Sips & Tips 

Made up primarily, but not exclusively, of libations of one sort or the other, our pantry of samples has received some interesting new (and newish) products lately. Here’s a bit of what we’ve been sipping lately.

My infatuation with spritzes started in Italy, with the bright orangey-colored Aperol spritzes that are practically as ubiquitous as wine. It’s hard to beat the taste when you’ve got a view of Lake Cuomo, but the Santa Barbara region is giving them a pretty good run for their money with multiple innovative variations on the spritz available on bar menus from Dom’s Taverna, Buena Onda Empanadas, La Paloma, and Gracie (and I’m sure many others). 

Also getting into the spritz action are some manufacturers in the area. Ventura Spirits has a lovely Angeleno Amaro made from orange zest, white wine, and brandy, as well as their traditional limoncello made from organic Ventura County lemons. Both are great mixed with sparkling wine or sparkling water if you want a low-alcohol spritz. They even have canned versions of the Angeleno Spritz and Limoncello Spritz available if you’re on the go.

Also getting in on a uniquely American aperitif and digestif trend is atōst, a farm-to-bottle Central Coast–based company. A grape-based aperitif with slight hints of orange, strawberry, and rose, this one works particularly well as a spritz with sparkling wine but tastes quite good as a sipper on its own as well.

I’m a fan of all things bubbly (people, too, not just alcohol) and that includes the Drinkmate instaFizz, a sparkling water bottle that allows you to basically carbonate anything anywhere. The portable bottle itself comes in a slew of colors with 10 carbonation cartridges. It looks like a regular water bottle with an extra bit of sparkle, making it a great gift for someone looking to elevate their beverage game. 

If you don’t want to make your own sparkling water bottles, PATH has a line of sparkling flavored water with reusable bottles that are quite attractive. The flavors include lemon lime, grapefruit mango, and raspberry orange. I’ve been refilling mine over and over and even put them in the dishwater. They also have a special limited edition 2025 Autism Acceptance Bottle featuring a design created by a student of Exceptional Minds, a nonprofit academy preparing artists on the spectrum for careers in entertainment and digital arts (which the purchase helps support). 

Dornfelder, a German dark-skinned grape used for red wine, was not familiar to me, so when the folks at Pali Wine Co. offered to send me a bottle of their first vintage, I was eager to try it. It’s a hearty red with a nice dark berry note. I quite enjoyed the 2023 Pali Vineyard Dornfelder, and, as promised, it paired fabulously well with pizza. 

Mike Love of the Beach Boys has a San Diego–based company called Club Kokomo Spirits, designed to inspire a “top-shelf sensory visit to the islands of the Caribbean.” For those of you too young to get the reference, listen to the Beach Boys’ song “Kokomo” here. The small-batch rums do indeed evoke that island vibe, especially the Tahitian Vanilla Rum, and they are also available in a variety of canned cocktails. 

Shandies are quite popular in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, and the 805’s own Firestone Walker has a version they call “Mind Haze Rage,” which is a trio of lemonade-infused turbo Radler beers that clock in at 8 percent ABV: Original Lemonade, Watermelon Lemonade, and Grapefruit Lemonade. If you like shandies (I do), these are pretty fun. 

There are a lot of so-called “functional” libations out there these days, and I quite like both the taste of and low-impact buzz of Goodmellow’s THC-infused beverages. They have four flavors — grapefruit habanero, strawberry hibiscus, white peach tea, and Meyer lemon elderflower — which are all pretty good (the grapefruit was my fave), and unlike some THC products, which surprise me at the end of the night, these kick in pretty quickly and feel pretty similar to a glass of wine. According to the manufacturer, “each formula includes a proprietary blend of ashwagandha, GABA, L-theanine, terpenes, THC-V, and CBG to help reduce stress, elevate mood, and encourage presence.” They also actually taste good.