Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail: Everything You Need To Know
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If you've had a Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail, you know why this slim seltzer-adjacent drink full of zesty lime and tropical guava flavors is worth the buzz. Now, as you might've heard, the hard seltzer craze is not what it was in 2019, 2020, or even early 2021; the demand peaked and skidded as the world opened back up and people were going back out to bars. What's more, there were only so many variations on the same sparkling mango theme customers could stand.
However, Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is not your standard hard seltzer, but a canned cocktail — which happens to be en vogue. As CNBC reported in October 2022, pre-mixed cocktails in a can are becoming increasingly popular. So this little number may continue to have its moment.
If you're still not sold on Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktails, read on to find out why this bright beverage just might become your multi-seasonal go-to convenient booze of choice.
The history of Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail
Canned alcohol drinks, whether it be spritzer, seltzer, or espresso martini, have been around for ages, but the Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is a relatively new offering. In 2019 — the same year Vox called hard seltzer the drink of the summer — Corona officially rolled out Corona Refresca, the classic beer company's first flavored malt beverage. Per Global Newswire, the VP of marketing said in a statement, "We are propelling Corona forward to address consumer's desire for flavorful experiences with new innovations, like Corona Refresca." Like Corona's other products, Corona Refresca is imported from Mexico. Guava lime was one of the original flavors.
The Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail started making its way to shelves in April 2019, and consumers seemed to waste little time getting into it. As Yahoo! Finance reported in May 2020, the line of canned boozy beverages was already raking in sales for Corona.
Hard seltzer became a hit for Corona during the pandemic
In the thick of the pandemic, shareable drinks were a huge no-no, but single-serve boozy beverages like Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail were absolutely perfect for socially distanced get-togethers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, canned cocktails were big hits at this time. As per the Financial Post, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Corona launched another line of canned alcoholic beverages: Corona Hard Seltzer. This range wasted no time establishing itself as one of the company's bestsellers. Though Corona Refresca wasn't produced for a little while in 2020, Constellation Brands announced the following year that the tropical cocktails were headed back to grocery store shelves.
While there was some concern about whether or not people would stop drinking Corona because its name was associated with the novel coronavirus, the company actually didn't take a hit. As CBS News noted, Corona's sales stayed pretty much on par with the rest of the market.
Perhaps one of the more befuddling things about the 2020 seltzer craze is that many people say that they don't even like hard seltzer, calling it alcohol for people who want to get drunk rather than something they'd willingly reach for. Fortunately for Corona and other canned cocktails and seltzer manufacturers, the data looked different, and sales went way up.
It's one of four tropical Corona Refresca flavors
Corona Refrescas are bold and beachy, and yes, refreshing. According to Corona's website, the canned drinks aim to teleport your tastebuds via an easily drinkable blend that's never too sweet. These malt beverages come in a bevy of different and distinct combinations, but they all seem to share one key mission: make the consumer feel totally relaxed and ready to unwind. In addition to Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail, you'll find Coconut Lime with rich malty notes playing off the bright coconut and zesty lime.
The passionfruit lime boasts a smooth taste and pleasantly sour notes of tropical passionfruit laced with a bit of lime zest and pineapple lime, a sweeter offering with familiar notes of fresh pineapple and citrus. There's also Corona Refresca Mas with mango flavor. The Corona Refresca Mas is a beefier drink with a slightly higher ABV but the same smooth fruity kick as the other Corona Refrescas.
Corona Refrescas are classified as seltzers in stores, but they aren't Corona's only seltzer options. You can pick up a few traditional seltzers in tropical or berry-themed packs, or go for individual flavors like watermelon lime and spicy pineapple. There's also Corona Seltzeritas, a fun, flavorful sparkling twist on your favorite margarita flavors. Clearly, Corona makes it easy to run the gamut of premium seltzer and seltzer-inspired choices.
Guava and lime is a unique canned cocktail combo
Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is a fruity fusion of two tried and true malt beverage flavors: guava and lime. According to CStoreDecisions, lime is an exceptionally popular hard seltzer flavor, as are black cherry and mango. Guava may be less common, but it's no less delicious. The real kicker is that you won't see these two great flavors paired together often, which is what makes Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail so unique.
Generally, consumers will find their guava paired with strawberry for a much mellower, less tropical riff. Topo Chico and Michelob Ultra both have malt beverages that do just that, with McUltra throwing in some coconut water for an extra island punch. You can also find non-alcoholic mango and guava seltzers in Giant Food. Despite there being precious few guava and lime malt beverage options, the flavor combination is certainly tried, true, and tested. According to Reddit, guava nectar, rum, and a bit of lime juice make a phenomenally layered and delicious cocktail.
Thanks to guava's milder strawberry and pear flavors, plus a bit of natural floral flair, it can complement, rather than compete with, more robust flavors like lime or lemon. So if you want a drink that properly celebrates both of these different but delectable flavors, Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is a great way to go.
Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is made with malt liquor
Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is, like many other popular hard seltzers on the market, is made with malt liquor. (Corona Hard Seltzer, on the flip side, uses sugar-based alcohol.) As Wine Enthusiast explains, hard seltzers go through the fermentation, carbonation, and flavoring process, whereby sometimes purees can be added to make the end product a little bit silkier. According to Corona's website, its line of Refrescas have only authentic fruit flavors and coloration, so you don't get that artificial aftertaste or overly-cloying sweet taste.
According to USA Today, the Corona Refrescas are less than 200 calories each with a modest 4.5 percent ABV, making them a little more potent than your traditional seltzers. And interestingly, according to a 2020 Nielsen study, a majority of consumers think of flavored malt beverages and hard seltzers as two totally different things even though they do technically overlap.
It has roughly the same ABV as your average beer
If you're looking for an alcoholic beverage that won't give you the spins after one can, Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is a solid choice. With only 4.5% alcohol by volume, it's less hefty than an IPA, and you'll still get an ice-cold, flavor-saturated beverage that will help you celebrate the beginning of summertime. According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, a regular beer has 5% ABV, whereas the average craft microbrew falls around 7%.
Although there are some light beers that come in a little lower than Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail and the other Corona flavors on tap, you can certainly make the argument that you're sacrificing taste for a little lower octane in your drink. Some very light beers can fall under 3% ABV, and you can certainly go the NA route if you're really concerned about catching too big of a buzz.
On the other hand, it's really a bit of a crap shoot. If you're out drinking at a party, you probably won't be able to guess what percentage is in your glass unless your host is breaking out a rare bottle of Strength in Numbers, aka the world's strongest beer. With Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail, you know what you're getting, and you can party like a smarty all day.
Drink it straight or mix it into an inventive cocktail
One of the things that puts Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail well in the running for being the summertime beverage of 2023 is its versatility. While you'll get a beautiful island blast of flavor when you drink this canned cocktail ice cold and straight, it's just as good as mixed into a variety of different tasty beverages. According to the Corona Cocktail Book, the lime and guava beverage mixes expertly with tequila and triple sec for a heady and scrumptious cocktail called Guava Shores. Additionally, you can stir in some strawberry puree and white rum for a fun riff on a daiquiri.
Mixing purees, or jams, with your seltzer types of drinks is a fun hack that can infuse them with even more boozy, fruity flavor. If strawberry isn't your flavor du jour, you can always experiment with raspberry jam or even pineapple for a tropical take. You can also use seltzers and drinks like them in place of water, soda, or tonic, as long as the flavors don't compete, or use Corona Refrescas as a way to amplify food or give poolside beverages an extra-special kick.
Since the flavors in Corona Refrescas are already there, you can also enjoy them all on their own or with a slight twist of lime or lemon.
Where to find Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail
If you are already 100% on the Corona Refresca train, you'll be pleased to learn that you can purchase these fruity faves just about everywhere. Safeway sells six-pack cans of Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail at many of their locations; if you want to try all four of the Corona Refresca flavors, alcohol emporiums like Total Wine carry a 12-pack for $17.99.
If you don't feel like getting out of your pajamas, you can always order up the Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail on Amazon, where it's racked up a good rating. According to C Brands, you can also branch out into some of Corona Refresca's other mouthwatering flavors with a variety pack or grab a Corona Refresca Mas, a mango-flavored, punchier version of the traditional Corona Refrescas. C Brands notes that thirsty consumers can also grab single cans of Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail at participating retailers.
Fans call it the ultimate summertime drink
Although you can certainly sip on Corona Refrescas at any time of the year, they scream summertime sipper. As Influenster reviewers noted, Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail — and the four other tasty flavors you can indulge in, for that matter — are utterly satisfying and relaxing, ideal for chilling out by the pool or lying on the beach.
According to reviewers, there's also very little hard alcohol taste, so that you can get all the booze buzz without the burn. Seltzer Nation reviewers concur, raving about how well the guava and lime flavors fit together, with the citrus burst of the lime setting off the creamy guava flavor beautifully. Calling Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail an ideal pick for a casual social gathering, Seltzer Nation notes that the malt liquor clocks in about a half percent lower than many other popular seltzers, making it a smart, chill, and drink all day option, especially when the sun is in full force.
Thanks to the combination of bright, heart-of-the-tropic flavors, lower ABV, and portability, Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail and its sister seltzers and malt beverages are the ultimate summer holiday treats.
It has more calories that your average spiked seltzer
Although Corona's traditional seltzers have 100 calories and precious few carbs and sugars apiece, Corona's Seltzeritas and Refrescas, including Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail, are slightly more calorie-heavy. Corona's Seltzeritas are 130 calories each, and the Refrescas vary between 170 and 195, with the guava lime variety landing at 187. Since White Claw and Truly both have 100 calories apiece, and Bud Light Seltzer has 100 calories and no sugar, Corona's Refrescas could be a bit of a hard sell to the more calorie-conscious crowd. So, if the sole objective is to avoid calories while getting the maximum bang for your boozy buck, Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail may not fit the bill.
The calorie factor probably shouldn't be too shocking. Corona Refresca Guava Lime Spiked Tropical Cocktail is, after all, a cocktail, and cocktails aren't always the most low-cal option. Sure, a vodka soda has about as many calories as a White Claw, but when you start throwing in more flavors, mixers, and liquor, the calorie count goes up. According to Forbes, popular drinks like margaritas and Long Island iced teas can be several hundred calories each. Suffice to say, it's all relative.