Life

This Rosé Cider Comes In CANS & Your Summer Picnic Game Just Got So Much Stronger

by Mia Mercado

I wish I wasn’t such a slave to the rosé, but oh well, here we are I guess. If you haven’t fully succumbed to the rest of the world’s rosé obsession, perhaps this latest product will do you in: rose cider in a can. It’s rosé. It’s cider. It’s in A FREAKIN’ CAN.

Virtue Cider is to thank/blame for this latest addition to our cultural rosé addiction. According to the company’s press release, their cidermakers spent months perfecting this particular brew, trying to get the best balance of botanical and fruity flavors. What they landed on was a rosé cider that combines flavors like sage, hibiscus, and citrus oil. Like their other ciders, the blend also features multiple varieties of locally grown Michigan apples. It is essentially springtime in a can, and if the weather won’t cooperate, I guess our liquor cabinets will have to do the heavy, warm-weather lifting.

This new rosé cider is 6.7 percent ABV, which falls on higher end the alcohol content of the company’s ciders. It’s sold in six-packs of twelve ounce cans. And, again, it’s in a can, which is arguably more portable than toting around a wine glass. (I mean, you could try to get away with swinging around a bottle of rosé, but that’s probably not advised. Definitely better to stick with a can.)

I’m usually the first one to blow the whistle on an ad campaign that is clearly pandering ... but that can design though. It is every stereotypic aesthetic associated with millennials, and I’m not even that mad about it. Bury me in light pink and floral illustrations. I’m fine with it.

The Instagram-worthiness of this rosé cider is definitely no coincidence. In fact, some say Instagram is to blame the recent rosé craze. It’s not completely far fetched as I doubt any of us could scroll through their Instagram at 5 p.m. on a Friday without seeing a #RoseAllDay or seven. According to VinePair, the rise in rosé over the past four years has made the U.S. the second biggest consumer of the pink wine. (France still holds that number one spot, which I’m not saying as a challenge to rosé fans, but it’s kind of a challenge.)

Rosé isn’t just limited to the alcohol section at the grocery store anymore. You can find something rosé-flavored or rosé-inspired in pretty much every aisle. There’s frosé sorbet. Rosé gummy bears. Rosé alfredo is even a thing because why not and it’s fine and BRB looking up that recipe.

There’s even rosé seltzer, as in alcoholic sparkling water, which is truly peak millennial. The only thing that would make it more millennial is if it was packaged inside of an avocado.

If you want all the millennial pink of rosé without the alcohol content, the world is not short of food for you. There are millennial pink Kit Kats, millennial pink donuts, and yes duh of course there is millennial pink cheese, I’m so glad you asked. According to Virtue Cider, soft cheeses pair well with their rosé cider. So, your entire happy hour can be the millennial pink daydream you’ve always wanted.

In select locations, Virtue Cider is also holding a launch party for their new rosé cider. If you’ll be in New York, Chicago, or Fennville, Michigan during April, you might want to check out the company’s tasting sessions and have a sip of what will likely be your go-to drink this springtime.

Just don’t forget to Instagram it or the Millennial Pink Police will come for you. (Their outfits are cute, but they’re still the police.) Sorry, but it’s the Millennial Pink Law.