Pelican Club Limoncello Spritz (7%)
Welcome to RTD Week, when in celebration of the easy, breezy vibe of summertime, I cast an eye, and a palate, towards those oft-maligned canned and bottled cocktails and highballs known for their Ready-To-Drink-ability. As this is a bit outside the norm for Beaumont Drinks, I have decided to add three ratings to each RTD reviewed, in addition to the regular scoring system: Sweetness, from very dry to liquid sugar; Booziness, from “does this have any alcohol” to fresh off the still; and Balance, the relationship of the former to the latter.
The Pelican Club is an RTD start-up operated by a husband and wife team “inspired to bring their wonderful vacation memories back home” in the form of a “liquid love letter from the Amalfi Coast.” Which is to say that Michelle and Matt Boismier use limoncello as the base of a classic spritz-style drink, à la the presently popular Aperol Spritz.
A hazy yellowish colour with pale green undertones, in the glass this behaves as would a sparkling wine, which is to say it fizzes up then peters out rather rapidly. The nose is predictably lemony, but with a sweetness that immediately puts me in mind of frosted lemon pound cake. There are definite notes of fresh lemon juice in the background, and a whiff of white wine, as well, but most notable is the combination of lemon and sugar with soft vanilla-esque back notes.
On the palate, it is less sweet than the aroma had me expecting, with an attractive mix of sweet lemon and drier sparkling wine. (As a side note, while the front of the can states “lemon liqueur & sparkling wine,” the ingredients list “carbonated water, white wine,” which leads me to believe that it’s flat wine and soda in the mix, rather than either charmat or traditional method sparkling wine.) By mid-palate, the sweetness has ebbed a bit further, leaving more of a citrus flavour reminiscent of lemon-lime soda, while the finish dries a bit further to emphasize the tang of the lemon over the sweetness of the spritz.
Served on its own in a flute, as one would a glass of sparkling wine or a French 75 cocktail, this presents very well at the start, but grows a bit cloying about halfway through the glass. Served in a large stemmed glass over ice, on the other hand, the sweetness remains in check and it performs as a thoroughly satisfying afternoon cocktail or pre-meal aperitif. And in that latter case, I would have no problem revisiting this lemony spritz so long as the sun shines and weather is warm.
Sweetness (out of 10): 4 with ice, 6 without
Booziness (out of 10): 2
Balance (out of 10): 8
Overall: 82 ($3.65/355 ml)