Ain’t no laws when you’re drinking Claws
On a cold Saturday morning, 29 February 2020, White Claw landed in Toronto. It soon became available in select LCBOs across the province. Three flavours are currently available in Ontario: black cherry, mango, and natural lime. We tried the mango version of the much-hyped, much-memed hard seltzer—the LaCroix of the alcohol world—all while obeying social distancing, of course. Now the question is, does White Claw mango live up to the buzz, or just give you one?
Amy Chen
White Claw Hard Seltzer Mango
$2.95 at the LCBO
My love for mangoes biases my review; the mango-flavored White Claw left something to be desired. It tasted like water in which someone had left fruit peels. It tasted like it was created by someone who only had a vague idea of what fruit was—let alone a mango. This drink left me uncomfortable and doubting my sense of taste. Please don’t make me drink this again.
Alexa Cheung
White Claw Hard Seltzer Mango
$2.95 at the LCBO
The hype was real, y’all. And it was only hype. The other day, my classmates in Legal Process were discussing the pros and cons of White Claw while anxiously waiting for the lecture on justiciability to begin. From them, I learned that this mythical beverage is, apparently, (1) less likely to cause horrible hangovers due to low sugar content, (2) arguably better for you due to the aforementioned low sugar content, and (3) life-changing. And so, I set off on my journey to track down White Claw. There were no mango White Claws to be found at my local LCBO. I searched high and low, paced through several aisles, still no luck. By some miracle, while I was waiting to check out, I spotted them—a few, sunny yellow, dented cans were chilling inconspicuously in a worn cardboard box, hidden by the counter. I rushed home, sweaty from my long, arduous journey, and settled on the couch, with the icy can in hand, ready to chill out. I was sorely disappointed. Mango White Claw tastes like watered down Vitamin Water, which is wild, because Vitamin Water tastes like watered down juice. 2/10—would not recommend.
Annecy Pang
White Claw Hard Seltzer Mango
$2.95 at the LCBO
I don’t normally venture into the world of canned drinks. But, since White Claw received so much hype in the US, I knew that I had to try some as soon as it came to Canada. This refreshing alcoholic beverage is gluten-free, and contains only 140 calories per can. It reminds me of summer BBQs and seeing my friends in person. It has a fruity nose; I smelled peaches. It pours clear and has decent effervescence. On first sip, it tasted just like generic, supermarket-brand, flavoured carbonated water. Strangely, I did not detect any notes of mango. The body is quite light and it is easy to drink. That is a good thing, because it tastes exponentially worse the longer it is opened and out of the fridge. It has a lingering artificial sweetener finish that I did not particularly enjoy. I paired it with some readings, but this drink would also pair excellently with some Zoom School of Law lectures.
Angela Gu
White Claw Hard Seltzer Mango
$2.95 at the LCBO
I cracked open a can of this mango White Claw and was hit with the smell of nostalgic summertime memories. This stuff is very fruity on the nose, and isn’t subtle at all. Its scent reminded me of the strawberry and citrus layered Trident gum. I poured it into a glass and observed the characteristic big seltzer bubbles. They aren’t as fun to watch as the elegant strands of fine bubbles in sparkling wine. The bubbles were also not persistent. A sip of this hard seltzer proved to be pretty disappointing. It’s very lean, just a little fizz on the tongue but there was nothing more than the slightest hint of ambiguous fruit. Despite the shortcomings, I would still prefer this over a number of other pre-mixed cans, as White Claw doesn’t have the cloying viscosity of syrupy sweet drinks. Although, if one has the luxury of time, I would recommend picking up your favourite flavoured sparkling water and vodka to mix at home.
Adrienne Ralph
White Claw Hard Seltzer Mango
$2.95 at the LCBO
I am here as a zealous advocate for White Claw, and the mango variety in particular. Obtaining this flavour took no less than four trips to LCBO, one 45-minute car ride to King City, ON, and one very committed me. I had tried the black cherry and lime flavours before, as they seemed to be far less in-demand, and was modestly impressed. However, mango is by far the top-tier White Claw beverage. It provides a perfect mix of gentle fizz, light tropical flavour, and overall refreshment. If you like LaCroix as much as I do, or even if you don’t, I would highly recommend it. It’s like a mango LaCroix, but without the slight, minerally flavour you get with most sparkling water, and with an extra whisper or two of mango essence. I recommend sipping on it when it’s ice-cold, as I do agree with Annecy that it gets exponentially worse the warmer it gets. And if you don’t like it at first, keep sipping. To quote my mother, “It was awful at first, but then it wasn’t that bad.”
