

I popped the cap and took a sip, and it's just not what I wanted it to be.

I was hoping for something slightly tart and cranberry-forward. This is very sweet, like apple juice, but with the deeper, caramelized apple flavoring we associate with cider and a medium level of carbonation. Towards the end you get a slightly dry cranberry finish, but the beverage overall is just way too apple-focused for my personal sipping preferences.

As a 30+ year old adult who still hasn't grown into their alcohol-taste-buds (I still shudder whenever I sip boozy beverages), I would not recommended this to adults looking for a booze-free way to ring in the new year. It's far too sweet. In spite of the bottle being brown glass and looking like some kind of IPA at a distance, I'd feel like three kids in a trench coat trying to pass as an adult with one of these in my hand.

If you're an adult who likes apple juice, like Hannibal Buress, than this might be for you.

I would prefer something a bit more complex or at the very least, tart, for my new year sipping, but this still has it's audience.

I'm not sure if this is still a thing, but at New Year celebrations growing up, the kids table would usually have a sparkling juice instead of champagne. This would make a great option for the kids table. They can feel like they're drinking something bubbly and fancy from a glass bottle, like the grown ups, but it's (of course) not an actual adult beverage. I won't be buying this again for myself, but if I had some kids around, this would definitely come in handy.