Something real has been brewing…

Hello Half & Half!

Real fruit + sparkling water has been our MO, but we’re getting even more creative with our newest addition to the Spindrift family. Introducing: Half Tea & Half Lemon! (Or, as we call it – Half & Half). It’s got our classic fresh squeezed lemon with a new twist: real brewed black tea. Unsweetened and thirst-quenching, just like you’ve come to expect from the Spindrift lineup. It’s unique, refreshing, and there’s nothing like it out there!

Behind the Flavor

We asked Spindrift founder and CEO, Bill Creelman to give us the story behind Half & Half. Like everything we do, it comes down to: innovation and taste. But why did we go for tea instead of trying out another fruit-only combination? As Bill put it, innovation is everything. “I think it’s part of our journey to see how far we can go with sparkling water and real ingredients. Brewed tea seemed like a really interesting frontier to explore.” He continued,

I’m not even a big tea drinker, but I love Arnold Palmers. Especially in the summer. I was really excited to see if we could make something equally flavorful and refreshing. Our way.”

Here at Spindrift, we like pushing boundaries and trying new, unexpected things. “I think it’s our most unique product so far. The combination of tea, lemon, and bubbles – without sugar – is something initially totally different and then utterly refreshing,” Bill described.

But it wasn’t easy! Getting our flavors right takes time and a lot of tweaking. “We spent 2+ years on this product. We had a hard time initially because the tea, itself, was a challenge. Then we reframed it: what if we thought of it like our Lemon and then added brewed tea. Then we got there.”

How it Tastes

If you’ve had unsweetened iced tea and added a squeeze of fresh lemon, this is what you can expect with Half & Half. But with a delicious addition of bubbles. It’s not sweet like a lot of iced teas on the market but the real pop of fresh squeezed lemon juice rounds out the hit of black tea.

It’s going to be especially delicious on warm days. Bill paints a great picture when he envisions enjoying a can of Half & Half, “It’s 3pm on a sunny Saturday. My kids are finally playing cooperatively and I am hiding behind a good book. There, squirreled away at the bottom of the cooler, ice cold, is my Half & Half. I can’t wait.”

How to Drink It

Like all our sparkling waters, an ice cold can straight out of the fridge is how you’ll want to enjoy your Half & Half.

Make it a mocktail:
Pour it out over ice and add a fresh slice of lemon or a sprig of mint. Springtime. Try and make a deliciously refreshing batch of sparkling lemon mint punch, perfect for outdoor summer parties. 

Make it a cocktail:
Add 1.5oz whiskey, 1 tsp sugar, ice, 1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and 4 oz Half & Half. Stir and enjoy our sparkling bourbon tea recipe! 

Cheers!